Lemon Pistachio Blondies

I am all for fudgy chocolate brownies but sometimes you need something a bit lighter, buttery and citrusy. These Lemon Pistachio Blondies are just that. Don't skimp on the lemon glaze! It's brightness pulls everything together. Lemon zest and juice adds the perfect pucker to balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate. If pistachios aren't your thing you can replace them with almonds or just add more white chocolate chips/chunks to the batter. I haven't tried it yet but I think these would be delicious with some dried cranberries or even fresh summer blueberries. 

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“We normally think of lemon desserts in springtime because of their sunny flavor and color but winter is peak citrus season. So, hit your local market and zest until your heart’s content!”

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White chocolate sometimes gets a bad wrap and is notoriously tricky to melt. Be patience, keep the temp low, and take your time to avoid the chocolate seizing up. You can use a double boiler or the microwave on 50%. Make sure you don't pick up white baking or confectionery chips. Look for cocoa butter in the ingredients list and get the highest quality chocolate you can find for the best melting results. But when push comes to shove buy what you like. After all thats what matters! If it taste good to you on its own it should taste good in your baking.

Even though these are blondies, you still get the dense chewiness and texture of brownies. Make sure you let them cool completely before cutting them to insure uniform bars. I love using a brownie pan with a false bottom and divider. I received one as a gift and use it every time I make brownie, blondies or other bar cookies. These pans make it easier to remove and slicing of your bars. If corners are your favorite you can insert the divider before baking and every slice will be just as delicious as the coveted 4 corners.  If you are like me and like the center, wait to add the divider until after the bars are baked and cooled for easy cutting in one step. 

Lemon Pistachio Blondies

• 8 ounces of white chocolate, melted
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• the zest of one lemon about a heaping teaspoon
• the juice of half a lemon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
• 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 inch square pan with parchment and/or grease with butter. 

Melt 8 ounce of white chocolate and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat. melt butter and sugar together until the butter is completely melted and the sugar begins to dissolve, about 2 minutes. (do not boil) Set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer, whisk the eggs for 2 minutes until they have lighten in color and become frothy. Then while still mixing gradually add in the lemon zest, juice, sugar/butter mixture, and melted white chocolate. 

In a separate bowl whisk together salt, flour, white chocolate chips/chunks, and pistachios. 

With a spatula or wooden spoon fold in the flour mixture in 3 additions until all of the flour is moistened. The batter will be thick but spreadable. 

Add the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes until just set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before adding glaze (recipe below) and cutting. 

Glaze:

After the blondies have cooled completely, whisk together lemon juice and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle the glaze evenly over blondies, using a spoon or pastry bag. Allow the glaze to harden slightly before cutting the blondies into bars. 

Want more brownie/blondies inspiration? Try these recipes!