These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies are the bombshells of the blondie world. I call them “Platinum Blondies’ and I love them. You will too.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies triple down on the vanilla
This is the recipe for vanilla lovers ~ with chunks of white chocolate, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds…it doesn’t get any blonder or more luscious than that. Each ingredient brings something new to the vanilla party, and that lovely flavor really lingers.
what do these white chocolate blondies taste like?
Along with all that vanilla, there are notes of toffee and butterscotch as well. It’s a monochromatic but complex layering of flavors that pack a big punch!
what type of white chocolate should you use for these blondies?
All by itself white chocolate doesn’t do that much for me, it’s one of those ingredients that blossoms when you combine it with certain other ingredients, like macadamias and vanilla and brown sugar. I used convenient white baking chips for these blondies, but if you’re a white chocolate aficionado, use good quality white chocolate and chop it into small chunks. If you can find real white chocolate chips, go for it, the flavor will be lovely.
What is it about brown sugar? Of all the boxes, bags and packets in my baking arsenal, it’s the one thing I’m most likely to be out of at any given moment. Or, if I’m not completely out, the remaining bit has gone rock solid. And when that moment comes right in the middle of making blondies, it becomes a crisis.
So I decided to try an old trick—make it myself. Brown sugar is really just white sugar before the molasses has been refined out of it. So put a bit of molasses back in and—voila—you have brown sugar. And I have to say, from the feel and scent of it, it’s better brown sugar than you can buy. I couldn’t stop sniffing it!
how to make your own brown sugar
- Just put a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of molasses together and mix well.
- You can do it in the mini processor or you can have at it with a spoon. Either way it’s very satisfying.
- The sugar will fluff up in the processor, but it will still be equivalent to 1 cup, be sure to pack it down as you measure it.
These white chocolate blondies bake up super moist and chewy ~ move over brownies!!
for the love of blondies
- Strawberry lemon blondies
- Maple walnut blondies
- Toasted pecan and dark chocolate chip blondies
- Almond butter skillet blondies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- the seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup (heaping) cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (heaping) cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment, this will make the blondies easy to remove and to cut cleanly. If you don’t use parchment, lightly grease the pan.
- Measure out your flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds, and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the nuts and white chocolate.
- Spread evenly in your pan and bake for 35 minutes— a toothpick inserted near the center should come out moist with a few crumbs and the blondies will be light golden.
- Cool before cutting.
Nutrition
47 Comments
belleau kitchen
March 12, 2013 at 9:54 pmThey look fab. I love the way blondies go on top. So rich and buttery. My mouth is watering. I’ve bookmarked these for the weekend. Just don’t tell the diet…
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:09 amI won’t say a word…
The Café Sucré Farine
March 12, 2013 at 8:51 pmOh my, these are calling my name! Very yummy indeed!
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:11 amHow are you all doing?? Thinking about you!
Val
March 13, 2013 at 2:17 amYour pictures look amazing!!! I love blondies.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
March 12, 2013 at 6:35 pmGorgeous blondies (I love them – blondies are a total weakness!) and with the white choc chunks and the DIY brown sugar, love everything in this post!
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:13 amI of course knew you would love these.
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:06 amPaula do you use your food processor to blend your sugar? Because I think that blends it fast and completely. I’d like to try for a dark brown sugar, but there must be a limit to how much molasses you could put in to the sugar before it becomes a paste!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
March 12, 2013 at 10:05 pmEven though I’m a dyed-in-the-wool traditional brownie lover but I love your tip for making brown sugar – awesome!
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:08 amThe sugar smelled soooo good. I don’t think I’ve ever put brown sugar in a brownie, but I bet it would be pretty good—worth a try!
La Table De Nana
March 12, 2013 at 9:42 pmThey remind me of the cookie I love at Costco:) I don’t eat desserts for many reasons..
But those.. when I used to visit Broker’s inspections and the agents had bought their treats at Costco?
I had to have just that..
these..home made..better..Wow.
Love the brown sugar tip too:)
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:10 amI think I remember the white chocolate chip and macadamia Mrs. Field’s cookie 🙂
bellini
March 12, 2013 at 9:27 pmNo kidding…macadamia nuts and white chocolate..what more could we ask for.
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:10 amA match made in heaven.
Amy
March 12, 2013 at 8:54 pmThese look SOOOO YUMMY! I love that pic of all the diff beige colors together. So pretty. My brown sugar used to turn hard also, but now i keep it in its original plastic but inside one of those OXO pop top containers…it’s amazing! It totally stays soft.
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:11 amI really like it when a dish naturally has a color scheme!
grace
March 12, 2013 at 7:58 pmdelicious! as i was making my batch of blondies, i wished i had some macadamia nuts to put into them–nice touch!
Sue/the view from great island
March 13, 2013 at 12:13 amMacadamias are so unique, I thought I was all out of them when I was planning these, and I briefly considered using almonds, but it just wouldn’t be the same.