Professor Butter Beard’s Browned-Butter Blondies with Peach Jam
32 Blondies
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted with a dash of fine sea salt
20 Tbsp (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla paste
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups dark (or light) brown sugar
10 ounces white chocolate chips
1 cup of your best peach jam
Kosher salt to finish
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment.
2) Toast the almond slices (with a dash of salt) in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until evenly browned and aromatic. Set aside to cool.
3) In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, until the solids have browned and the butter has a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass measuring cup to stop the cooking.
4) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, fine sea salt and nutmeg. Pour the slightly cooled butter over the flour mix and fold together. The mixture will be very thick, but make sure all the flour is moistened.
5) In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and then add all the brown sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until tripled in volume.
6) Fold 1/3 of the egg/sugar mix into the flour mix to lighten. Fold in the second 1/3, and finally all the remaining. Fold in the toasted almonds and white chocolate chips. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking pan. Dollop the jam over the blondies and then swirl with a chopstick (see image).
7) Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 5-8 minutes until just set.
8) Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool. While still hot, lightly sprinkle the top with Kosher salt. When cool, trim the edges and cut into 32 portions (8x4).
