As the name suggests, blondies are a white chocolate version of brownies. I find them a bit more subtle in flavor and they make a great end to a meal, especially with chunks of white chocolate and a few chewy cranberries thrown in for texture.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square cake pan and line with wax paper, allowing the wax paper to come up the sides with a 1-inch overhang.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the brown sugar and salt. (A good whisk now will make the mixture slightly lighter and fluffier.) Add the vanilla extract and whisk again. Remove from the heat and cool.
Add the eggs to the butter mixture and stir well. Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl, then whisk in the egg and butter mixture a little at a time. (It’s important to do this in stages so that you don’t get any lumps.)
Fold in the chocolate chunks and the cranberries.
Spoon into the prepared cake pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the outer edges are firm and the middle still a little soft.
Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then cut into squares before serving. Once cooled, the blondies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
HOW TO BAKE WITHOUT STICKING
Lining the pan with wax paper acts as an insurance policy to keep the blondies from sticking and means you can have a higher ratio of chocolate in the mix. Remember to smooth out the top of the blondies when you fill the pan so that they bake evenly.