These double cherry bakewell blondies are full of delicious cherry goodness. They have two types of cherry – glace cherries (candied cherries) and cherry jam. The chewy almond blondies are stuffed with glace cherries and white chocolate chips, with a delicious swirl of cherry jam on top.
In true British fashion, bakewell blondies are the perfect pairing with a cup of tea. They’ll also make a great addition to your next homemade afternoon tea. So why not get out your teapot and adorably tiny teacups and have yourself a tea party!
I also love giving these treats as gifts to friends and family. I know my mum loved them as a Mother’s Day present too.
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✏️ Making a tasty and easy recipe
I love blondies. They’re essentially a non-chocolate version of a brownie. They usually have the density of a brownie and a slight caramel flavour. This taste is due to the use of soft brown sugars combined with white sugar in the blondie batter.
These gooey bakewell blondies are a cherry and almond version of the classic blondie. They even have the lovely addition of some white chocolate chips for more sweet goodness.
I often make a white chocolate bakewell blondie with raspberry or strawberry jam. However, I also wanted to create a more classic cherry bakewell blondie. Apparently, I love the idea of the flavours of a bakewell tart put into blondie form!
My first attempt barely tasted like cherries at all. I used only glace cherries in the blondie mix, and it just tasted like a sweet almond blondie…
By adding a lovely hint of jam to the blondies, you really amp up the cherry flavour. I’m especially a fan of using black cherry jam.
❔ What is Bakewell?
Traditionally, Bakewell has a shortcrust pastry base, beneath a layer of jam and frangipane (an almond mix). This is then topped with flaked almonds or icing. Bakewell is a tasty treat that originates from the town of Bakewell in England.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Bakewell and sample some of their delicious treats. You can’t beat a classic Bakewell tart or Bakewell pudding from one of their many amazing bakeries!
🥘 Ingredients
This blondie recipe calls for the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar (soft)
- Caster sugar (granulated sugar)
- Egg
- Salt (optional)
- Almond extract (or almond essence)
- Ground almonds (almond flour)
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Cornflour (fine white flour called cornstarch in some countries)
- White chocolate chips
- Glace cherries (candied cherries / glazed cherries)
- Cherry jam or conserve
- Flaked almonds (optional)
- Icing sugar (powdered sugar, optional)
See the recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient substitutions
I love the texture of these blondies using corn flour (called corn starch in the US and other places). However, you can swap this for more plain all-purpose flour of the same quantity.
Similarly, if you don’t have ground almonds, you can swap this for plain flour of the same quantity and add an extra tablespoon of butter (15g) and ½ teaspoon almond extract.
I think the glace cherries add a lovely texture and it's a great way to use up any leftovers you might have from the holiday season. However, if you can’t get hold of glace cherries (also called candied cherries or glazed cherries) for your double cherry bakewell blondies, you can omit them from the recipe and instead increase the cherry jam to 100g / 5 tbsp.
You can swap all of the brown sugar and white sugar for golden caster sugar of the same total amount. Or just replace the white sugar with golden caster sugar for a more caramel-y taste.
Ingredient tips
- Room temperature ingredients will mix together easier than items straight from the fridge. Though as the butter is melted in the recipe, that can be taken straight from the fridge.
- Using unsalted butter lets you control how much salt goes into your bakewell blondies. I like mine to be low salt so I don’t add much to the blondie batter, but you can add an optional ⅛ teaspoon salt depending on taste.
- I recommend sieving your flour for this recipe – this will help give you a smooth blondie batter.
- When measuring your ingredients, using weights rather than cups will give you much better accuracy.
- I like to use a drizzle of icing over my blondies once they’re cooled to decorate. Note that this icing won’t stay white, but can get dyed a red-purple from contact with the jam over time. I think this looks cute and colourful but you may want to skip this topping if you’re not a fan!
🔪 Equipment
I use the following equipment for this recipe:
- 20cm / 8inch square tin
- Greaseproof paper (parchment paper)
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (or whisk / fork)
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Large heatproof bowl (microwaveable)
- Weighing scales
- Measuring spoons
- Sharp knife
Equipment substitutions
To use a larger tin, such as a 9-inch square tin, you don’t need to change the recipe. It will make a thinner blondie base and so you should bake it for roughly 5mins less (i.e. 20-25mins instead of 25-30mins).
You can also double up the recipe and bake your blondies in a large brownie tin for 30-35mins, such as a 9inch x 13inch brownie pan.
Equipment tips
- I like using digital scales for weighing my ingredients as it's easy and accurate. I like these KitchenAid or Salter scales.
- It’s best to use measuring spoons, as cutlery teaspoons and tablespoons aren’t actually the correct volume. I’d also recommend levelling off any heaped scoops for more accurate measurement.
- When using a stand mixer, I like to use the paddle attachment and medium speed setting. This will help to thoroughly beat your blondie batter for a better texture.
- It’s a good idea to scrape down the sides and bottom of the stand mixer bowl every so often so you get an even mixture.
- You can also get great results by using a large bowl and an electric hand mixer.
- If you don’t have an electric mixer, use some elbow grease and beat your mixture using a whisk or fork in a mixing bowl. It's actually how I made the bakewell blondies pictured in this post!
