Sunshine Blondies

If winter has you feeling a bit blah….

You NEED to whip up a pan of my sunshine blondies!!

Specks of orange, lemon and lime zest + white chocolate + citrus cream cheese frosting = an instant mood booster. Bye bye winter blues and hello happiness!

Ingredients

• ½ cup (125 mL) softened butter (*I like salted butter)
• 1 cup (250 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) white chocolate chips
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
• Finely grated zest of: one lemon, lime and orange (be sure to wash all citrus fruit well before zesting)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Beat butter with sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Add dry ingredients and beat until evenly combined (batter will be thick).
4. Spread batter into an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper on the bottom and up the sides of the pan (see parchment paper trick at bottom of post)
5. Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is set, and blondies just start to come away from the sides.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re a fan of cream cheese frosting, who isn’t? This simple and flavourful frosting might be your new go-to! It yields about 1 ¼ cups (310 mL) – perfect amount for an 8 X 8-inch pan of blondies.

Ingredients

• 3 oz (90 g) brick-style cream cheese, room temperature (about ⅓ of the brick)
• ¼ cup (60 mL) butter (*I like salted butter)
• ¾ cup (175 mL) icing sugar
• finely grated zest of one orange
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) orange juice (or lemon or lime juice)
• ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese with butter (on high speed) until just combined.
2. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining ingredients until just combined (this will eliminate icing sugar flying everywhere when you begin to beat it). Once combined, beat on high speed for about one minute, until all ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Spread frosting evenly on blondies (if frosting seems too soft to spread, chill for about 20 minutes).
4. Cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to 5 days (but they won’t last that long!).
5. Enjoy!

Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

Find ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ on Amazon (click here) or at one of the below retailers across Ontario:

Type Books ~ 883 Queen Street West, Toronto
Lemonberry ~ 2 Orchard Heights Blvd #10, Aurora
Fanfare Books ~ 92 Ontario St, Stratford
Casual Gourmet ~ 1027 King Street West, Hamilton
The Post Office – 18 Front St. N, Thorold
Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
Gift It Grey ~ 19492 Opeongo Line, Barry’s Bay
Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
Cedar Canoe Books ~ 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
Farmer’s Daughter – 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Kitchen Bits ~ 1390 Kingsway, Greater Sudbury

Charmaine Broughton is a Muskoka/Toronto-based cooking show host & guest expert and author of ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life‘.

‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ is on Amazon! Get your copy today!