Thursday, May 29, 2014

White Chocolate~Macadamia Blondies

May marks the month that our oldest daughter was married in Maui and this year, she celebrated 12 years on the 18th.  However, Hawaii was also a big part of my mother's life when her father was stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1927 and she often shared stories of her time there.  Our daughter, Erin reminds me a lot of my mother...not just in looks, but in her strong commitment to family. 
Erin with Kelly's son, Ari in Hilton Head last week!
Macadamia nuts are like the "Cadillac" of nuts and their expense is well worth it.  It's primarily due to the harvesting and how hard the covering is to get to meat.  In addition, white chocolate just seems the natural accompaniment with macadamia and led me to creating this Blondie that would become a special treat for the workers adding the finishing touches to our home in 90-degree weather:-)

White Chocolate~Macadamia Blondies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant Espresso powder
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped macadamia nuts (I cut them in quarters!)
8 oz. white chocolate, cut into chunks or a 12 oz. bag of white chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Butter a 9" x 12" baking pan.


In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the espresso powder and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in the flour, nuts and chocolate.  Spread mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes (until a tester comes out cleanly from the center).  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  

I loosen the edges with a straight spatula and then, removed the sides of the pan; if you're using a regular 9" x 13" pan, you will cut the blondies in the pan.
Cut into 24 squares.

The Blondies were moist and just the perfect treat to bring back some wonderful memories. Enjoy! 

12 comments:

  1. My goodness Ari has grown! I know how you feel about seeing someone in your children. My daughter is a lot like my own Mama-not so much in looks, but defintely in personality. Your blondies looks wonderful. Hope it's not too much longer before you are in your new home. xoxo ♥

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  2. I always wanted to try to make Blonde brownies. The only recipe I ever tried flopped, so I never tried again. Maybe I will give yours a try.

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  3. Oh that sounds wonderful! I surely do love macadamia nuts...delicious! What a wonderful picture of Auntie and Ari. That child has been growing like a weed! Say, are you nearly ready to move into your new home?

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    1. I'll post photos soon...we should be moving in July!

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  4. Susan! you've done it again! these blondies sound so good! I make your other blondies all the time and they are a big hit.
    stamping sue
    http://stampingsueinconnecticut.blogspot.com/

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  5. Wow, I can't believe the house is almost done! And, yes, please do post pics--love to watch the build and then final pics. So, I've wanted to make blondies for a while, but never know which recipe to use. I like yours as it has enough eggs to give it lift. I'm still stumped on what booze to include, but I would imagine a whiskey or bourbon would work well. I'm working on my state fair entries, too, which might include a bar of some sort. Blondies might do the trick. Glad you had a wonderful vacation with your family! lv, me

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    1. Instead of the espresso powder, why not use Kahluha!

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    2. Yeah! I think a Kahlua chocolate chip blondie just might be in the very near future. Great idea!

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  6. I love Macademia nuts! They are so good in cookies. I came to enjoy them when I lived in Hawaii many years ago. Hope you have had a good May. I'm back in TX and hope to have Mom moved by the middle of June!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  7. Beautiful picture of Erin and Ari! And the Blondies look delish!!

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  8. I am bookmarking this recipe for the next 'brownie bash' ,,, an event our family has every summer. Big picnic in the back yard with a bunch of different brownie recipes shared and ice cream as the dessert ... NOT a low calorie event, but oh, what fun! Thanks for sharing this doozey recipe!

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  9. Ari is a big boy now!
    Macadamia....king of nuts, pairs so good with white chocolate...these blondies must have tasted heavenly. Save me a small slice, please.

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