As I’ve gotten older I have developed a sweet tooth. My husband always had one, so now we both enjoy a dessert after dinner. However, unlike my naturally slim husband, I can’t indulge as often as I would like. So when I do have dessert, it had better be worth it. These Sour Cherry Blondies are definitely worth it. Fudgy, chewy, impossibly sweet and yet with the sour cherries and toasted pecans, it’s just perfect.

A note of caution – only use a quality brand of white chocolate with no artificial ingredients. Use a premium white chocolate baking bar like Ghirardelli or Lindt or their white chocolate chips. There are other good brands out there depending on where you live. If you can’t get great ingredients – make something else until you can.

People would always ask me for recipes and then they’d come back to me and say that it didn’t taste the same when they made it. When I went through what they did to try to address the problem, it invariably came down to their choice of ingredients.

Sour Cherry Blondies are rich and I won’t pretend that there are any health benefits in eating them. But we can’t be good all of the time! So indulge occasionally. We usually save our indulgences for Shabbat and holidays. Since this week is Shabbat and Sukkot, maybe we can have two desserts!

For another interesting Blondie option, try Saffron Pistachio Blondies.

RECIPE

YIELD: About 16 squares in a 9-inch square pan

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of pecans (4 ounces)

1.5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (7.5 ounces)

1 teaspoon double acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of kosher or fine sea salt

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1.5 sticks), melted and cooled slightly

1.5 cups packed light or dark brown sugar (I always use dark brown) (10.5 ounces)

2 large eggs, room temperature

4 teaspoons of PURE vanilla extract or bean paste

6 ounces of white chocolate chips or bar chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup of dried sour cherries (Use fresh ones that are nice and moist and not tough)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle. Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board and allow them to cool. DO NOT TURN OFF THE OVEN!

While the nuts are toasting, line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a couple of inches of overhang. Spray the parchment with baking spray or lightly oil and set aside.

In a small to medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. But before that last fold or two, add in the nuts, white chocolate and sour cherries. Fold everything through until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until the top is shiny, golden brown and has just begun to crack. This should take between 25 to 30 minutes. Ovens vary, but don’t overbake the Blondies.

Allow the Blondies to cool completely on a wire rack and then remove them from the pan and cut into desired squares. Now enjoy!