I am very excited to share this blondie recipe! Every bite of this tastes just like Christmas–the warmth of the cinnamon and nutmeg, the browned butter, the little bites of candied chestnut, and the pops of tartness from the cranberries come together to create blondies that taste supremely festive. While festive is not a flavor, it really is the best way to describe the experience of making and eating these blondies.
The batter for this recipe is adapted from Broma Bakery’s chocolate chip blondies. This recipe for candied chestnut and cranberry blondies works because blondies are inherently very sweet. The cranberry counteracts that with some tartness, while the candied chestnuts add a nice bit of texture. The blondie batter is made with browned butter and cinnamon to amplify the warm, toasty flavors, creating the perfect treat.
The main challenge I have encountered when making blondies is not mixing the sugar and butter sufficiently. This can result in a dense batter that never fully cooks properly. All you need to do to prevent this is make sure that you vigorously whisk together the brown butter and brown sugar until well aerated. Just make sure that you whisk for a full 3 minutes or so. The rest of the recipe is pretty fool-proof!
For the chestnuts, I used store-bought roasted and peeled chestnuts. They usually come in a little packet/bag and can be found near the fresh produce. If you have easy access to fresh chestnuts, you’re welcome to roast and peel them yourself. But in my area, our chestnuts are incredibly difficult to peel and it’s really not necessary for this recipe. Candying the chestnuts adds a bit of sweetness and helps prevent the chestnuts from drying out in the batter.
Candied chestnut and cranberry blondies
Course: Cookies and barsDifficulty: Baking session16
blondies24
minutes40
minutesThese candied chestnut and cranberry blondies taste of Christmas, with toasty browned butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, tart cranberries, and sweet roasted chestnuts. They’d be perfect to bring to a holiday party or potluck.
Ingredients
- For the chestnuts
1 cup (200g) roasted and peeled chestnuts (see note)
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
- For the blondie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
generous 1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Candy the chestnuts
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey, brown sugar, butter, salt, and nutmeg.
- Roughly chop the chestnuts (you still want to maintain relatively large pieces) and add to the saucepan.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and you are left with a thick syrup. Remove the chestnut pieces from the syrup and place onto parchment paper. Let chestnuts fully cool and rest at least one hour before using.
- Make the blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper. Butter the top of the parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a small saute pan or saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the butter smells nutty and the butter solids are a dark amber color. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the cinnamon, followed by 1 Tbsp of cold water.
- Add the brown sugar and whisk thoroughly for about three minutes, until the sugar and butter are fully combined and the mixture has aerated some.
- Add in the egg yolk, whole egg, and vanilla and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add in the cranberries and stir to coat evenly. Add this mixture to the wet ingredient, and stir until there are a few streaks of flour left. Do not overmix. Pour in the chestnuts and stir just until there are no more visible streaks of flour.
- Pour into the baking pan and cook for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown and set on the edges, and have puffed up in the center. Do not overcook, as they will continue to set once removed from the oven. Let cool completely and slice into squares. If you’re having difficulty slicing, you can chill the blondies first, which can make them less crumbly for slicing.
Notes
- I recommend using store-bought roasted and peeled chestnuts for ease. If you’d like to, you can purchase fresh chestnuts, and roast and peel them yourself.
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