Pear Blondies

Blondies are a kind of brownie without cocoa, characterized by a flavor of butter and brown sugar that gives them a golden hue. By adding pears, you get a fresher, fruitier version. Here is the recipe for pear blondies with a little Italian twist, using almond flour to give more depth to the flavor:

Ingredients

• 115 g of unsalted butter
• 200 g of light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 130 g of 00 flour
• 50 g of almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
• (optional) a handful of white chocolate chips or chopped nuts to enrich further

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a square baking pan (about 20 cm) with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
3. Add the brown sugar to the butter and mix well.
4. Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract and mix until homogeneous.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the 00 flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Combine the dry ingredients with the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
7. Add the chopped pears (and if desired, the white chocolate chips or nuts) and gently fold into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, leveling the top with a spatula.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Trivia

Although the name “blondie” seems to have Anglo-Saxon origins, in the Italian confectionery tradition we can find various variants of ‘blonde’ sweets, such as hazelnut cookies or tarts with almond flour that sport a similar golden color thanks to the butter and sugar used. Integrating fruity ingredients like pears takes this preparation to a pleasant meeting between different traditions.