An unexpected twist in a classic blondie recipe, this clever little bake from Benjamina Ebuehi’s new cookbook A Good Day To Bake is a winner
IMAGE: LAURA EDWARDS
When you think of tarragon, what comes to mind? It’s not the most used or popular herb and, likewise, blondies tend to be outshone by their more popular big sister, the brownie. So these two are right at home together, creating something deliciously unexpected. The liquorice flavour of the tarragon comes through subtly and sits comfortably against the buttery sweetness of the blondies. Laying the leaves on top of the batter, right before it goes into the oven, is my favourite bit when making these. I enjoy the process of laying them down, and letting them overlap, curl and bend in any which way they fancy.
Tarragon Blondies
Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
- 5 sprigs of tarragon plus extra leaves to decorate
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 160 g plain all-purpose flour
- pinch ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 g white chocolate roughly chopped
- 50 g macadamia nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4). Grease and line a 20-cm (8-in) square cake pan.
- Finely chop one sprig of tarragon and set aside.
- Add the butter and remaining 4 whole sprigs of tarragon to a small saucepan. Gently melt the butter, then remove from the heat, cover and let it steep for 15–20 minutes. (For a stronger flavour you can leave this for 1 hour.)
- Strain the butter into a large bowl, discarding the herbs. Once cooled, mix in the sugar, then stir in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, ground cloves, chopped tarragon and salt, stirring gently until just combined. Mix in the white chocolate and chopped nuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the extra tarragon leaves on top of the batter. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until just set.
- Let the blondies cool completely before serving. For a super clean cut, chill them in the refrigerator for a few hours before slicing with a sharp knife.
Know someone who’d enjoy these tempting blondies? You can share the recipe using the buttons at the top of the page. Discover more delicious dessert recipes on The Home Page here.
