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!
Honey and almond blondies
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 200 g plain flour (~ 1 cup)
- 65 g ground almonds (~ ⅔ cup)
- 185 g light brown sugar (~ 1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 110 g butter (~ 8 tbsp), melted and cooled
- 150 ml honey (~ ½ cup)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon 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.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
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!
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
They look so good!! I love blondies. They're so rich and moist :)
Janie says
And now I'm craving cake at 8.21am!!! :D
They do look fine, and I'm exactly the same re the sweet stuff - mostly not fussed about eating sweet treats, but when I do I want LOTS of icing or buttercream on top!
Janie x
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
It just seems pointless to eat dessert if it's not going to be nice and sweet! ;)
Jen says
It's so satisfying to be able to bake something out of storecupboard ingredients, especially when it turns out looking as tasty as these little blondies :)
Darla Pitman says
I have found some of my best dishes were born from mistakes, so maybe they aren't really mistakes at all, but opportunities for creativity. These blondies sound wonderful, and look like they would pair nicely with an afternoon cup of tea! I am pinning this recipe, and looking forward to trying it.
Medeja says
Sunny and yummy blondies!
[email protected] says
It's always immensely gratifying to find that with a little research (the Kitchn, Epicurious and Bon Appetit are my go tos) and bravery a supposed baking fail turns out a good 'un. These look fab, Becca. And lol about the word moist. I don't find it unappetising in the context of a recipe but some people are terribly weird about it, aren't they? They look lovely and MOIST. There. Said it again. ;-)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Haha I actually don't really mind the word but some people seem to get truly offended by it!
Elizabeth says
These sound absolutely fantastic! I need to make these.... right now!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love it when a great recipe comes out of a failed one, although that doesn't happen too often for me. I love blondies too :)
Rhian Westbury says
These look so yummy, I rarely just throw ingredients together but I really should to see what I come up with! x
Jade says
Love the positivity in this post. Well done for not giving up after a semi-failed attempt (I'd definitely not try again but that's just me haha).
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hehe it's only because I had guests coming over and wanted to make something nice - otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered ;)