Salty Cashew Blondies

Claire Saffitz shares her recipe for Salty Cashew Blondies from her book What’s for Dessert. Raw cashews are pretty boring, Saffitz says but when thoroughly salted and roasted, they turn into a totally addictive snack. It’s the richness and savouriness of salted roasted cashews that makes them a great addition to blondies, a type of bar cookie that’s typically quite sweet. ‘‘I double-roast the cashews and coat them in toffee to add a salty crunch to my straightforward blondie base.’’ The variety of textures and nutty-butterscotch-y flavours made these a fan favourite during the testing phase.

Makes 16

Difficulty 2 (easy)

Active time 30min

Total time 1 hour 15

Special equipment 8 × 8-inch baking pan

Ingredients

Melted butter for the pan

1½ cups salted roasted cashews (170g)

14 Tbsp unsalted butter (198g), divided

1¼ cups packed light brown sugar (275g), divided

2 large eggs (100g), cold from the refrigerator

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour ( 135g)

1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt Flaky sea salt (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Arrange an oven rack in the centre position and preheat the oven to 350degF (180degC). Line an 8 × 8-inch baking pan, preferably metal, with foil, pressing it into the corners and smoothing it across the bottom and up the sides. Brush the bottom and sides of the foil with a thin layer of melted butter and set the pan aside.

Optional Upgrade: If your salted roasted cashews are on the paler side, toast them to further develop the flavour. Place the nuts on a sheet pan and toast until they’re deep golden brown and fragrant, 7-10 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let them cool completely.

Chop the cashews: Place the cashews on a cutting board and chop until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea. Set aside.

Make the toffee-covered cashews: Line a small sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment and set it next to the stove. Combine 4 Tbsp (57g) of the butter, ¼ cup (55g) of the brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp (28g) water in a medium saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring with a heatproof flexible spatula to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the chopped cashews and cook, stirring constantly, until the nuts are completely coated and there’s no liquid toffee oozing across the bottom of the saucepan — about 5 minutes.

Potential Pitfall: If the toffee mixture heats too quickly or isn’t stirred constantly, the butter may separate out and pool in the saucepan. If this happens, remove the saucepan from the heat, add 1 Tbsp of water, and stir vigorously to dissolve some of the toffee and bring the mixture back together. Return the saucepan to the heat and continue to cook.

Cool the toffee cashews: Scrape the cashew mixture out on to the prepared sheet pan and spread it into a thin slab with the spatula, then set aside to cool. Return the saucepan to the stove (no need to wash it).

Make the batter: Add the remaining 10 Tbsp (142g) butter to the reserved saucepan and melt it over low heat. Scrape the melted butter into a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup (220g) brown sugar and whisk vigorously until the mixture is smooth, thick, and satiny, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition, then continue to whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and slightly pale, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the vanilla, then add the flour and kosher salt and whisk vigorously until the batter is very smooth and thick, about 30 seconds.