Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies

These Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies are a bright, fresh twist on a classic blondie recipe for an easy-to-make treat that citrus-lovers will love. Blondies are bar cookies that are similar in texture to brownies – dense and chewy – but don’t use cocoa powder or chocolate in the same way that brownies do. In fact, many of them don’t use chocolate at all. These Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies do use chocolate and come so close to the texture of traditional brownies that I was tempted to call them a white chocolate brownie, even though “blondie” is a bit more accurate here.

Lemon and white chocolate are an excellent flavor combination. White chocolate is rich and buttery, sweeter than other chocolates. In good quality white chocolate – meaning white chocolate that is made with real cocoa butter and not other vegetable solids – you should taste flavors of milk and vanilla, as well as getting a smooth and creamy finish. The flavors in white chocolate go well with lemon, and the bright citrus flavor of lemon contrast well with the richer notes of the chocolate.

In this particular recipe, I opted to use meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are just as bold in flavor as regular lemons are, but they have less acidity and don’t pack quite as much bite as their regular counterparts. The meyer lemon goes particularly well with the white chocolate.

The bars are chewy and flavorful, though a crisp edge develops around the bars where the blondies come into contact with the pan. You’ll taste a strong lemon flavor, as well as a rich creaminess from the white chocolate. There is white chocolate melted into the batter and that contributes to the blondies’ satisfyingly chewy texture. There are plenty of white chocolate chips stirred into the batter, along with fresh lemon zest that really pops in the finished bake.

These blondies taste even better the day after they are baked, as the white chocolate and lemon flavors meld together and you get even more lemon flavor in every bite. If you don’t have meyer lemons available – and you can find them at many markets, as well as at farmers markets, because they grow year-round – you can use regular lemon zest. The bars will still be delicious, but the flavor will be slightly brighter than bars made with meyer lemons. The bars keep well for several days after baking when stored in an airtight container.

Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies
1/2 cup butter
2 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp meyer lemon zest (from 1 large lemons)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter on high heat. When butter is completely melted, add in chopped white chocolate and allow it to melt. Stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg until well-combined. Beat in salt and lemon zest until well combined. Stir in chocolate mixture.
Stir in flour and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Fold in white chocolate until no streaks of flour remain.
Transfer batter – batter will be thick – to prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bars are set and light golden.
Cool completely in the pan before slicing.

Makes 16.

The post Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies appeared first on Baking Bites.