These blondies taste like a gingerbread cookie in bar form, but softer and chewier. Brown butter gives them a deep, nutty flavour, and molasses and gingerbread spices do the rest. Dark chocolate chunks melt into soft pockets as they bake, and chopped crystallised ginger adds little bursts of heat and sweetness in every bite. There is no frosting on top, just a light dusting of spiced sugar, so the bars stay chewy instead of turning into cake. They are easy to mix in one bowl, they slice cleanly once cool, and they keep well for days. Bake a batch for Christmas baking, a cookie swap, or a quiet evening with a mug of tea.
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter — brown it first (see method step 1); brown butter is the main flavour here, so do not skip it
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses — use plain unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap, which turns the blondies bitter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 100 g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks — use a bar, not chips, so the chocolate melts into soft pockets
- 60 g crystallised ginger, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon, for dusting
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 20 cm square baking tin with baking paper, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you can lift the blondies out later.
- Melt the butter in a light-coloured pan over medium heat. Let it foam, then keep cooking and swirling the pan until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 3 to 4 minutes. Watch it closely — brown butter turns to burnt butter in seconds. Pour it into a large bowl, including the browned bits, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the brown sugar and molasses into the cooled brown butter until smooth. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture with a spoon until just combined. Do not overmix — a few streaks of flour are fine.
- Fold in the chopped dark chocolate and crystallised ginger. Spread the batter evenly in the lined tin. It will look thick; use the back of a spoon or a spatula to push it into the corners.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centre still wobbles slightly when you shake the tin. Pull them out while the centre still looks a little soft — they finish setting as they cool, and overbaking makes blondies dry.
- Cool the blondies completely in the tin, at least 1 hour, before lifting them out and cutting into 16 squares. Cutting them warm makes them crumble and fall apart.
Common Mistakes, Substitutions, Serving and Storage
Common mistakes: overbaking them, so they turn dry and cakey instead of chewy; using blackstrap molasses, so they taste bitter; walking away while browning the butter, so it burns; cutting them while warm, so they crumble.
Substitutions: use milk chocolate chunks instead of dark chocolate for a sweeter bar; use white chocolate chips instead, but then leave out the crystallised ginger or the bars get too sweet; use 1 teaspoon ground allspice instead of the cloves and nutmeg.
Serving ideas: serve at room temperature with tea or coffee, or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They are good for a Christmas cookie swap, a bake sale, or a lunchbox treat.
Storage and reheating: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze the cut squares for up to 2 months. Warm a square in the oven at 160°C (325°F) for 5 minutes if you want it soft again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why brown the butter? Brown butter adds a deep, nutty, toffee-like flavour that plain melted butter does not have. It is the flavour that makes these blondies taste different from a plain gingerbread bar.
Why pull them out while the centre still wobbles? Blondies keep cooking in the hot tin after they leave the oven. If the centre looks fully set when you take them out, they will be dry by the time they cool. A slight wobble means a chewy centre.
Why no frosting? These blondies are meant to taste like a gingerbread cookie bar, not a frosted cake. The spiced sugar dusting gives them a little sweetness on top without hiding the brown butter and ginger flavours.
Can I use blackstrap molasses? No. Blackstrap molasses is much stronger and more bitter than plain unsulphured molasses, and it will overpower the blondies. Use plain unsulphured molasses only.
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Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 20 cm square baking tin with baking paper, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you can lift the blondies out later.
- Melt the butter in a light-coloured pan over medium heat. Let it foam, then keep cooking and swirling the pan until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 3 to 4 minutes. Watch it closely — brown butter turns to burnt butter in seconds. Pour it into a large bowl, including the browned bits, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the brown sugar and molasses into the cooled brown butter until smooth. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture with a spoon until just combined. Do not overmix — a few streaks of flour are fine.
- Fold in the chopped dark chocolate and crystallised ginger. Spread the batter evenly in the lined tin. It will look thick; use the back of a spoon or a spatula to push it into the corners.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centre still wobbles slightly when you shake the tin. Pull them out while the centre still looks a little soft — they finish setting as they cool, and overbaking makes blondies dry.
- Cool the blondies completely in the tin, at least 1 hour, before lifting them out and cutting into 16 squares. Cutting them warm makes them crumble and fall apart.
