Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies


I've only made blondies a few times before and these were another great version. They're super soft and perfectly cream cheese-y. I'd like to try them with different flavours - maybe matcha or earl grey? I'm always thinking about adding tea to baked goods. What flavours do you think would be good in these?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black Bottom Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Chewy, Chunky Blondies
White Chocolate Brownies

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies
Adapted from Martha Stewart (originally found in Holiday Cookies Special from 2005)

Makes 9 large or 16 small squares

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang.

2. Whisk together 1 2/3 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.

3. Put 9 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Put cream cheese, granulated sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until just smooth.

5. Pour half the blondie batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Spoon two-thirds of cream-cheese mixture on top, and spread evenly. Drop dollops of remaining batter on top (spacing about 1 inch apart), and spread. Top with dollops of remaining cream-cheese mixture, about 1 inch apart.

6. Gently swirl cream cheese mixture into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 45 to 47 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Store in the refrigerator once cool.

33 comments:

Sally said...

These look decadent! Thanks for sharing!

Anne @ the doctor takes a wife said...

These look SOO yummy :) Can't wait to give them a try!!

The Duo Dishes said...

Orange pekoe or some sort of fruit tinged tea would be really nice. Light, yet flavorful Either way, they look good.

grace said...

oh, so soft and moist. so much rich brown sugar flavor and tangy cream cheese goodness. these rock.

Johanna GGG said...

mmm blondies and cream cheese - hope you tell us which flavour you try - I keep thinking orange zest and choc chips

Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) said...

Mmm these sound delicious. I am a sucker for brownies.

kimberleyblue said...

I really love blondies - definitely more than i love brownies. i've never had cream cheese blondies though - way to make a good thing even better! :)

Erin said...

These look delicious!

Hannah said...

Yum! A matcha version definitely sounds like my sort of blondie. :)

Ricki said...

These made with matcha would be beyond delicious. . . I'm drooling. No, really.

Edana said...

Wow, these look amazing! As does pretty much everything else I see on your blog, definitely one to follow :)

I'm new to food-blogging, so I'm jealous of your awesome-food-picture-taking-ability. So if I make any of your recipes, I'll probably post them, but with less pretty pictures. Thanks for the delicious ideas! http://edanacooks.blogspot.com

Tia said...

i have the same martha mag! i love it. yours look yummy!

Homemade Heaven said...

If it wasn't so hot I would be rushing into my kitchen right now to knock off a batch. But sitting here dreaming of eating one is taking about all the energy I have left!
Definitely bookmarked for when it cools down.

Anonymous said...

These look so yummy! i can smell them...

Everyone of these Treats on your blog are my favorite.. its amazing, love them all:D

Thanks for sharing!

Chef Aimee said...

These blondies actually look better than a brownie!

Melody said...

http://gautiercakes.com/home/2010/01/super-mario-friends/

Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer said...

WOW look amazing!! Love this combination! Cannot wait to treat myself to these babies!!!

Heather @ (The Single Dish) said...

These look delicious!!!! OMG, I have to make them. Thanks for the idea and the recipe.

Bryan said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I used to make those a lot, but haven't had them in years now. Don't think I have the recipe anymore. I love it! Keep posting!

Deborah said...

I love anything with cream cheese!

Anonymous said...

I made these last night - yummy! I added a scant 1/4 cup of chopped, toasted pecans, and about 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips. I found the batter to be difficult to spread, so I didn't quite nail the pretty swirling on top. :/ But they tasted awesome, regardless. Thanks for sharing this one!

Cookie baker Lynn said...

They look deliciously moist. What do you think about a variation with orange zest?

Mark Scarbrough said...

This is NOT helping my 2010 eating plans. Which were to eat less. But now I want more. Love how exact your recipes are. Fantastic.

Anonymous said...

I'm a fan of blondies, and even though I don't eat cream cream cheese, this looks great!

Juliana said...

Wow, these blondies sure look yummie...with cream cheese :-)

Pam said...

Those blondies look fabulous.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Oh, and there's a little something for you to pick up on my blog!

Kurdistan said...

LOOKING DELICIOUS love to try it

Chef Fresco said...

I've never made blondies before. These look so tasty!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

They sound like a great treat.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yum, these sounds and look fantastic! I'll be giving these a try, asap!

The blonde duck sent me your link!
~ingrid

DessertObsessed said...

wow these look so yummy and chewy! Cream cheese in blondies is genius! DO try some matcha ones; i love matcha anything!

tanis said...

I made these last night, and they turned out GREAT!
very yummy and will be my new staple recipe to make for others.

i gave you a shout-out on my blog too.
thanks for all of the great recipes!