These marzipan blondies are made in partnership with World Market. Thank you for supporting the brands that support For the Love of Gourmet.
We love living in Washington State and can’t imagine living anywhere else. That does mean that we don’t have any family nearby with mine all over the Midwest and Kevin’s in Atlanta, and when we started having more kids travel for the holidays felt impossible. We decided to create some of our own family traditions and one of them is that we have German food on Christmas Eve. My husband and I both have German heritage and enjoying bratwurst, sauerkraut, spaetzle, and marzipan on Christmas Eve felt like the perfect way to honor that and start our own family tradition. Thankfully, World Market has everything I need to make this holiday dinner possible and this year, I’m making our usual marzipan into marzipan blondies. Marzipan is an almond-paste based candy and is sometimes covered in chocolate. Sometimes you can find it in fun shapes like fruit! In this recipe we are using traditional chocolate-covered marzipan that’s chopped and folded into buttery blondie batter. We always go to mass on Christmas Eve, then watch “The Star” after dinner with cookies and cocoa. You better believe that this year the marzipan blondies will be on every cookie tray I make!
Ingredients for Marzipan Blondies
- Melted butter. One of things I love most about blondies is that they use melted butter, making them quick and easy to whip up!
- Sugar. Granulated sugar is what we are using here.
- Eggs. For best results, have them at room temperature before starting this recipe.
- Vanilla extract. I recommend using a good quality, non-imitation vanilla extract. This recipe has relatively few ingredients so I recommend that those that add flavor such as vanilla are good quality!
- Baking powder. Not using a whole lot to keep these thick and chewy! But we do need a little bit of baking powder as a leavening agent.
- Salt. I am using salt in the recipe with the option of adding flakey salt to the top for flavor and a subtle crunch.
- Flour. Regular all-purpose flour is what we are using in this blondie recipe.
- Marzipan. Chocolate marzipan is available using dark, milk, or even white chocolate. I love dark chocolate so that’s what I chose to use in this recipe!
How to Make Marzipan Blondies
- First, melt your butter and allow it to cool slightly. You don’t want it to cool so much that it solidifies at all, but you do want to make sure it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- Then, whisk in the sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
- We are making these blondies in one bowl, so whisk in the salt and baking powder next before adding in the flour. You may need to switch to a spoon at this point as the batter is thicker.
- Next, chop up your marzipan and fold it into the batter. Don’t worry if the marzipan is broken up into smaller pieces as you mix it, it’ll be perfect to have different size bites of the candy when you enjoy this treat!
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spread the blondie batter into the pan and bake until the center is set. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt if desired, and let cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing. The best way to enjoy these is with a warm beverage!
What to Serve with Marzipan Blondies
- Hot cocoa! Christmas = cocoa season. My slow cooker peppermint hot cocoa is a great option to serve with these, or use your own favorite recipe.
- Coffee or tea. Listen, I won’t tell if you have one of these for breakfast on Christmas Day while your kids open presents, or the morning after a holiday party.
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I recommend waiting until these bars are cooled completely before slicing and serving, but if you want to warm up those slices a little bit in the microwave before adding a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, it would be absolutely perfect.
However you enjoy these blondies, I guarantee you they’re a great addition to your holiday table and a great idea to bring to any holiday gathering. World Market has an excellent selection of marzipan, but they also have dishes, decor, food items, and gift ideas. It is my favorite place to shop around the holidays and now is the perfect time to go for all your shopping needs!
- 1 cup butter
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups of chopped marzipan
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray an 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Place your butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once it melts, reduce heat to medium low and let the butter brown. The butter will smart to smell nutty and you'll see browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn! When your butter is golden brown, remove from heat. Let cool then pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar to the mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the eggs and whisk well. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add the baking powder and salt and mix to combine.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined. Then fold in the chopped marzipan.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared pan and top with additional pretzels and chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the center is almost set. Sprinkle with flakey salt after baking if desired.
- Let the bars cool completely before removing from the pan. Once cool, carefully remove from the pan using the parchment paper.
- Serve with hot cocoa, coffee, or tea. Enjoy!
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