These chewy blondies have white chocolate, spiced, cardamom, and nutty peanuts. Indian desserts often combine sweet buttery flavors with spices and nuts, as in kesar pista kulfi (Indian-style ice cream with saffron and pistachios) or kaju katli (cashew fudge). I love fudgy blondies, so I was inspired to combine their sweet, rich goodness with Indian flavors.
The result is a blondie, adapted from my go-to (Smitten Kitchen’s recipe), spiced with cardamom, chopped nuts, and white chocolate. I sprinkle the tops with a bit of flaky salt to offset the sweetness. They are delight eaten at room temperature, or slightly chilled.
Love fudgy desserts? Try my greek yogurt brownies, chocolate orange pots de creme, or sticky toffee pudding tray bake!
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Nuts: Pistachios, peanuts, and cashews are all commonly used in Indian desserts so you can pick any combination as you wish.
- Malted Milk Powder: You can substitute malted milk powder with milk powder, just keep in mind you’ll lose some of those toasty notes.
How to Make These Blondies
Step 1 - Brown the butter.
Step 2 - Mix the browned butter with brown sugar, cardamom, and milk powder.
Step 3 - Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk for a minute until a thick, ribbony texture forms.
Step 4 - Fold in the flour until just combined, followed by the nuts and white chocolate.
Step 5 - Transfer to your baking pan.
Step 6 - Bake until just set, golden brown at the edges, and crackly on top. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
TIP: One trick I use to get super fudgy blondies is to let the blondies cool until they’re just about at room temperature on the outsides, then let them chill in the fridge for a few hours. Once they’ve chilled, I’ll take them out and cut them. This seems to really help the insides “set.”
Chewy Blondies with Cardamom and Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons malted milk powder, or instant non-fat dry milk powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅞ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup toasted nuts, cashews, peanuts, or pistachios are all great here | roughly chopped
- ½ cup white chocolate, roughly chopped
- Flaky salt for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Line an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking pan with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 177℃.
- Prepare the mixing bowl: In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, cardamom, and malted milk powder together.1 cup dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, 2 tablespoons malted milk powder
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stirring frequently, continue cooking butter as it begins to foam up considerably. Once the foam subsides, the butter should smell nutty and toasty (and appear light brown in color). Immediately remove the butter from the heat, then stir into the brown sugar-cardamom mixture.1 stick unsalted butter
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients: Check to make sure the batter is lukewarm (if hotter, the egg may curdle, so let it cool if needed), whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk for about 1 minute until mixture lightens in color and becomes thick and ribbony.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients: Gently fold in sea salt and flour until just combined. Fold in nuts and white chocolate.½ teaspoon sea salt, ⅞ cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup toasted nuts, ½ cup white chocolate
- Bake: Pour the batter into your parchment-lined baking pan and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on the size of your baking pan) until the blondies feel set, the top is crackly and doesn't wiggle and the sides are golden brown. The blondies will still feel slightly soft (if they feel firm, they are overdone). Once done, remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently lift up the blondies in the parchment paper and set on a wire rack to cool, about 15-20 minutes.Flaky salt for topping
- Cut into squares and serve, or, if desired, you can place the blondies (uncut and uncovered) in the fridge for a few hours before slicing and serving for a fudgier texture.
- Keep blondies in an airtight container at room temp for 3 days and up to a week in the fridge.
