A fun Easter treat made from pantry staples inspired by the spices and citrus of hot cross buns. But with a blondie twist!
Milk chocolate may be the go-to choice at Easter time, but let me introduce you to my white chocolate Hot Cross Blondies. Squishy, fudgey blondies flavoured with spices and orange zest with white chocolate chunks inside and white chocolate crosses on top. Can you only make these at Easter time? Absolutely not. Enjoy these decadent blondies, with or without the cross topping, whenever you please! For another amazing blondie recipe, try our Orange Blondie with Dark Chocolate Chips.
Ingredient notes:
- Butter: Yes, that's a lot of butter. Yes, it's necessary. The butter is key to giving the blondies their chewy decadent texture.
- Brown sugar: Ditto for the sugar, it's key to the texture of the chewy centre and the crackly top.
- Spices and zest: The mixed spice, cinnamon and orange zest turn regular blondies, into spiced hot cross blondies!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan bake. Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and sugar, then add the eggs and beat until smooth.
Stir in the vanilla and orange zest. Add the flour, spices and a pinch of salt, then mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Fold three quarters of the white chocolate chunks into the dough, setting the remaining chocolate aside.
Spoon the blondie batter into the lined baking tin, and spread evenly to the edges with the back of a spoon. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and just set in the centre. Once baked, leave to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.
Once completely cooled, melt the remaining chocolate and pipe crosses onto the top. Leave to set, then cut into squares and serve.
Recipe FAQs:
Of course, this blondie can be cut into as many or as little pieces as you like! If you are adding crosses, just make sure you add them for the amount of pieces you are making.
If white chocolate is too sweet for you, this is also delicious made with dark chocolate.
Make this even more akin to a hot cross bun and add ½ cup of raisins to the batter.
Storage:
Keep stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Top tips:
- Use a ruler and a knife to lightly score the blondie surface as a guide for piping the white chocolate crosses on top. See picture below (NB: this was made in a long narrow tin, so I cut it into 8 pieces. But a 20cm square tin works perfectly for 9 pieces).
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Hot Cross Blondies
A fun Easter treat made from pantry staples inspired by the spices and citrus of hot cross buns, with a blondie twist.
Ingredients
- 200g butter, melted and cooled
- 1 ¾ cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or essence
- Zest of half a small orange (around 1 tsp)
- 1 ⅔ cups plain flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- 200g white chocolate, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan bake. Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin.
- In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and sugar, then add the eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange zest.
- Add the flour, spices and a pinch of salt, then mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
- Fold three quarters of the white chocolate chunks into the dough, setting the remaining chocolate aside.
- Spoon the blondie batter into the lined baking tin, and spread evenly to the edges with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and just set in the centre. Once baked, leave to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.
- Once completely cooled, melt the remaining chocolate and pipe crosses onto the top.
- Leave to set, then cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Use a ruler and a knife to lightly score the blondie surface as a guide for piping the white chocolate crosses on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 305Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
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