Easy Cherry Bakewell Blondies

Cherry Bakewell blondies, a delicious almond cakey blondie full of squidgy pools of dark cherry jam and topped with fresh cherries 🍒.

Oh boy these Cherry Bakewell Blondies are goooooood! And they take 10 minutes to mix up! I was inspired after creating my Jammy Dodger Blondies with White Chocolate to take blondies into the realms of all things almond. Because I ADORE all things almond.

So I set about creating a new recipe and then ended up going back to my Jammy Dodger Blondie recipe and converting that. The saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it” comes to mind.

Do you love Blondies? If so, you will definitely adore my
Jammy Dodger Blondies with White Chocolate

Why Bake these Easy Cherry 🍒 Bakewell Blondies?

They taste like Bakewell Tart but are far easier to make ✔️

An easy and fun recipe that children will enjoy ✔️

Bursting with almondy flavours ✔️

Fresh cherries throughout ✔️
(👆 I reckon that must be one of your 5 a day...easily...)

Ingredients

Unsalted butter: you can use salted butter if you prefer, if so omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt. Butter aerates the blondies to help them rise and adds richness and flavour.

Soft brown sugar: gives the blondies a caramel undertone and their distinct chewy, fudgy texture. The mollassas in brown sugar are crucial to this process, they create the blondie texture as they melt.

Golden caster sugar: I like to keep my blondies blonde! Therefore rather than all brown sugar, we add some golden caster sugar to lighten these Easy Cherry Bakewell blondies up a bit.

Large eggs: eggs are so important to blondies. They are the are go-between between your flour and butter, helping them both combine. They also ensure a soft texture to the final cherry Bakewell blondies because they help the recipe retain moisture. We just add 2 eggs, if we add more the blondies will become too cakey.

Almond essence: only a teaspoon is needed as almond essence tends to be quite strong and we don't want to overpower the Bakewell blondies. Try to use a good brand if you can such as Nielsen-Massey

Plain flour: you can use self-raising flour if you like, if so omit the baking powder because SR flour comes pre-loaded with its own. Adding flour is necessary because it gives the blondies structure.

Ground almonds: we substitute some flour for ground almonds in this blondie recipe. You really can't have anything Bakewell without almonds after all. However, almonds don't contain gluten, which we need for structure and chewiness, so we replace 75g of flour, not all of it.

Cornflour: another important player in the blondie chewiness factor.

Baking powder: only a small amount is needed to help give a little rise.

Salt: is added to enhance the flavour of the cherry Bakewell blondies.

White chocolate: this goes perfectly with the flavour of these blondies and the chocolate chunks also add some texture.

Black cherry jam: you can use any jam you fancy. I don't use as much in this recipe as I do in my Jammy Dodger Blondies with White Chocolate because the cherries also add moisture. We want blondies, not a lump of goo.

Fresh cherries: my absolutely fave fruit. The cherries will soften when baked, popping them on the top of the batter ensures they don't have time to sink right to the tin base whilst baking.

Flaked almonds: for added almondyness. Toasting the almonds on top of the Bakewell blondies really brings out their flavour. They add a final complimentary level of nutty almond texture.

Instructions

How to make Easy Cherry Bakewell Blondies:

1. Prepare all of your ingredients first and line your baking tin, this prevents any ingredients from being forgotten.
2. Melt your butter over a low heat and then leave it to cool so that the hot butter does not cook your eggs when added.
3. Next, add your sugars and mix in gently but thoroughly.
4. Add your eggs and almond extract and then mix together, again gently but thoroughly.
5. Mix together your dry ingredients separately, these being your flour, ground almonds, cornflour, baking powder and salt.
6. Mix the flour mixture into your butter, sugar and egg mixture, it’s easier to do this in two batches.
7. Add your chopped white chocolate and mix in thoroughly.
8. Pour the batter into your tin and even out with the back of a dessert spoon. Try to make sure the chocolate is evenly spaced.
9. Take your jam and melt it a little in your microwave, 10 seconds should be enough just to soften it. Then blob it over the top of your blondie batter in rows of 4x4.
10. Pop over your stoned and halved cherries cut side down into the spaces between your jam blobs.
11. Sprinkle over your flaked almonds, ensuring they are evenly dispersed.
12. Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out with just a few fudgy crumbs on it.

Top Tips

• If you don't want to melt your butter in a saucepan, just pop it into a microwavable bowl and blast it in your microwave for 10 second intervals until melted.
• If you want to speed up cooling your butter pop it into a bowl and then into your fridge for 10 minutes.
• To stone your cherries, you can purchase a cherry stoner. Alternatively, just slice around the cherry's circumference, and peel away into two halves. If the flesh comes off in three of four segments though don't worry, just pop what you have on top of the blondies. After all, home baking is meant to look homemade and not perfect.
• Chop your white chocolate but then leave it in your fridge until needed. That way it won't melt too much when the cherry Bakewell blondies bake. There is nothing in life so good as finding a chunk of white chocolate in your blondie. (I realise that I clearly need to get out more....)

Variations

You can create a variety of different Bakewell blondies using this Bakewell blondie recipe. Swap cherry jam and cherries for raspberry jam and fresh raspberries. Or do the same with blueberry jam and fresh blueberries.

You can use dark brown sugar if you want your blondies to be more fudgy and chewy, but they will be dark blonde blondies if that's the case. Almost brunette even. But they will taste fabulous!

If you want to increase and elevate the almond hit to an even higher level try adding 75g of marzipan. Cut it into ½ cm cubes and pop into the freezer for 10 minutes, so it doesn't melt when baked. Then mix in when you add your white chocolate. If you choose this option reduce your almond essence to ½ teaspoon.

Storage

These cherry bakewell blondies will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container.

Bakewell blondies can also be frozen for up to a month.

FAQs

Related recipes

If you are a blondie or white chocolate addict you might like to try my:

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies or maybe gives these cute Custard Creams a go for a traditional English biscuit.

Recipe

📖 Recipe

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Easy Cherry Bakewell Blondies

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blondie, cherries, cherry, white chocolate

Servings: 16 squares

Author: Ella

Equipment

• 9" x 9" baking tin
• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 150 g unsalted butter
• 170 g soft light brown sugar
• 60 g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 125 g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 75 g ground almonds
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 90 g white chocolate cut into small chunks or use white chocolate drops
• 50 g black cherry jam or conserve
• 100 g cherries stoned and weighed without stone
• 25 g flaked almonds

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/355°F/Gas mark 4
• Grease your baking tin and line with two pieces of greaseproof paper, crossing in opposite directions. Leave an overhang of 1 inch on all sides so that you can lift the blondies out.
• Melt your butter in your saucepan on a low heat, then leave to cool.
• When cool, add both of your sugars and mix together.
• Add your eggs and almond essence and mix thoroughly but gently.
• In a seperate bowl, mix together your flour, ground almonds, cornflour, baking powder and salt.
• Add half to your mixture and mix thoroughly. Then repeat with the rest of the flour mixture.
• Fold in your while chocolate chunks making sure they are equally dispersed.
• Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and level out with the back of a desert spoon.
• Soften your jam in your microwave for 10 seconds.
• Blob the jam evenly over your blondie batter in 4 x 4 rows.
• Add your cherries, cut side down, to the spaces in between the jam, again in 4 x 4 rows. Do not press down, they should just sit on top of the batter,
• Scatter over your flaked almonds.
• Bake for 35 minutes until just golden on top and a skewer or cocktail stick comes out with a few fudgy crumbs on it.
• Leave to cool until just warm in the tin then, holding the greaseproof paper overhangs, carefully remove from the tin.
• Cut into squares when totally cool.