White Chocolate Strawberry Blondies

Ingredients:

• 8 oz white chocolate by weight

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 3/4 tsp almond extract

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp salt

• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1/2 cup milk powder

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup strawberry jam, dolloped

Directions:

1. Melt 8 oz white chocolate and unsalted butter over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Watch this and stir constantly to prevent burning. Once melted, mix until smooth and transfer to a mixing bowl.

2. Mix in the almond extract, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon zest. After letting the mixture cool, gently fold in the eggs.

3. Sift the powdered sugar, milk powder, baking powder, and all-purpose flour directly into the batter. Mix dry into wet ingredients until just combined. Finally, fold in the white chocolate chips.

4. Pour the batter into a greased 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. Dollop strawberry jam across the top, then run a skewer across the jam to create swirls across the dish.

5. Bake at 300 °F (150 °C) for 50-55 minutes, until the center has just set.*

6. Let cool for at least 30 minutes to reach room temperature, then cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

*To prevent the edges from puffing up and over-browning, bake for an initial 30 minutes, then loosely tent foil around the edges of the pan (keeping the center exposed) before baking for the remaining 20-25 minutes. This alternative step is excluded from the main recipe because its purpose is mostly aesthetic.