20 July 2019

Lemon Curd Blondies

I have my Mum to thank for inspiring this recipe. Thank You, Mum!

Lemon curd blondies weren’t even on my radar until she mentioned them. Now that I’ve made them, I want to know how did I ever live without these little squares of sweet, citrussy joy in my life?! They are everything you imagine; soft, slightly squidgy mouthfuls speckled with lemon curd and a hit of white chocolate for creamy sweetness and texture.

I played with the recipe Mum gave me a little bit; I scaled it up slightly and made my own vegan lemon curd to use in the recipe. I also had to use my instincts to figure out what “three big dollops of lemon curd” translated to in grams! Mum measures by eye and I am too obsessively, unapologetically meticulous for that. I also decided to add white chocolate chunks; something I always feel goes hand in hand with zingy lemon vibes. A handful of chopped almonds would also work well here too.

Obviously if you’re not vegan, you can use any butter and shop-bought lemon curd if you prefer. It will work just the same.

This is my new favourite summer bake – I hope you’ll love it too!

You’ll need an 8″x8″ brownie tin, oiled and lined with baking paper.

For The Lemon Curd (allow time for it to cool before using – you can make it the day before if you like):

25g cornflour (2 1/2 tbsp approx)
100g caster sugar
Pinch of turmeric (for an eye-popping yellow hue!)
60ml lemon juice (the juice of roughly two lemons, plus the zest – or use bottled lemon juice)
1/2 tsp natural lemon oil/extract
100ml non-dairy milk
30g vegan butter

For the Blondies:

185g vegan butter (Flora Buttery, Pure or Vitalite are all ideal)
100g light brown sugar
60g granulated white sugar
Zest of 1 lemon or 1 tsp natural lemon oil/extract
150g lemon curd (plus an extra couple of tablespoons at the end)
275g plain flour
100g dairy-free white chocolate chips (or a bar chopped into small chunks – you can find these in most supermarkets now)

To Make The Lemon Curd:

To make the lemon curd, stir the cornflour, caster sugar and turmeric together in a saucepan. On a fairly low heat, whisk in the lemon juice and zest (if using) and the lemon oil. Then add the milk, very slowly while whisking continuously. As it starts to simmer you’ll see it thicken quite quickly. Lower the heat and keep whisking/simmering for about three minutes or until it looks like it isn’t thickening anymore. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter until it’s completely dispersed.

Transfer to a bowl or jug and allow to cool before using – it will set as it cools.

To Make The Blondies:

Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f / gas mark 4. Chop up the white chocolate (unless you can find dairy free white chocolate chips of course) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and lemon zest or oil. I find this easy to do by hand, but use a mixer if you prefer – just don’t overdo it.

Now beat in the lemon curd. Aim for a relatively smooth mixture, the odd lump of curd here and there is fine. Stir in the flour then the white chocolate chips. You’ll end up with something like a very soft cookie dough.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and press it down gently and evenly, but don’t completely flatten it just yet. Use a teaspoon to dollop about two tablespoons of extra lemon curd randomly into the gaps all over, then carefully smooth the mixture down using the back of a spoon. I find this easier to do if I dip the spoon in water first as it helps to avoid the mixture sticking.

Bake in a preheated oven (180c / 350f / gas mark 4) for around 25 minutes, until the edges are starting to look golden. You may find that it needs a few minutes more; allow 30 minutes maximum. The blondies set quite firmly as they cool, and if you over-bake they will become crunchy. Cool thoroughly before turning out and slicing as you please. I like to make 16 squares, but you could get 20 at a push. They also look cute cut into triangles!