Chewy brown sugar blondies loaded with Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle and Honey Roasted Vanilla Almonds and topped with a streusel crumble. Honey Roasted Chipotle Almond Blondies are the perfect blend of sweet and salty with a teensy bit of spice.
This content is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. I have been compensated, but all opinions, recipes, and photos are my own. I LOVE sharing products with you that work for me in my own kitchen, and working with brands I love helps keep the lights on.
Are you feeling a tiny bit confused right now? Maybe like I typed a word [CHIPOTLE] in the title that just didn’t quite belong, or maybe you think I’ve totally fallen off my dessert rocker.
But I have not. I am firmly planted on my rocker with a plate of these blondies plus ice cream, er… I mean… you get what I’m saying, right?
It goes like this: sweet and spice belong together.
I wrote some words about our mountain trip from last weekend, and all the delicious foods that came along with it. I forgot to tell you about this little chocolate shop that sells these sea salt caramels sprinkled with habanero sea salt. They are quite possibly the most complicated and delicious bites of candy that I have ever eaten. The first time I tried one I obsessed over it for months until we went back. The Habanero Chocolate Sea Salted Caramels have become a ritual (and a great gift idea! ahem).
So after that I was sold. Spicy + sweet belong together.
As soon as I had this can of Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds in my hand I knew what I’d do with them. The smoky chipotle flavor was begging for some brown sugar, the crunch of the almonds needed a little chewy buttery blondie action, and everything needs ice cream. #liferule
I also spent a decent amount of my recipe-testing time snacking on these babies.
There’s another new flavor, too! Honey Roasted Vanilla.
So you know I added those as well – you know, for good almond measure.
Probably my favorite part about playing around with (and sharing) these almonds though [besides the fact that I could not stop eating them], was the focus on bee health and research. Honey Bees pollinate 1/3 of the world’s food supply. They are important. And cute. I like to cook with and serve things I can feel good about.
Bonus points for feeling good about blondies. Ethical food = negative calories
All I did here really is use my favorite blondie recipe and tweak it just a tad. I stuffed the batter full of chopped Honey Vanilla AND Honey Chipotle Almonds. Then I topped them with a crumbley streusel with more chopped almonds. Served warm with a scoop of ice cream and more of the crumbly almond streusel on top and holy moly!
Spicy sweet dessert heaven. New favorite!!! Seriously.
- For the Blondies:
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle and Honey Roasted Vanilla Almonds
- For the Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- a pinch of ancho chili powder (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Vanilla and Chipotle Almonds
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 X 9 pan, line with parchment, and butter the parchment (you can skip the parchment but it makes lifting the blondies from the pan and slicing super easy!).
- Whisk together the brown sugar and [cooled] melted butter. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and whisk until fluffy and smooth.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until just combined. Stir in the almonds and spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- To make the streusel, cut the butter into the flour, granulated sugar, and optional ancho chili powder. When coarse crumbles have formed, add the chopped almonds and sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes; the top will appear shiny and cracked, and it will feel firm to the touch.
- Let the blondies cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector)
Saturday 30th of August 2014
I'm loving that Honey Vanilla flavor for baking!! That blondie looks so good!
Heather
Saturday 30th of August 2014
Thanks Jaren!!
Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling
Thursday 28th of August 2014
I adore blondies, Heather! This sweet & spicy twist sounds absolutely awesome....with that melting ice cream and chopped almonds on top.....SO delicious!
Heather
Thursday 28th of August 2014
Thanks Cathy! They are SO good. Kind of addictive.
Jenn @ Deliciously Sprinkled
Thursday 28th of August 2014
WOW, I love all the delicious nuts in these blondies!! All my favorite things in one delicious dessert! Pinned :)
Heather
Thursday 28th of August 2014
Thanks so much Jenn!
Choc Chip Uru
Thursday 28th of August 2014
Your blondes look absolutely addictive, I love honey roasted almonds!
Cheers Choc Chip Uru
Heather
Thursday 28th of August 2014
Awww thanks, Uru! (I love honey roasted everything!)
Beth @ The First Year
Wednesday 27th of August 2014
I totally get this flavor combination, my mouth is watering!!
Heather
Thursday 28th of August 2014
Thank you Beth!