These Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies are a bright, fresh twist on a classic blondie recipe for an easy-to-make treat that citrus-lovers will love. Blondies are bar cookies that are similar in texture to brownies – dense and chewy – but don’t use cocoa powder or chocolate in the same way …
These Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies are a bright, fresh twist on a classic blondie recipe for an easy-to-make treat that citrus-lovers will love. Blondies are bar cookies that are similar in texture to brownies – dense and chewy – but don’t use cocoa powder or chocolate in the same way that brownies do. In fact, many of them don’t use chocolate at all. These Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies do use chocolate and come so close to the texture of traditional brownies that I was tempted to call them a white chocolate brownie, even though “blondie” is a bit more accurate here.
Lemon and white chocolate are an excellent flavor combination. White chocolate is rich and buttery, sweeter than other chocolates. In good quality white chocolate – meaning white chocolate that is made with real cocoa butter and not other vegetable solids – you should taste flavors of milk and vanilla, as well as getting a smooth and creamy finish. The flavors in white chocolate go well with lemon, and the bright citrus flavor of lemon contrast well with the richer notes of the chocolate.
In this particular recipe, I opted to use meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are just as bold in flavor as regular lemons are, but they have less acidity and don’t pack quite as much bite as their regular counterparts. The meyer lemon goes particularly well with the white chocolate.
The bars are chewy and flavorful, though a crisp edge develops around the bars where the blondies come into contact with the pan. You’ll taste a strong lemon flavor, as well as a rich creaminess from the white chocolate. There is white chocolate melted into the batter and that contributes to the blondies’ satisfyingly chewy texture. There are plenty of white chocolate chips stirred into the batter, along with fresh lemon zest that really pops in the finished bake.
These blondies taste even better the day after they are baked, as the white chocolate and lemon flavors meld together and you get even more lemon flavor in every bite. If you don’t have meyer lemons available – and you can find them at many markets, as well as at farmers markets, because they grow year-round – you can use regular lemon zest. The bars will still be delicious, but the flavor will be slightly brighter than bars made with meyer lemons. The bars keep well for several days after baking when stored in an airtight container.
Meyer Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies
1/2 cup butter
2 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp meyer lemon zest (from 1 large lemons)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter on high heat. When butter is completely melted, add in chopped white chocolate and allow it to melt. Stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg until well-combined. Beat in salt and lemon zest until well combined. Stir in chocolate mixture.
Stir in flour and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Fold in white chocolate until no streaks of flour remain.
Transfer batter – batter will be thick – to prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bars are set and light golden.
Cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Say the sweetest “I love you!” with these soft, buttery, chocolate-dipped Valentine’s Cookies! (Cookies > Cards 🥰 #Trust) This recipe is so easy and so budget-friendly. Have you seen what people are charging for a dozen cookies lately? Highway robbery!! PS when I tell you this is such an easy recipe, I mean it. You can even make the sugar cookie dough ahead of time, so all you have to do on the big day is cut, bake, and dip.
What You’ll need
You’re just seven ingredients away from the most magnificent, luscious, unforgettable Valentine’s Day gift!
Softened Butter helps create texture and mouth feel. You’ll know your butter is soft enough when you press your finger on it and it leaves an indentation.
Sugar helps sweeten the cookie and creates a crisper texture, so the cookies keep their shape. It also creates air pockets in the softened butter that lighten the dough.
Vanilla flavors and scents the cookie.
Egg binds the ingredients together and creates texture. It also adds moisture to the dough.
All-purpose flour creates a cookie that holds its shape. Bread flour yields a chewier texture with more spread. Pastry or cake flour yields crisper and more crumbly results.
Baking powder lightens the dough by creating air pockets that help it rise.
Melting chocolate dissolves easily and dries quickly with a satiny finish. Use white, dark, or milk chocolate. You can also use chocolate chips, but they dry with a dull, foggy finish.
make THE Dough Ahead of Time
It’s a genius move to make your cookie dough ahead of time and not just for convenience’s sake. Chilling the dough hardens the butter and helps prevent the spread of your cookies, so they hold their shape better. Resting your dough for multiple days also evaporates moisture, which concentrates flavors and creates a crisper cookie. You can refrigerate cookie dough up to 5 days in advance.
Make Cookies Without A Cutter
You don’t need to buy a special cookie cutter to create the loveliest heart-shaped cookies. Instead, draw or print a heart shape, cut it out, and use it as a guide. Then, all you have to do is trace your knife along the cookie dough to create perfect heart-shaped cookies.
