Equipment
Ingredients
Blondie Batter
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 200 g light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 2 g baking powder
- 3 g fine sea salt
Barbecue Spiced Pecans
- 100 g pecan halves, roughly chopped
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 15 ml water
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 g chili powder
- 1 g garlic powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
Marbled Chocolate Coating
- 150 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 75 g white chocolate, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Line a 20x20 cm baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring there is a generous overhang on two sides for easy removal later.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar until completely smooth and slightly lightened in color.
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, whisking vigorously for about a minute until the mixture becomes glossy and fully emulsified.
Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture together just until no dry flour streaks remain visible.
Transfer the thick batter to the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top into an even layer with your spatula. Bake at 175°C/350°F for 22 to 25 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the center slightly soft.
Remove the blondies from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow the base to cool completely in the pan for about 1 hour.
In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped pecans, granulated sugar, water, butter, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves, bubbles vigorously, and coats the nuts in a sticky, crystallized glaze. Exercise extreme caution as the hot sugar mixture can cause severe burns.
Immediately scatter the hot, spiced caramelized pecans evenly over the surface of the completely cooled blondie base. Allow the nuts to cool and harden for 15 minutes.
Place the chopped dark chocolate and white chocolate into separate heatproof bowls. Melt each gently over simmering water or in short microwave bursts, stirring frequently until smooth and completely fluid.
Pour the melted dark chocolate evenly over the caramelized pecans, using a clean spatula to gently spread it into a smooth layer that fills the gaps between the nuts. Immediately drop random spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate over the dark chocolate layer.
Take a skewer or toothpick and drag it continuously through the dark and white chocolate pools, using fluid figure-eight motions to create an elegant, swirling marbled pattern across the surface.
Place the pan in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the chocolate coating to set firmly. Once set, lift the blondies out by the parchment paper overhang and slice into 16 clean squares with a sharp knife.
Chef's Notes
- Browning the 115g of butter for the blondie base before using it adds a deep, nutty complexity that beautifully echoes the roasted pecans and elevates the entire dessert.
- Ensure your baking pan is lined with enough parchment overhang. The combination of sticky caramelized pecans and a solid set chocolate layer will make the uncut slab impossible to remove from the pan otherwise.
- When marbling the chocolate, work quickly and drag your skewer through the layers while both chocolates are still quite warm. This achieves clean, fluid swirls without dragging clumpy chunks of partially set chocolate.
- The savory barbecue spices on the pecans are designed to cleanly cut through the richness of the blondie base and white chocolate, making salt adjustment critical. Do not skip or reduce the sea salt in the caramel.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container to maintain chewy texture.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individual squares tightly in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container before freezing.
