Honey and almond blondies

These honey and almond blondies were born out of a totally failed attempt at baking. I originally tried to make some little shortbread bites, but somehow managed to well and truly screw them up (I know, shortbread is like three ingredients, surely it’s not even possible to mess it up? Turns out it is when you’re me!).

Rather than allow my tiny shred of baking self-confidence to be totally ruined by my failure, I was keen to try baking something else instead – but, I had absolutely no desire to go out to the shops for the second time in a day (it’s November, it’s cold, it’s wet, it’s dark… I don’t leave the house in situations like this).

This led to me Googling what desserts I could make using entirely store cupboard ingredients, and I stumbled upon these maple and pecan blondies from The Kitchn. Of course, I can never follow a recipe to a T, so I did make quite a few changes, most notably turning them into honey and almond blondies instead. I replaced some of the flour with ground almonds, topped them with flaked almonds, and used honey in place of the maple syrup.

The result: wow. I’m a bloomin’ baking queen.

Okay, maybe not quite, but these blondies could make anyone feel like a star. They really couldn’t be easier to make – mix your dry ingredients, mix your wet ingredients, and combine – but they end up being completely amazing.

The flavour of the honey really comes through – they’re quite sweet, but if you’re okay with really sweet desserts, you’ll love these. Strangely, despite not having a very sweet tooth and craving desserts very rarely, when I do indulge I like my dessert to be nice and sweet – if you’re going to do something, you may as well do it properly, right?

The almonds on top get nice and toasty in the oven, and if you leave them ever so slightly undercooked in the middle, the cake itself is super squidgy and moist (sorry, there’s no other word for it). You only need a small piece to feel completely satisfied, so this batch will serve around 16.

So next time you’re not feeling too happy about your baking abilities, try these honey and almond blondies. You won’t be disappointed!

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Honey and almond blondies

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 16 squares

Ingredients

• 200 g plain flour (~ 1 cup)
• 65 g ground almonds (~ 2/3 cup)
• 185 g light brown sugar (~ 1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 110 g butter (~ 8 tbsp), melted and cooled
• 150 ml honey (~ 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, brown sugar, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, honey, vanilla extract, and eggs.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold together to form a thick batter.
• Lightly grease a lined baking tin (mine measured 8 x 8 inches), and pour in the batter. Spread it around to smooth out the top, and sprinkle on the flaked almonds.
• Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the blondies are just set in the centre. They should still be quite soft. Leave to cool, then cut into 16 squares and serve.

Author: Becca Heyes

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.

Here’s another super easy bake that will make you feel like a baking goddess – my caramel pear crumble cake!