These orange almond blondies offer a fun citrusy alternative to blondies filled with chocolate chips or candy!
With all the chaos happening amidst the Coronavirus, I haven’t had time to think about what to bake. My husband and I braved the crowds one Friday during lunchtime to buy groceries. Friends warned me about the craziness, but I was cautiously optimistic. Several household necessities were gone: toilet paper, laundry detergent and paper towels. In addition, customers bought almost all the frozen vegetables and poultry.
I was, however, able to scrounge up some ingredients in my pantry and bake these blondies. A girl has to have her sweets! I already had all the ingredients so I didn’t need to buy anything special at the grocery store.
While I have made blondies before, I typically added things like chocolate chips or other candies. This time, I made my blondies citrusy. I added orange juice to the batter and topped it with an orange glaze.
These orange almond blondies were a nice deviation from standard blondies. Don’t get me wrong – I love chocolate (LOVE chocolate). But it was nice to have an orange flavored bar for a nice refreshing snack for a change.
Remember not to over bake these. They will continue to set as they cool, so play it safe and slightly underbake them if needed.
Orange almond blondies
Ingredients
Blondies
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Orange glaze (optional)
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar more or less as needed
- 5-6 Tablespoons orange juice more or less as needed
Instructions
Make the blondies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously line or grease a standard 8"x8" baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar until it is smooth and uniform.
- Mix in the egg, orange juice, orange zest, salt and almond extract until everything is fully incorporated. Add in the flour and mix well until no dry streaks remain.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is barely set. Do not over bake.
- Allow the blondies to cool completely before adding the glaze.
Make the glaze
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice. If the glaze looks too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it feels too clumpy or dry, add more orange juice. I like my glaze to be on the thicker side so it doesn't run down the sides of my bars.
- Add the glaze on top of the cooled blondies. Allow the glaze to set before slicing and serving.