Blondies:

Preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C. Line an 8×8-inch / 20×20-centimeter square tin with parchment and mist lightly with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until well-combined. Whisk in the egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk flour mixture into the wet ingredients. If batter seems dry, add one additional tablespoon of milk.

With a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the chopped pecans and orange zest into the batter, followed by the white chocolate chunks.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Transfer tin to a wire rack and allow blondies to cool completely* before proceeding to the next steps.

Enrobing:

Melt white chocolate couverture over a bain marie, and set aside to cool while cutting the blondies.

Turn cooled blondie slab out onto a chopping board. Trim the edges, then cut into 7 x 7 rows. When finished, you’ll have 49 blondie squares, each about 1 inch / 2 1/2 centimeters in size. Discard any crumbled or broken squares (or save for snacking!)

Place blondie squares to a parchment-lined tray, and transfer to the freezer until ready to enrobe.

Temper** white chocolate via your preferred method.

Remove blondie squares from the freezer and, working quickly, enrobe completely in tempered chocolate. Transfer enrobed blondies to a parchment-lined tray and decorate with an enrobing fork, and/or garnish as desired with toasted pecans or bits of candied orange peel.

Store blondie bites in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.