I’m a smidge obsessed with all things Bakewell, and these white chocolate Bakewell blondies with a jam centre are no exception! I love the simple sweet combination of fruity cherry or raspberry with nutty almond – it’s a match made in heaven!
Filled with creamy white chocolate chips, these almond beauties also have a soft and chewy blondie texture with white chocolate in the mixture as well. The layer of raspberry or cherry jam running through the middle complements the almond taste for the classic Bakewell flavour. They also look pretty yummy if I do say so myself!
These white chocolate Bakewell blondies would be the perfect addition to any afternoon tea or picnic. They’ve also gone down a treat at one of the charity bake sales I’ve done with my co-workers before.
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✏️ Making a tasty and easy recipe
Being obsessed with Bakewell tarts, I wanted to transform the traditional treat into a soft and gooey blondie. These Bakewell blondies are sweet and delicious, especially with the addition of white chocolate for an extra decadence.
When first creating this recipe, I experimented with using light brown sugar as well white caster sugar (granulated sugar) similar to some of my other blondie recipes, but adding that caramel flavour just took away from the almond taste rather than complemented it, so I much prefer using only white or golden caster sugar.
This recipe for Bakewell white chocolate blondies is actually a more soft traybake / cake-like and a white chocolate version of my Bakewell cookie bars recipe. It was actually one of the initial tester batches that I fell in love with! These white chocolate blondies are essentially a white chocolate version of regular chocolate brownies, but with Bakewell flavours and a sweet jam centre.
Since then, I've tested and tweaked the recipe to get that perfectly gooey white chocolate blondie fused with a Bakewell tart to give sweet mouth joy! I love the surprise jam centre - the fruity cherry or raspberry is exactly what you want when you bite into the white chocolate sweetness.
What is Bakewell?
Bakewell traditionally has a shortcrust pastry base, beneath a layer of jam followed by frangipane and topped by flaked almonds or icing. Bakewell is named after a place in England, where the Bakewell tart originates from, apparently invented by accident!
I know what you’re thinking, what is frangipane? Well, put simply, it’s an almond pastry cream or paste. And you know what, it’s damn tasty.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Bakewell and had a tart straight from a quaint little bakery there. You just can’t beat their classic goodness, they’re complete masters!
🥘 Ingredients notes
When measuring your ingredients, I always recommend using weights rather than cups where possible for greater accuracy. Accuracy is pretty important for the amount of flour used especially.
Use good quality ingredients! This is so important because if you’re using cheap jam, for example, you’ll be able to taste this in your cookie bar. My favourite jam to use (if you’re not making your own!) is Tiptree raspberry or cherry preserves. The higher fruit content really adds to the flavour of your Bakewell blondies.
Similarly, better quality chocolate chips will have a better taste. I’ve tried using several different brands of white chocolate, and you can tell the difference between a cheap brand and high-quality baking chocolate. I use Callebaut white chocolate for this recipe and it's delicious!
🔪 Equipment notes
I usually use an 8inch (20cm) square tin for these bakewell blondies, like this tin from Wilton.
I find it easiest to grease and then line the pan with parchment paper (greaseproof paper), leaving a small overhang over the sides. This way, you can easily grip the paper and lift your blondies from the tin once they've cooled slightly.
I like to use digital scales for weighing my ingredients as it's easier and more accurate than other scales. I'm a fan of these KitchenAid or Salter ones! Weighing your ingredients is much more accurate than using cups and will give you better results.
Use measuring spoons for your tsp and tbsp amounts where possible.
🍱 Storage
You can store your blondies in an airtight container. They should keep for up to 4 days stored at room temperature.
If you like your blondies to be a bit firmer and chewy, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep refrigerated for up to 5 days in the fridge.
💭 Top tips for success
- To help prevent your chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of your blondies, you can first toss them in the flour before it’s added to the mixture.
- The Bakewell blondie mix includes melted white chocolate, which will harden slightly as it cools. It’s easier to spread your blondie mix in the pan while the white chocolate in it is still slightly warm. However, if it’s too warm your it makes it a bit more fiddly to spread your cherry or raspberry jam layer over it. My top tip is to work through the recipe steps without a break so that your white chocolate blondie mix is a good temperature to work with.
- When these bad boys come out of the oven, they’ll be quite soft, but don’t panic! These blondies will firm up as they cool to give that fudgy chewy goodness. If they’re still not firm enough for your liking, you can pop them in the fridge to set further before serving.
