These dense and sweet (but not overly) squares have an intense banana flavor and aroma, complemented by the crunchy nuts and creaminess of the white chocolate.
We see a lot of recipes out there that use the term "blondie" to name them.
As I already mentioned when I posted these chickpeas and chocolate chips squares, not all recipes have the requirements to be "blondies". But such is not the case with this recipe.
I had 2 very ripe bananas in my fruit bowl, and instead of making one of the many banana cake recipes that I still have saved to try, I decided to make something else to snack on, and these banana blondies were worth it. To make them even more blondies, I decided to add white chocolate and also some walnuts.
As I didn't have many in the pantry, I preferred to use them as decoration on top of the squares, but I must mention that they are much better chopped in pieces and wrapped in the dough of these blondies (which is what I'll do next time I make this recipe).
These also have other characteristics that differentiate them from other blondies: they are made with oat flour and without eggs, and they can be vegan if the white chocolate used does not have dairy in the ingredients and if vegan butter or oil is used instead of butter.
The Ingredients
- Banana - it's their flavor that will be predominant in blondies, and the creaminess helps to create the dense texture typical of blondies.
- Oat flour - this flour works very well in blondies and brownies because they always have a compact texture and the smooth flavor of this flour complements the other flavors present.
- Butter - I used regular butter, but it can be replaced with vegan butter or 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil (I recommend neutral coconut oil or grapeseed oil).
- White chocolate - the fact of using white chocolate in these blondies allows you to reduce the amounts of butter and sugar presented in similar recipes, and also gives a flavor similar to the one of condensed milk with a touch of vanilla.
- Light brown sugar - this type of sugar is essential in making blondies, and can be replaced with other types of brown sugar or coconut sugar (in this case it can change the color of the blondies).
- Vanilla and Cinnamon - they are optional but they combine perfectly with the banana flavor.
- Nuts - some make brownies and blondies without adding extra ingredients, but this type of cookies improves significantly with the addition of crunchy elements inside them, such as walnuts (or pecans), cranberries or raisins, or chocolate chips.
Banana white chocolate walnut blondies recipe
Ingredients
2 medium sized bananas
100 g of oat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
100 g of white chocolate
30 g of butter
50 g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
30 g nuts
- Coarsely chop the walnuts. Reserve.
- In a bowl, melt the butter together with the white chocolate.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon and sugar.
- Peel the bananas and puree them.
- Fold the banana puree into the white chocolate cream.
- In a bowl, add the baking powder to the oat flour.
- Gradually mix the oat flour into the mixture until it becomes homogeneous.
- Finally, add the walnut pieces.
- Place the mixture in a square or rectangular pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 175ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cut into 9 or 16 squares, and serve when completely cooled.
Notes on how to make
- Like almost all banana cakes, the bananas should be ripe so that their flavor can be noticed and add more sweetness to the final product.
- Baking powder is not normally used but the presence of banana puree and oat flour makes the dough heavier than others.
- To melt the white chocolate broken into small pieces with the butter, you can use the bain-marie technique (glass or stainless steel bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir until everything is melted) or use the microwave and melt in the defrost function at 30 second intervals.
- In addition to the walnuts inside the blondies, you can also use some walnuts to decorate the top; some like to cover these with icing or other types of creamy toppings.
- My blondies were thin (as you can see in the picture) because I used my 22x22cm brownie pan; if you want them to be thicker use a smaller sized pan, or you can make individual units in muffin tins.
- After unmoulding and cooling, the blondies and brownies should be placed in the fridge for a while because it improves their texture. They can also be frozen so they can be enjoyed at another time.
