Barbecue pecan blondies
These delicious blondies are filled with white chocolate before being dipped in a white, milk and dark chocolate coating and covered in caramelized pecans.
Ingredients
For the blondies
- 200g/7oz salted butter
- ¼ tsp Cornish sea salt, crushed
- 160g/5¾oz unrefined golden caster sugar
- 320²µ/11½´Ç³ú white chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3 free-range eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280g/10oz plain flour
- 65²µ/2¼´Ç³ú pecans, finely chopped
For the barbecue pecans
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú pecans, roughly chopped
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- ½ tsp sea salt, crushed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
For the coating
- 500g/1lb 2oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú milk chocolate, broken into pieces
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Method
To make the blondies, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line the base and sides of a 25x15x4cm/10x6x1.5in baking tin with silicone paper or baking paper.
Melt the butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan until it begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, whisking well. This mixture will look split and a little odd, but this is correct. Whisk the eggs and strain onto the chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla and mix well until smooth. Add the flour and mix very well. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Pour the mixture into the baking tin and level the surface gently. Bake for 15 minutes then turn the tin around and bake for a further 10–15 minutes. The blondie is ready when it has a wobble but is not liquid in the centre. Leave to cool then chill overnight in the fridge. Trim the edges off the blondie and cut the rest into bite-sized cubes.
To make the barbecue pecans, preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Place the chopped pecans on a baking tray and cook for 5 minutes. Line a clean baking tray with baking paper.
In a large saucepan, create a caramel by sprinkling some of the sugar into the saucepan and allowing it to melt before adding more sugar. Keep going until all the sugar is used up. The colour should be a golden brown. Add the salt and smoked paprika and mix well. Add the pecans to the caramel and mix well. Pour onto the baking tray and spread out. Once completely cool, blitz or smash the caramelized pecans into small pieces.
To make the coating, melt the chocolates separately. You can either do this carefully in the microwave or you can melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Once melted, leave the chocolates to cool to for 15 minutes. Pour the white chocolate into a small, deep bowl. Drizzle the milk and dark chocolates over the white chocolate, alternating until each has been used up. Swirl the chocolates to create a marble effect.ÌýDip the blondie cubes in the chocolate mixture, plunging to the bottom then lifting up to coat in the marbled chocolate. Use a cocktail stick, dipping fork or table fork for this. Tap off any excess chocolate before carefully laying them onto the BBQ pecans.ÌýChill for 10 minutes in the fridge to set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within two weeks.
