hearted brownies & blondies

brownies and blondies

I first made these before I had started blogging on De La Casa, when Smitten Kitchen posted them. I was still learning how to bake and had never made blondies before. Despite being a bit of a white chocolate snob (preferring only the darkest dark chocolate) I was convinced by her post that white chocolate blondies might be worth trying.

brownies and blondies

And I got a bit hooked! I tend to reach for the blondies over the brownies now..

The second time I made these was for the baby shower of my now 3 year old nephew, not long before we moved to Canada – doesn’t time fly! It seems to be baby season now – many of our friends back in NZ are either pregnant or have just given birth and we struggle being so far from it all. Making these was, in a way, my connection with cuteness, oh as well as cuddling our landlords’ tiny 5 day old baby!

heart cutter

One Pot Blondies
Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything, via Smitten Kitchen

113 grams butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup (4 3/8 ounces or 125 grams) all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350˚F and butter a 8×8 inch brownie pan.
Melt butter in large saucepan with sugar and white chocolate. Whisk smooth and add egg and vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until set in the middle and cracking on top (err on the side of underbaked.) Leave on cooling rack until cold. Wipe out saucepan (or don’t bother) and start again with the following recipe for the brown version.

One Pot Brownies
Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything, via Smitten Kitchen

113 grams butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (4 3/8 ounces or 125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa

Preheat oven to 350˚F and butter a 8×8 inch brownie pan.
Melt butter in large saucepan with brown sugar and chocolate. Whisk smooth and add egg and vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour and cocoa. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until set in the middle and cracked on top (err on the side of underbaked). Leave on cooling rack until cold.

Transfer brownie and blondie to freezer (layer one on top of the other in the baking pan). Freeze over night then leave on counter for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice into perfect squares (measure!) and, using a heart shaped cookie cutter, remove centres from each blondie. Swap with centres of each brownie and voila!

brownies and blondies

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