How To Fix Cookie Shapes
If you open your oven to find that your cookies have lost their shape, it can be an easy fix. First, allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for a minute, then reshape them by pressing the cookie cutter into them or tracing a knife around the paper cutout. Work quickly; the more the cookie cools, the more likely it is to shatter.
How To Melt Chocolate
You can easily melt chocolate on a stovetop or in a microwave as long as you follow these three golden rules:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it melts faster
Create a gentle heat so it doesn’t burn
Keep water out of it so it doesn’t seize
How To Melt Chocolate in A Microwave Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in short 20-second bursts, stirring thoroughly after each burst until the chocolate has a syrupy consistency.
How To Melt Chocolate on The Stove Add your chocolate to a heat-proof bowl and place it in a pan filled a third of the way with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the stove and let the chocolate melt until syrupy.
Storing Valentine’s Day Cookies
You can store these sugar cookies in an air-tight container for up to a week at room temperature. So feel free to make them a few days ahead. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container, separated with layers of parchment or wax paper, for up to 3 months. Don’t refrigerate sugar cookies, as it can dry them out and dull their flavor.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the softened butter & cup of sugar until fluffy.
Add the beaten egg and vanilla to the creamed butter and mix to incorporate.
In a separate bowl, mix the all-purpose flour and the baking powder.
Add half the flour to the creamed butter and mix just until a wet dough forms. Add the second half of the flour and mix gently until a stiffer dough forms. Roll the dough into a ball.
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough ¼ inch thick. Cool for thirty minutes in the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Once the dough has hardened, cut out the cookies, remove the scraps from the cookie sheet, and leave the cookies behind. Roll any scraps out on a separate piece of parchment, and chill before cutting them into cookies.
Place the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 3 minutes. Next, rotate the pan, so the front faces the back—then bake for 3 to 4 minutes until they slightly lighten in color.
Cool the cookies in the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Decorate when cookies have cooled.
To Melt the Chocolate in the Microwave: Melt the chocolate in a bowl wide enough to dip the cookies into but small enough to create a deep pool of chocolate. If using a microwave, melt in 20-second increments, stirring after each.
To Melt the Chocolate on the Stove Top: If using the stove, place a small wide-mouthed bowl in a pan filled a third of the way with water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Leave the bowl in the water and stir until the chocolate melts.
Dip half of the cookie in the chocolate and garnish if you'd like to. Then place back on the cooling rack, allowing the chocolate to harden.
*If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon of finely ground salt (like fine sea salt) or 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground salt (like kosher salt) to the butter*Use dark, milk, or white melting chocolate to decorate cookies. You can also use chocolate chips, but they will dry with a foggy finish.
How to Make Valentine’s Day Cookies – Step by Step Photos
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the 12 tablespoons of softened butter & cup of sugar until fluffy.
Add the beaten egg and the teaspoon of vanilla to the creamed butter and mix to incorporate.
In a separate bowl, mix the 2 cups of all-purpose flour and the 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
Add half the flour to the creamed butter and mix just until a wet dough forms. Add the second half of the flour and mix gently until a stiffer dough forms.
Roll the dough into a ball, but do so quickly. You don’t want to overwork the dough, as it will create a tough texture.
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough ¼ inch thick, or about the thickness of an ear lobe. Cool for thirty minutes in the fridge. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F.
Once the dough has hardened, cut out the cookies, remove the scraps from the cookie sheet, and leave the cookies behind. Roll any scraps out on a separate piece of parchment, and chill before cutting them into cookies.
Place the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies on a cookie sheet or sheet pan. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 3 minutes. Next, rotate the sheet pan so the front faces the back—then bake for 3 to 4 minutes until they slightly lighten in color.
Cool the cookies in the sheet pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Decorate when cookies have cooled.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl wide enough for to dip the cookies into but small enough to create a deep pool of chocolate. If using a microwave, melt in 20-second increments, stirring after each. If using the stove, place the bowl in a pan filled a third of the way with water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Leave the bowl in the water and stir until the chocolate melts.
Dip half of the cookie in the chocolate and garnish if you’d like to. Then place it back on the cooling rack, allowing the chocolate to harden. Give these amazingly cute Valentine’s Day cookies out to your loved ones, but make sure to save some for yourself!!
This eggless chocolate cake comes together quickly using just one bowl. Serve this tender, single-layer cake with your favorite frosting, fruit sauce, or a dusting of powdered sugar for an easy yet decadent dessert. Have you guys been to the store to buy eggs lately? If you have, you know that the prices are absurd. …
This eggless chocolate cake comes together quickly using just one bowl. Serve this tender, single-layer cake with your favorite frosting, fruit sauce, or a dusting of powdered sugar for an easy yet decadent dessert.
