The blondie—that golden, caramelized bar that verges on butterscotch bliss—was begging for a tangy-sweet swirl of Apricot Jam. We obliged, stirring in a hefty dose of nutty browned butter for good measure and finishing it off with a light sprinkle of sea salt.
Browned Butter Apricot Blondies
Makes 9
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- ¼ cup (80 grams) Apricot Jam (recipe follows)
- Garnish: flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking dish.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a medium-brown color and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in melted browned butter and vanilla. (Mixture will be thick.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat brown sugar and eggs at high speed until tripled in size, 4 to 5 minutes. Add one-third of egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Fold in remaining egg mixture in 2 portions until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Spoon Apricot Jam, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, over batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, covering with foil 10 minutes into baking if you want lighter-colored blondies. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Apricot Jam
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups (480 grams) chopped fresh apricots*
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 gram) lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, to 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool for 1 hour before transferring to a clean jar. Jam will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
*Reserve apricot pits for Noyaux Pastry Cream (recipe in our July/August 2018 Issue). Pits can be frozen for up to 1 month.
