Chewy White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies
Dense, chewy, caramelized, and jammy… these white chocolate raspberry blondies are what dessert dreams are made of. With a homemade raspberry drizzle and fresh raspberries throughout, each bite is colorful and full of flavor. Make them for an irresistible Valentine’s Day (or any day) treat!
Reasons to love this recipe
White chocolate raspberry is a winning combo, especially for special occasions like Valentine’s Day. Adding these ingredients to blondies takes them to the next level.
These blondies are full of deep, caramelized flavors from browned butter and brown sugar, with pops of bright and jammy raspberry flavor from the raspberry gel and fresh raspberries.
This recipe has something for lovers of both chewy and fudgy blondies – it has thick, crispy edges and a soft center. Truly, the best of both worlds.
What is a blondie, anyway?
Contrary to popular belief, blondies aren’t just a lighter version of brownies. They have their own thing going on… Blondies are more like a chocolate chip cookie in bar form.
Blondies and brownies are made using similar ingredients and methods, but blondies don’t have cocoa powder, and they also include browned butter and brown sugar. This gives blondies a distinct caramelized, butterscotchy flavor. You can add different mix-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, or fruit to your blondies too.
Ingredients you’ll need
With the exception of raspberries and white chocolate chips, the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic.
- Raspberries – you’ll need these for the raspberry gel and for folding into the blondies
- Sugar – preferably both granulated (white) sugar and brown sugar
- Butter
- Eggs – we’ll use one whole egg and one yolk
- Vanilla extract – measure it with your heart!
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- White chocolate – I recommend getting your chocolate in bar form and chopping it instead of using chocolate chips
- Slivered almonds – optional but pretty
Tips for success
Making raspberry gel
The raspberry gel adds a beautiful decorative touch to the top of your blondies. Making raspberry gel is pretty straightforward, but it is a bit time-consuming. (See the ‘recipe modifications’ section for some shortcut alternatives.)
Start by simmering and smashing your raspberries with some sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. After the raspberries are broken down, remove the mixture from the heat. You just made raspberry jam! If you want to leave the seeds in, you can stop here.
To remove the seeds, run the jam through a fine mesh sieve. I set mine up over a bowl and use a spatula to press the mixture through the sieve. A thick gel will bead up on the underside of the sieve, which you can scrape off with the spatula. This process takes a bit of elbow grease, but the result – a bright, tangy, smooth, raspberry gel – is worth it.
Browning butter
Browned butter adds nutty complexity to your blondies. To brown butter, heat it in a small saucepan over medium heat, keeping an eye on it throughout. The butter will foam up once, subside, then foam up again. The butter begins browning during this second foam. When you see little browned bits floating in the melted butter, pull it off the heat and cool it a bit before the next step.
Making the blondies
I recommend mixing the wet ingredients with an electric hand mixer to get them extra smooth and a bit aerated. Mixing the dry ingredients by hand will help you avoid overmixing the blondies and making them too dense.
After you’ve made your blondie base, you can fold in your mix-ins (raspberries and white chocolate). The mixture will be thick (almost like cookie dough), so it’s helpful to use an offset spatula to spread it into the baking pan.
Finally, top with slivered almonds and your homemade raspberry gel. I use a squirt bottle to for a precise raspberry drizzle, but you can also use a spoon.
Bake your blondies until you see the edges get crispy and browned. The center of your blondies should move just a bit without being overly wobbly. Most importantly, let the blondies rest until they’re completely cool before cutting into them! (I know… but resting really does improve the structure of your blondies.)
FAQs
Chewy blondies (like these ones) will have a thick, crisp crust and a softer center. Brown sugar is key here, as it will help gluten (i.e. structure, chewiness) develop in the blondies.
Fudgy brownies will be soft, melty, and less structured than chewy blondies. To make fudgy blondies, add some extra chocolate and under-bake them by a few minutes.
Cakey blondies will be fluffy and eat more like semi-dense cake than cookie-like fudgy or chewy blondies. The keys here are more air and less fat. Be sure to whip the butter and sugar until they are very light. Then, instead of one egg and one egg yolk, use one egg and one egg white. You may also opt for adding a splash of milk to the batter.
Your blondies should be crispy and golden brown around the edges. If you gently shake the baking pan, you should see the blondies move just a bit, but they shouldn’t look liquidy or wobble around like jello.
These blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the fridge for about 1 week. (But I doubt it’ll take you that long to go through them! *wink*)
Recipe modifications
- Different flavors – Use other types of berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries) and/or chocolate (like semisweet or milk chocolate) to switch up the flavor profile.
- Easier raspberry drizzle – You can leave the seeds in your raspberry jam or use a premade raspberry jam, jelly, or sauce.
- Blonder version – Use melted butter instead of browned butter and granulated sugar instead of brown sugar.
- Gluten-free – Instead of all-purpose flour, use gluten-free flour intended for baking.
- Nut-free – Omit the slivered almonds.
Chewy White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 2 medium-sized bowls
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 spatula
- 1 whisk
- 1 hand mixer
- 1 8×8 metal baking pan
- 1 offset spatula (optional but helpful)
Ingredients
Raspberry Gel
- 1 cup raspberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Blondies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or more to taste
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup fresh raspberries roughly chopped or broken up into smaller bits by hand
- 4 oz white chocolate preferably from a bar, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup slivered almonds optional
Instructions
Make the raspberry gel
- Add 1 cup raspberries and 2 tbsp sugar to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring and mashing with a whisk until the raspberries are broken down, and the mixture is simmering and beginning to thicken (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Pour the raspberry mixture into the sieve. Use a spatula to press the raspberry mixture against the mesh and push it through. A smooth gel will collect on the bottom of the sieve – use the spatula to scrape it off into the bowl. Repeat this process until all that remains in the sieve are seeds. (Wash out the saucepan – you'll need it again soon!)
Make the blondies
- Bown the butter. In the small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. The butter will foam up once, subside, then foam up again. During the second foam, keep an eye on the butter to watch for browning, scraping the bottom of the saucepan with a spatula occasionally. You'll know the butter is browned when it smells nutty and you see browned bits in the butter. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl. Use the spatula to scrape out any remaining browned bits. Let cool slightly.
- Prep your oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with butter and parchment paper.
- Whip wet ingredients. Add brown sugar to the bowl with browned butter. Use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer until light, smooth, and silky.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the large bowl of wet ingredients. Use a spatula to mix until just incorporated. The mixture will be thick, similar to cookie dough.
- Add mix-ins. Gently fold in fresh raspberries and white chocolate. Transfer the blondie batter to the prepared baking pan. Use an offset spatula to gently spread the batter evenly inside the pan. Drizzle the raspberry gel on top, then sprinkle with slivered almonds.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges of the blondies are golden brown and the center is no longer wobbly. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing, 4 hours or more. (Do not skip this step! The cooling process helps the blondies condense and get chewy.)
Notes
- Please note that nutrition facts are an estimate and can vary widely based on amounts and specific types used.
- Want a shortcut for the raspberry gel?
- You can leave the seeds in if you like, or…
- Use premade raspberry jam, jelly, or sauce instead.
