When brownies are too much chocolate, I make a batch of blondies! The sweet, rich, and chewy texture is still there, but I’m not being bombarded with a ton of chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I love brownies too (less cake, more fudge); though there is definitely room for a piece of blondie on my plate, especially when Valrhona chocolate is involved!
My hubby first introduced me to Valrhona when we were in college. It was around the time we were celebrating our first Valentine’s Day as a couple, and he wanted to surprise me with a box of chocolates. He had purchased a box, slipped it into my mailbox, and asked me to remember to check it before the day was over. I actually didn’t know that it was Valrhona until much later, when he introduced me to La Maison du Chocolat, and all of their assortment of flavors.
Caramelia is one of their more recent innovations, and I wanted to find a way to use it in my baking. It has this really great toffee note, without that cloying sweetness you often find with straight sugary caramel. It also has a strong cocoa flavor that balances the sweetness, making this a delicious milky chocolate!
Recipe for Caramelia-Coconut Blondie Bites
- 36 Mini Blondies
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Waiting:
Ingredients
- 170g (1½ sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 300g (1½ cups) Light Brown Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 13g (1T) Vanilla Extract
- 215g (1½ cups) All-Purpose Flour
- 5g (1t) Baking Powder
- 3g (1t) Kosher Salt
- 170g (1 cup) Valrhona Caramelia Feves, chopped
- 80g (1 cup) Dessicated Coconut Chips
Procedure
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and turn off the flame. Cool to lukewarm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare an 8-inch square pan with butter and parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Crack and loosen the eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs to the cooled butter-sugar mixture. Pour in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, incorporate the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet, and fold together.
- Add the chocolate and coconut to the mixture, and fold to combine.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes, and then lift the blondies out by the parchment. Set it on a cooling rack for two hours, or until cool to the touch.
- With a sharp knife, cut into small bite-size pieces. Enjoy as it is, or with a scoop of ice cream!
*Bunny Wisdom*
- To cool the butter quickly, fill a basin with cold water and float the saucepan in the sink. Slowly stir the butter until it is no longer hot. It takes less than 10 minutes to bring the temperature down enough so the eggs don't curdle.
- When preparing the parchment, leave some overhang so the blondies can be lifted out of the pan easily.
- I fold the dry ingredients into the wet part of the way, then add the coconut and chocolate, and fold until combined. This is so that I don't over-mix and create too much gluten.
- Don't be afraid to check on them at the 25-minute mark. The edges will have gotten some color, and the surface will look matte when it's ready to pull out of the oven. Use a toothpick or a skewer to see if it needs a few more minutes in the oven.
- After cooling, use a serrated knife to slice into even pieces. It cuts cleanly through the coconut, which can often slide around and gouge chunks of blondie if not cut with a sharp knife.
- Additionally, make sure that your blondies have cooled completely before cutting. I know it's quite tempting to cut a piece out while still kind of warm, but it holds up better when you wait!
- It's *so* good with ice cream! I add a couple pieces of blondie at the bottom of a serving bowl, then scoop a generous sphere.
**Here are some of the ingredients I use for this recipe. Please, feel free to browse and ask questions on anything you see listed below.**
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