Have you guys been to the store to buy eggs lately?
If you have, you know that the prices are absurd. You know it’s bad when even the eggs at Aldi are expensive.
But a baker’s gotta bake, ya know? And with Valentine’s Day coming up, I know many of us are going to be looking for the perfect dessert to make for our sweethearts.
Lucky for all of us, today’s recipe is perfect for anyone trying to save a buck by avoiding eggs and for making for your Valentine.
That’s right! This eggless chocolate cake is a rich, single-layer cake that is perfect without any eggs in it. You can even make it vegan if you swap the butter for shortening or a vegan butter substitute.
Is this my new go-to last-minute chocolate cake recipe? It sure is. Give it a try and you’ll find out why.
Nutella is a delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread that I regularly use in baking. The spread is rich and creamy, with a flavor that translates very well to a variety of different desserts. These Nutella Raspberries Cupcakes are brownie-like cupcakes made with Nutella that have a couple of raspberries inside and are topped …
Nutella is a delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread that I regularly use in baking. The spread is rich and creamy, with a flavor that translates very well to a variety of different desserts. These Nutella Raspberries Cupcakes are brownie-like cupcakes made with Nutella that have a couple of raspberries inside and are topped with a dollop of creamy hazelnut spread.
The batter is easy to make and contains a generous amount of Nutella. There is cocoa powder in the mix, but only enough to accent the chocolate in the Nutella and not so much that it overpowers the nutty flavor of the hazelnut spread itself. The Nutella in the batter is what helps to give these cupcakes a dense and brownie-like texture, although they are a bit cakier than most traditional brownies recipes would be. I put two whole raspberries inside of each cupcake before baking, giving them a nice pop of raspberry flavor to contrast with the chocolate and hazelnut when you take a bite.
In addition to the raspberries inside, I decorated these cupcakes with a generous spoonful of Nutella and a dusting of crushed, freeze-dried raspberries. While not exactly brownies, the rich and dense batter causes the centers of the cupcakes do sink a bit during baking. Do not worry if this happens – in fact, it creates a nice little pocket for a few teaspoonfuls of Nutella! The extra Nutella adds just the right touch of extra decadence to the cupcakes. The freeze dried raspberries add a great burst of color and hint at the raspberries inside. If you can’t find freeze dried raspberries, simply set a fresh raspberry on top of each cupcake before serving. You can also add on a few red sprinkles if you want an additional pop of color.
These cupcakes will keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container before serving. I prefer to add the Nutella “frosting” just before passing them out, especially if I am adding the freeze dried raspberries as decorations, just to keep the tops of the cupcakes from getting soggy while they wait.
Nutella Raspberries Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup Nutella
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (pref. whole)
24 whole raspberries, pref. fresh
extra Nutella, for topping
freeze dried raspberries, for topping
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder (sift, if lumpy), baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and creamy. Blend in egg, followed by Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture and stir until no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Push two whole raspberries into each cup of batter, spreading the batter on top to cover them.
Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Carefully turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cupcakes are cooled, top each with a couple of teaspoons of Nutella and a dusting of crush, freeze-dried raspberries (or 1 whole fresh raspberry).
This boozy twist on a classic chocolate layer cake is made with red wine for a rich and robust chocolate cake with unique fruity undertones and an incredible depth of flavor unlike any other chocolate cake you’ve had before. Three layers of moist, deeply chocolate cake, with blackberry preserves and a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream […]
This boozy twist on a classic chocolate layer cake is made with red wine for a rich and robust chocolate cake with unique fruity undertones and an incredible depth of flavor unlike any other chocolate cake you’ve had before.
Three layers of moist, deeply chocolate cake, with blackberry preserves and a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream in between, and a drizzle of dark chocolate glaze for a dramatic effect that’s as easy as it is impressive. Top it with some gold-brushed blackberries for some serious flair!
Taylor recently celebrated a milestone birthday, and it felt appropriate to re-make one of our all-time favorite cake recipes (and yours too!) This cake was first made back in 2012, 11 years ago to the day actually (scroll down to the bottom to see the original photos if you’re looking for a laugh). Since then it’s been made and loved by countless readers and fans, for birthdays and celebrations and non-celebrations alike.
Why is it so beloved? Other than being gosh darn delicious, and easy to boot, I suspect the glamor of red wine adds to the mystique of this recipe. It just sounds fancy, doesn’t it? At its most basic it is a classic chocolate layer cake, yes, but the red wine brings out the fruity notes of the chocolate, adding a unique depth of flavor that makes for a truly unforgettable cake. Add to that a layer of blackberry preserves, a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream, and a drizzle of dark chocolate glaze… what you end up with is simply perfection (frankly there’s no other way to put it).