- One of my top tips for these Bakewell blondies is to make microwave your raspberry or cherry jam before spreading it in the middle of your blondie mix. If not, you’ll find it hard to spread an even layer across the blondie. When I tried it without this step, I ended up digging little holes into the mix or sort of swirling the jam and blondie mix together by accident – still tasty, but not what I was going for.
Troubleshooting help:
If you’ve got any specific questions on making these Bakewell white chocolate blondies, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to help out!
Alternatively, you can get in touch via my Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest – I’d love to hear from you!
♻️ Alternatives and substitutions
For an extra crunch of toasted almonds, you can sprinkle flaked almonds on top of your blondies before putting them into the oven. They will bake beautifully in the oven giving extra taste and texture to your Bakewell blondies.
For this recipe, I usually use raspberry jam or a cherry jam for a more classic Bakewell flavour. Instead, try mixing it up with one of your favourite jam flavours or something a bit different like a wild blueberry conserve. Let me know what fun flavours you've tried with your Bakewell blondies!
You can even add in fresh fruit to the jam layer such as chopped pitted cherries or some kirsch cherries for a boozy twist. Be careful not to add too much liquid to this layer though or you may have leaking blondies!
I usually bake these Bakewell jam blondies in an 8x8 inch (20cm) square tin for a thick and gooey treat, but if you'd like yours a little less gooey, you can also bake them in a 9x9 inch square tin for a thinner soft blondie. For this, you should reduce the baking time by 5mins.
I have quite the sweet tooth, so I love how sweet these white chocolate Bakewell blondies are. However, if you don’t like your desserts all that sweet, you can omit the white chocolate chips from this recipe, and even reduce the sugar by 1tbsp too.
Gluten-free option:
One of the great things about these Bakewell blondies is that you can easily switch them up for a gluten-free version. All you need to do is swap the plain flour for the same amount in ground almonds and reduce the almond extract to only a ½ tsp.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, check out my other gluten-free recipes such as my gluten-free lemon almond shortbread.
🧁 Other goodies
So, I definitely recommend that you whip up a batch of these white chocolate Bakewell blondies with a jam centre! But as an avid home baker, I’m sure you’re asking yourself “what next?”.
If you’re just as obsessed with Bakewell, then I don’t blame you. Let me feed that addiction and check out my recipes for Bakewell shortbread slices and Bakewell cookie bars. Both go great with a cup of tea or coffee!
For more white chocolate goodies, take a look at my recipe for a white chocolate mocha cheesecake, it’s perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Or how about my tasty lemon white chocolate cake – so much creamy white chocolate goodness balanced with the zesty kick of lemon. Or if you love a gooey blondie, check out my recipe for raspberry white chocolate blondies.
Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration! Or if you’d like to hear about our latest recipes, why not subscribe to our newsletter?
📋 Recipe
White Chocolate Bakewell Blondies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups (215 g) white chocolate
- ½ cups (115 g) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs (large)
- ¼ cups (60 g) caster sugar (golden or white)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ cups (65 g) plain / all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
- ¾ cups (85 g) ground almonds
- a pinch of salt
- ½ cups (90 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 cups (150 g) raspberry or cherry conserve/jam (roughly ½ jar)
- 5 tsp flaked almonds (optional, to decorate)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven: 185°C / 165°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 ½ / 365°F
- Melt the white chocolate and butter (microwave for 45-60secs, 15secs at a time), until smooth and fully combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy and then add the sugar and almond extract, beating until smooth.
- Drizzle in the melted white chocolate and butter mixture, beating together until your mixture is combined.
- Sift the flours into the mix and add the ground almonds and salt. Fold these into the mixture gently.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips until just spread evenly throughout.
- Line a tin with greaseproof/baking paper and pour half of the mix into the pan, smoothing into an even layer.
- Microwave the jam for 15secs and then gently spread this across the blondie mix, leaving an inch/few cm border at the edges.
- Cover the jam layer with the remaining blondie mix, smoothing the top gently and sprinkling flaked almonds on top (if using).
- Bake for 25-30mins until it no longer wobbles and has a golden top. It will harden further as it cools. Once cooled, remove from the tin and cut into squares.
Nutrition
* The nutrition information provided is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator and actual values may vary.
I love all things Bakewell... I've tried the different types that they sell in Bakewell and although the town argues about which one is actually the original recipe. I just love the mix of flavour, the almonds and the sweetness of the jam. This is taking it to the next level and I can't wait to try it.
Thanks Julia! I know what you mean, that almond and jam combo - so dreamy! Happy baking
Love this recipe quick and easy to follow, results were better than I thought, taste exactly like a Bakewell, soft and very addictive.
Delicious warmed up and cold. I will defiantly make this again.
Thanks Katie! Glad they turned out well!