Fruitcake Blondies

Fruitcake blondies made with brown butter, nuts, and dried fruit soaked in brandy are inspired by the classic cake while having a flavor all their own.   Packed with festive ingredients, these bars have the toastiness of butter that has developed deep color and rich flavor similar to hazelnut, one of the nuts I recommend adding to your batter.  Once you begin making brown butter, you will find uses for it in plenty of sweet and savory dishes.

This season I have been sharing cookie recipes during my holiday baking classes in which we make festive shortbreads, linzer cookies filled with jewel-like jams, and plenty of others.  Alongside these festive treats you always will find a bar cookie on my Christmas dessert table. This year, that will in the form of these fruitcake blondies. 

Ingredients

¾ cup chopped dried fruit (peaches, cherries, and cranberries pictured)
Brandy to cover fruit
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped toasted nuts (such as hazelnut and pecans)

How to Make Brandied Dried Fruit

Dried peaches, cherries, and cranberries make up the brandied fruit pictured in this recipe, but you can select your favorite combination of sweet and sweet-tart fruit.  Peaches an absolute standout, lending such delicious flavor and a bit more sweetness than the cherries and cranberries, but apricots can be substituted.  Chop enough dried fruit for ¾ cup and pour brandy over the top so the fruit is covered.

Let fruit sit until it has become plump and absorbed most of the brandy, which takes at least 2 hours, though it can certainly sit much longer.  Before using the dried fruit, use a sieve to drain any brandy that remains in the mixture and reserve it for another use.

How to Make Brown Butter

As the brown butter will need to cool to room temperature, plan to make this a short while before you plan to bake the blondies.  Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, preferably with a light bottom so you can see the color of the butter more easily as it changes.  The butter will bubble, and you can reduce the heat slightly if it begins to heat too quickly.  It will turn more golden and then lightly brown, with milk solids at the bottom of the pan turning deep golden brown.  As the process happens quickly, it is important to keep a close watch on the butter while it cooks. 

Once the butter smells nutty and the solids have turned deeply golden brown, immediately transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl so it doesn’t continue to cook as it could burn.  Allow the butter to cool to room temperature before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

How to Make the Fruitcake Blondies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by lining it with overlapping pieces of parchment that will allow you to life the blondies out after baking. I prefer using a light metal pan for this recipe, though a glass pan can be used.  Additional baking time may be needed when a glass baking dish is used.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.  Whisk the cooled brown butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until well-combined and noticeably smoother.  Separately whisk the eggs and granulated sugar until the color lightens and they are well-combined, which can take a few minutes. Whisk the egg mixture into the brown butter mixture with the vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour mixture until no dry streaks appear.  Add the brandied fruit and chopped nuts. The mixture will be very thick.  Scrape it into the parchment-lined dish and spread it gently and evenly into the corners and edges of the pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes, longer if necessary, until the edges are beginning to come away from the sides of the pan and the top is set and golden with tiny cracks beginning to appear.  Overbaked blondies can become dry so be careful to not them bake too long.

Let cool completely before serving in slices of your preferred size.

If you love classic cookie flavors, you may also enjoy this gingerbread recipe.