Gluten Free Caramelized White Chocolate Blondies
These are the most decadent blondies you'll ever made. Brown butter, studded with caramelized white chocolate chunks, and topped with silky caramelized white chocolate ganache
Servings: 12 blondies
Calories: 500kcal
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the blondies:
- 12 oz good quality white chocolate, caramelized at least 30% cocoa butter/solids, instructions below
- 1 Cup browned butter instructions below
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1/2 Cup packed blanched almond flour
- 1/2 Cup arrowroot starch
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the ganache:
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 12 oz caramelized white chocolate instructions below
Instructions
- First, caramelize your white chocolate (all 24 oz of it!). Preheat the oven to 250° Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (I spray the pan first so that the parchment stays in place). Spread your white chocolate (either chips or chopped chocolate) on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and use a rubber spatula to spread the now-soft white chocolate until it covers the sheet evenly. Then return to the oven and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring with the spatula every 10 minutes (it may look dry and crumbly - don't worry!) until it's a deep golden color (but not brown). Remove and stir again, then scrape chocolate into a heat-safe med-small bowl and continue to stir with a spoon until it smooths out and looks like chocolate again (not chalky/crumbly). Then line a small baking pan with parchment and spread half (12 oz) of the caramelized white chocolate in the baking sheet to cool (you'll be chopping this up later to put into the blondie batter). Leave the remaining chocolate in the bowl to cool.
- Next, brown your butter! In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 1 cup of salted butter and stir constantly until melted and simmering. Continue to simmer, on medium heat, for at least a few minutes, until the popping and hissing sounds have completely subsided (this is the water in the butter burning off – you’ll know once it’s silent). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter reaches a deep amber color and smells nutty or caramelly. The butter may foam, so keep stirring/lifting up spoonfuls of the butter to see the color. Once it reaches that color, immediately take off the burner and let sit until firm and room temperature (not liquid) - you can put it in the fridge to speed this up. I recommend browning more butter than you need because some does evaporate! (maybe brown 1 1/4 cups).
- Then make your blondies! Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, then grease and set aside. Once the white chocolate in the pan has cooled into a chocolate bar, chop it into 1/2 inch pieces, then set aside. Once the browned butter is firm/room temperature, scraped into a large bowl and cream it with the white and brown sugar for 4-5 minutes (seems like a long time but the more you cream it the better the blondies will be!). Then add the vanilla and eggs and continue to beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the salt, flour, starch, almond flour, and baking powder and stir in with a spatula until just-mixed (do not over-mix). Then fold in your chopped caramelized white chocolate until combined (it will be very thick/stiff). Pour batter into the prepare pan and spread it to the corners with the spatula. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and crisp to the touch. Let cool completely before topping with ganache.
- While they're cooling, make the ganache. Heat the cream in a medium bowl in the microwave for one minute, then scrape in the remaining caramelized white chocolate (you may have to microwave this for 10 seconds to release it from the bowl it was in) into the cream and let sit for 2 minutes. Then stir until the chocolate is melted (if there are still chunks, microwave for another 20 seconds). I recommend straining the ganache through a sieve before pouring it over your blondies (still in the pan) and spreading across the top. Freeze blondies for 20-30 minutes before slicing to firm up the ganache. Then serve!