This pandan blondies recipe was written by Indonesian chef, Lara Lee.
Lara says: “The herbaceous and sweet-savoury fragrance and colour of pandan leaves transports these white chocolate and raspberry blondies to the tropical heart of Indonesia. Called the ‘vanilla of the East’, pandan grows abundantly in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia where it is widely used in both sweet and savoury dishes. The leaves (also known as screwpine) impart an irresistible grassy aroma to dishes, while the juice of the leaves dyes cakes and sweets with pandan’s signature luminous green.
“Both pandan and raspberries bring a cheerful, festive vibrance to the classic blondie, while also adding a savoury tartness that perfectly balances the sweetness of white chocolate. This recipe works best using pandan paste, rather than the juice of fresh or frozen pandan leaves, or essence which can taste artificial. Try using Koepoe-Koepoe pandan paste, which is readily available online or at Asian supermarkets, to give the blondies their brightest hue.”
Ingredients
- unsalted butter 190g, cubed, plus extra for the tin
- soft light brown sugar 250g
- pandan paste 1 tsp
- eggs 2
- plain flour 240g, sifted
- white chocolate chips 150g
- raspberries 150g
Method
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Step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a square 23cm tin with baking paper.
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Step 2
Gently warm the butter in a pan until completely melted. Transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Use electric beaters to whisk together the sugar and butter for 4 minutes, starting with a slow speed and gradually increasing to fast, until thick and a lighter brown colour.
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Step 3
Add the pandan paste and whisk to combine until an even colour throughout. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking between additions. Stir in the white chocolate, then fold in the flour and a pinch of salt until evenly combined.
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Step 4
Gently fold in the raspberries, being careful not to over-fold. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes on the middle shelf or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Leave the blondies in the tin until completely cool, then cut into squares.
NEFF oven tip:
If you like your blondies to have a fudgy texture, introduce low added steam with Circotherm 160C – the result will be wonderfully gooey.
Check out more of our best festive desserts
Nutritional Information
- Kcals 268
- Fat 13.6g
- Saturates 8.2g
- Carbs 32.6g
- Sugars 20.9g
- Fibre 0.9g
- Protein 3.5g
- Salt 0.1g