Baking up Lovely Light BLUEBERRY BLONDIES for #NationalPickBlueberriesDay by Cleo Coyle

Today is National "Pick Blueberries" Day, and I'm celebrating by picking them up at my local grocery store and baking them into a pan of one of my favorite treats for this time of year, Blueberry Blondies. 

A cross between a cozy blueberry muffin and a more traditional blondie, these babies are delicious with coffee or tea. You'll taste butterscotch background notes thanks to the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. And though they're more "cakey" than a traditional blondie, once cooled, you will get a slightly chewy texture with a nice, crusty top reminiscent of an actual blondie. Best of all, though, this "blueberry" version has less calories and more nutrition. 

Read more in my note below...

👇

A Note from Cleo

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

This recipe first appeared in one of our most popular Coffeehouse Mysteries, Billionaire Blend, in which our amateur sleuth, single mom and coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi, saves the life of a customer who turns out to be a young billionaire. As a thank you, the man hires Clare to create the most exclusive and expensive coffee blend on the planet. She's thrilled...until she can't decide whether her new benefactor is the target of a murderer or trying to make his own killing. 

In the book, Clare serves up these Blueberry Blondies to some very happy customers. And though I'm re-sharing it today for blueberry season, you can make it anytime of year because it works just as well with frozen blueberries.

As for the "healthified" aspect, here's the scoop. While an 8-inch square pan of blondies typically calls for 1 whole stick (8 T.) of butter, my recipe uses only 3 T. butter and includes plenty of blueberries, a superfood that offers nutrition and fiber. 

The key to maintaining the chewy texture with less butter is the astringent ingredient (in this case vinegar, but lemon juice will also work). It interacts with the proteins in the incredible, edible egg--a baker's trick that's been around for years. 

Once strained, Norwegian Egg Coffee
produces a very pretty (and smooth!)
amber-colored beverage. The egg
proteins are what make the magic, as they
do in today's recipe for Blueberry Blondies.
To see my recipe for Norwegian
Egg Coffee, click here.

To see more egg-protein magic of the culinary variety, click here, and read my post about Norwegian Egg Coffee. The egg helps clarify the brew, and a Norwegian chemist explains it all for us. 

May you eat with joy and (slightly) less guilt!

~ Cleo

☕

To download this 

recipe in a free PDF 

document that you can 

print, save, or share, 

click here.

Click for Free Recipe PDF.

Cleo Coyle's
Blueberry Blondies

Makes one 8-inch square pan of blondies 
Cut as you like, in my photos, you see 16 small squares


INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (Do not omit! The vinegar
   interacts with the eggs to create the proper texture.)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup white, granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated rind of a lemon,
   yellow only, no bitter white pith)

1/4 teaspoon table salt (+ a generous pinch)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit 

1/8 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries 

DIRECTIONS: 

Step 1 - Prep oven and pan: Preheat oven to 325° F. Because this is a relatively low fat recipe and blueberries secrete juice as they bake, the best way to prevent sticking is to create a parchment paper sling for your 8-inch square pan (see my photo).

Step 2 – One bowl mixing method: Into a large mixing bowl, break 2 eggs, add the cider vinegar, and whisk well. Add the brown and white sugars, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until well blended. Add the melted (and cooled!) butter and the baking soda. Whisk again until smooth. Now add the flour and switch to a spoon or spatula, stirring well. (Do not over-mix at this point.) Gently fold in the blueberries, trying not to smash or crush them.

Step 3 – Bake: Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan and bake in your well pre-heated 325° F oven for 30 to 40 minutes (exact time depends on your oven). The low temperature and long cooking time helps with even baking. The pan of blondies is done when the top is deep golden brown and firmly set. The slight cracking that you see in my photos (the kind you usually find on the top surface of a brownie or blondie) will appear when the blondies are cooled and cut. 

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently lifting by the parchment paper handles. Cut into 16 small squares and...eat with blueberry joy!

  

  F o o d i e  
Photos

Adding melted (and cooled)
butter to the batter.

Batter is thick but loose enough to pour.
Be sure to even it out in the pan.

☕

To download this recipe

in a free PDF document
that you can print, save,
or share, click here.

Click for Free Recipe PDF.

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries 

Alice and Marc in Central Park. 

Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
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