Coffee Blondies with Brown Butter, Chunks of Milk Chocolate and a Coffee Glaze
If you adore brownies and love coffee cake, then these Coffee Blondies with Chunks of Milk Chocolate and a Coffee Glaze will be your new coffee cake crush!
Makes 9, 12 or 16
Ingredients
Ingredients for the blondies:
- 200g unsalted butter, in cubes (See Recipe Notes)
- 4 teaspoons instant coffee
- 4 teaspoons boiling water
- 150g soft brown sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 150g plain/all-purpose flour
- 220g milk chocolate cut into a mix of sizes
For the topping –
- 30ml/2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 150g icing sugar
- 10g unsalted biutter, melted
- sea salt for sprinkling on the top (optional)
- 30g – 40g grated chocolate (optional)
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat oven to fan oven 160°C /180°C/350°F/Gas 4
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First, brown the butter: chop the butter into squares and place in a saucepan. Heat over a moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until the butter turns brown. To read more about browning butter, please see here.
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Pour into a jug so it stops cooking, cools and is ready to pour into the batter.
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Mix the coffee and water: mix the instant coffee with the boiling water and set aside to cool whilst you make the blondie batter.
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Make the blondie batter: meanwhile, put the sugars, eggs and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. This will take around 3 - 5minutes.
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When the eggs and sugar are ready, add the vanilla paste and slowly pour in the melted brown butter and coffee, at the side of the dish. Beat until completely incorporated.
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Put a sieve over the bowl and add the flour and sift directly over the cake batter.
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Fold the flour into the batter, until nearly mixed in.
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Chop the chocolate into varying sizes and fold into the blondie batter.
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Transfer to your lined baking tin and level the surface, making sure the cake batter goes all the way into the corners.
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Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 25 – 35 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. (I cook mine for 30 minutes in London.) This gives me a slightly crispy top but a gorgeous slightly gooey centre. (See Recipe Notes)
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Leave to cool in the tin for around 30 minutes and then transfer, in the baking parchment, to a cooling rack.
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When the blondies are cold, lay on a chopping board and cut into 9, 12 or 16 slices.
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Make the coffee icing: mix the coffee with the milk, making sure the coffee has dissolved, and melt the butter. I do this in a microwave, but you could also melt it in a small saucepan.
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Add the coffee and butter to the icing sugar and mix to a thick paste. Beat vigorously ensuring that there are no lumps.
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Leave the cake in the baking paper and slot back into the tin – this helps to keep the shape of the icing. Pour the icing on top.
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Level the icing over the surface and liberally scatter with grated chocolate and a touch of sea salt (if using).
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Leave the icing to set for a couple of hours and then slice into 9, 12 or 16 squares.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- Microwave safe jug or heatproof bowl
- Electric whisk and mixing bowl for the blondies
- Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- Sieve
- Small saucepan
- jug for the brown butter
- jug or small bowl to mix the coffee
- Mixing bowl for the icing
- chopping board and knife
- grater/peeler for the chocolate
- 20cm/8inch square baking tin lined with baking parchment
Brown Butter
If you want to skip the step of browning the butter, use 180g of normal unsalted, melted butter and not 200g butter, as in the recipe.
Cooking times:
Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 25 – 35 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. (I cook mine for 30 minutes in London.) This gives me a slightly crispy top but a gorgeous gooey centre. The cake will be slightly risen but the centre will feel quite soft. Remember the cake will continue to cook after you have taken it out of the oven. Ovens do vary so make a note of how long it takes to cook your favourite consistency in your oven. Remember the less you cook it, the more gooey it will be and the more you cook it, the more cake like it will be.
What is the best way to store these blondies?
When you store blondies, it is important to cover them. They keep well for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Can I freeze these blondies?
Yes you can! These blondies freeze well, covered, for up to 3 months.