Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Blondies

These lie somewhere between a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie – a dense caramelly sugar-crusted blondie, studded with melting pools of chocolate. They take less than 5 minutes to get into the oven and about 30 seconds to eat.

If you can get it, butterscotch chocolate works well here. It will have a bit of extra sugar in it, though, and if you’d rather something less sweet, normal 70% chocolate will do.

I often make a dairy-free version, using soya or coconut yoghurt and coconut oil – I like the lightness you get without dairy. Normal natural yoghurt works too.

MAKES 12

100g coconut oil or butter, at room temperature
100g light brown sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
100g soya or natural coconut yoghurt
2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
250g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
a large pinch of sea salt
90ml milk (cow’s, coconut, almond or soya)
150g dark chocolate or butterscotch chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Grease a square brownie tin, line with baking paper and set aside.

Put the butter or coconut oil and sugar into a large bowl and mix well with an electric whisk or by hand. Add the vanilla seeds and the yoghurt and beat well until everything is combined. Add the honey or agave syrup and beat this in too.

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly until nicely combined. Bit by bit add the milk, then fold in the chopped chocolate.

Pour the batter into the brownie tin and spread with a spoon or spatula. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is firm and brown.

Allow to cool completely, then cut into little squares. The yoghurt in these means they will keep gooey and fresh for at least a week.

Image: Brian W Ferry

Posted: 07.01.15 9 Comments

Comments

Posted by anya clark at 8:03 on the 07.06.15

Can you replace the brown sugar seeds with unrefined brown sugar?

Posted by Anna at 1:28 on the 29.06.15

Thanks Anya, yes, unrefined brown sugar should be fine. Best wishes

Posted by Samantha at 11:19 on the 07.07.15

Dear Anna, In your recipe above, the ingredients contain chocolate, however vegans can not eat this as these contains milk?
Also what can you substitute the sugar for? I am hypoglycemic and cannot have any types of sugar, unless its natural. I.e. honey/maple/apple puree?
Thank you for your advise in advance.
I have just bought your book, I am very excited!
Kind regards
Samantha

Posted by Anna at 9:16 on the 13.07.15

Hi Samantha, if you use a good quality dark chocolate (always check the label carefully) a lot of them are vegan. In terms of the sugar,
coconut sugar should work, and you could try maple syrup, but the consistency will be fairly different. I would advise checking with a doctor what is suitable for you, as I do not know much about your condition. Good luck! AJ x

Posted by Lauren at 7:15 on the 27.09.15

And let me tell you, they were a total win! They also got me thinking about how much I enjoy a good blondie especially when they re brimming with chocolate chips, caramel candies and sprinkled with sea salt.

Posted by Nat at 10:03 on the 29.01.16

Hi Anna
When I made these I found they came out more like a cake than a brownie or a blondie, they weren’t very gooey or fudgy like you described. Any idea why that might be?
Thanks!

Posted by Nat at 10:05 on the 29.01.16

Hi Anna
Mine came out like a cake and not gooey or fudgey as you describe – any idea why?
Thanks!
Nat

Posted by Tj Stewart at 10:02 on the 25.05.20

What is butterscotch chocolate, please? Love your work!!

Posted by Sadie at 7:52 on the 21.01.22

What size tin should I use please as I’m missing cakes and brownies etc. Many thanks

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