Fudgy, rich, and filled with chunks of Oreo cookies, these Oreo brownies are perfect for any fan of the classic chocolate sandwich cookie. If I’m going to make a chocolate dessert, I want it to be really chocolatey. You know, like decadent and rich black magic cake, chocolate zucchini cake, or chocolate crinkle cookies. Or …
I know some people like cakey brownies, but dense and fudgy brownies are the way to go for me. This recipe is exactly that.
A super rich, super chocolatey brownie base studded with pieces of Oreo cookies? Count me in. Top it with a layer of buttercream and more chopped Oreos? A dream!
Classic shortbread gets a peppermint (bark) twist with a drizzle of white and dark chocolate and a flurry of crushed candy cane bits for a festive treat Santa is sure to love! As far as holiday cookies go, shortbread is a classic for a good reason: it’s ridiculously easy to prepare and delicious to boot. […]
Classic shortbread gets a peppermint (bark) twist with a drizzle of white and dark chocolate and a flurry of crushed candy cane bits for a festive treat Santa is sure to love!
As far as holiday cookies go, shortbread is a classic for a good reason: it’s ridiculously easy to prepare and delicious to boot. But shortbread combined with peppermint bark (another holiday classic)? That’s one marvelous holiday mashup.
I actually started this recipe last year, but didn’t have time to make it perfect and posted before Christmas. While my concept was solid (combining buttery shortbread cookies with peppermint bark is a stellar combination), the final execution left much to be desired.
My first attempt was downright messy (to say the least).
If you’ve made shortbread before you know that cutting the cookies while warm is absolutely necessary if you want clean cuts, as opposed to a crumbly mess if you try and cut into cooled cookies.
But I wanted to top the cookies with peppermint bark, which meant adding two layers of tempered chocolate to the tops of cooled cookies (cooled so the chocolate would actually set); additionally, the chocolate could not be added to already cut cookies otherwise it’d just flow into the cracks and glue the cut cookies together.
What I ended up with was sure delicious, but uglier than a Christmas sweater, with the shortbread crumbling to bits underneath the layer of snappy chocolate on top when I went to cut it. And I know, taste is the most important thing, obviously, but it wasn’t just about appearances: the crumbly mess-of-a-cookie was equally hard to handle and just not practical, no matter how good it tasted.
At this point it was two days before Christmas and really too late to post any new holiday cookie recipes anyway, let alone re-test this recipe to get it just right, so I jotted down a few notes and stuck a bookmark in my recipe notebook with the intention to revisit this recipe next year.
Fast forward to this December… and we’ve finally brought the execution up to bar with the concept.
In short(bread, lol), it’s all about the drizzle!
Drizzling the chocolate on top of the cookies, rather than spreading on a solid layer, allowed me to cut the cookies while they were still warm, then add the chocolate and candy cane once they’d cooled, solving the execution problem entirely.
Soft and chewy peppermint cookies can be topped with cream cheese frosting or a chocolate ganache and a sprinkling of chopped peppermint candies. Make these with all-purpose flour or follow the alternate directions for a perfect gluten-free version! This post contains affiliate links. You know what I really love about this time of year? All …
Soft and chewy peppermint cookies can be topped with cream cheese frosting or a chocolate ganache and a sprinkling of chopped peppermint candies. Make these with all-purpose flour or follow the alternate directions for a perfect gluten-free version!
This post contains affiliate links.
You know what I really love about this time of year? All the parties! I see them as opportunities to bake and share loads of cookies. I’m happy, the hosts are happy, and the guests certainly don’t seem to mind all the cookies, either.
One of my favorite flavors around Christmas is peppermint. I’m not really into candy canes but peppermint extract? I can’t get enough of it.
Cookies are definitely my favorite holiday treat, especially when they’re covered in cream cheese frosting! There’s just something about them that I can’t resist.
But don’t worry, chocolate lovers, there’s an option for a chocolate ganache topping, too!
This recipe is from Erin over at Texanerin Baking. You’re going to love it, especially with the gluten-free option so you can make these chewy cookies for all your loved ones!
You all know I LOVE a good cookie, especially a good chocolate chip cookie. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? They are everyone’s favorite dessert, especially when served warm, fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk. B…
You all know I LOVE a good cookie, especially a good chocolate chip cookie. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? They are everyone’s favorite dessert, especially when served warm, fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk. But have you tried a Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie? The browned butter…
You all know I LOVE a good cookie, especially a good chocolate chip cookie. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? They are everyone’s favorite dessert, especially when served warm, fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk. But have you tried a Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie? The browned butter…