White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars from Lovely Little Kitchen

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars - made October 3, 2023 from Lovely Little Kitchen

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts, divided

3/4 cup white chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8" pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and almond extract, mixing to combine.
3. Add flour and salt and beat on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in 1/2 cup of the macadamia nuts and 1/2 cup of the white chocolate chips to incorporate. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle remaining macadamia nuts on top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and gently press remaining white chocolate chips over top. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

The tl:dr on this one? Freaking delicious. I typically like a white chocolate and macadamia combination anyway but for this blondie, it was the blondie itself I enjoyed the most. Chewy texture and the perfect sweetness complemented by the white chocolate and flanked by the macadamia nuts.

Pro tip if you want your white chocolate chips to remain white: reserve a handful of the chips and as soon as you take the blondie out of the oven, press the chips gently on top. Otherwise if you have them on top of the blondie before baking, the white chocolate will turn brown before the blondie is done.

I liked this blondie and how easy it was to make. It's not too early for it to go on my Christmas baking list and will provide a nice change from white chocolate macadamia cookies. Plus it's faster to make since they're bar cookies.