- Before starting the recipe, I like to have a prepared baking tin ready. To do this, grease your square baking tin with butter or cooking spray then line it with a long piece of greaseproof paper (baking parchment).
- When lining your baking tin, use a long enough piece of greaseproof paper to leave an overhang on the two sides. This way you can easily lift your blondies out of the tin once baked.
🍱 Storage
How long do homemade blondies last?
Your cherry bakewell blondies should last up to 5 days at room temperature stored in an airtight container.
If you like your gooey bakewell blondies to be firmer and chewy, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep for up to a week refrigerated. Eating cold bakewell blondies is actually kinda delicious!
Can you freeze blondies?
Yes, your bakewell blondies can be frozen wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap (cling film) and a layer of foil, for up to 2 months. Thaw your blondies before eating them and enjoy.
It’s best to label your frozen treats with what they are and when they were frozen.
💭 Top tips
- Beat your sugar-butter-egg mixture thoroughly until it’s thickened and come together to a smooth mixture. This will give your blondies a perfectly soft and chewy texture.
- You’ll know your blondies are cooked when they’ve turned a light golden colour on top and there’s only a very slight wobble left in the middle.
- This recipe makes quite a thick blondie batter, so it can be hard to swirl your cherry jam on top. I dollop teaspoons of the jam on the blondie mix in the baking tin, leaving gaps between each spoonful.
- Use the point of a knife to gently push the dollops of jam through the blondie batter, spreading them all out and mixing them together lightly.
Troubleshooting
If you’ve got any specific questions on making your own best ever cherry bakewell blondies, leave a comment below and I’ll try to help where I can.
Alternatively, you can get in touch via my Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest – I’d love to hear from you!
♻️ Variations
Flavour options
This recipe calls for cherry jam (or jelly, preserves, conserve or spread) swirled into the blondie mix. I usually use black cherry jam or morello cherry jam for this as it’s beautifully sweet.
Instead, why not try a red cherry jam or even a yellow cherry version for your jam layer. These will give a tart edge to your blondies.
Toppings
I like to decorate these blondies with flaked almonds and a drizzle of simple icing. The icing is the type you often find on a Bakewell tart, so I love incorporating this element.
However, you can instead top your cooled blondies with a drizzle of melted white chocolate.
Alternatively, you can leave them plain as the jam swirls look quite pretty!
Gluten-free option
To make gluten-free bakewell blondies, you’ll need to swap the plain flour for gluten-free flour. I recommend using a gluten-free plain flour blend, such as King Arthur's measure for measure flour or Freee from Doves Farm.
Dairy-free option
For dairy-free bakewell blondies, replace the butter in the recipe for a solid dairy-free baking block. You should also either swap the white chocolate chips for a dairy-free version or remove them from the recipe.
🧁 Other goodies
Looking for some other goodies to make?
If you’re a big fan of gooey delicious blondies, you might enjoy some of my other great blondie recipes (I hope)! Take a look these white chocolate biscoff stuffed blondies or adorable mini jammie dodger blondies.
For all things Bakewell (i.e. berry and almond flavoured), check out my recipes for Bakewell cookie bars, Bakewell shortbread slices or Bakewell 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?
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📋 Recipe
Double Cherry Bakewell Blondies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 115 g (½ cups) unsalted butter
- 100 g (½ cups) caster sugar (white sugar)
- 75 g (⅓ cups) light brown sugar (soft / packed)
- 1 egg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 50 g (½ cups) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 90 g (¾ cups) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) cornflour ** (sometimes called cornstarch, e.g. in the US)
- 75 g (½ cups) white chocolate chips
- 75 g (½ cups) glace cherries (chopped or halves, called candied cherries)
- 75 g (4 tablespoon) cherry jam
- 15 g (1 ½ tablespoon) flaked almonds (optional)
- 50 g (½ cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
- Melt the butter for 30-50secs in the microwave and beat in the sugar until smooth and thick.
- Thoroughly beat in the egg, almond extract and salt (if using) until well combined.
- Add the ground almonds, then sieve in the flour and cornflour, stirring in until combined.
- Stir in the glace cherries and white chocolate chips until spread evenly throughout the mix.
- Pour the blondie mix into a lined 8-inch square pan*, smoothing out gently. Using a teaspoon, dollop the jam on top, spacing the blobs out. Gently swirl them through the blondie mix with a knife or skewer.
- Bake for 25-30mins until the top is lightly golden and has only a slight wobble in the middle.
- Sprinkle almond flakes on top and allow your blondies to cool.
- If using, in a small bowl mix the icing sugar with 2-3tsp of warm water until you get a smooth icing. Drizzle this over your cooled blondie then cut into squares and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
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Helen Gander-Jones
This is now one of my favourite recipes. I just need to perfect the cooking time, I think I took them out a little too early this time.
Sweet Mouth Joy
Thanks, glad you like the recipe! I like to give mine a little shake once they're golden and when there's only a slight wobble in the middle, that's when I take them out. If they're a little underdone, keep them in the fridge and they'll firm up slightly but still be nicely chewy!