jadesfood
This peanut butter blondie has chocolate chunks and chunky chopped peanuts as I used chunky peanut butter BUT it has one more unusual ingredient which is miso. What? miso in a blondie? Yes, I assume you know that salt enhances and deepens any flavours, even sweet food. Miso has lots of umami which is created by a long fermentation, so it pulls out much more flavour than salt does. You will be surprised how miso is versatile.
What is blondie?
Blondie is sort of a cousin of a brownie but without cocoa powder and chocolate. It is usually made with plain flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and baking powder which I don’t normally use in my blondies or brownies as I don’t want them to be caky. Blondies often have nuts and chocolate in them and taste like butterscotch but fudgy in texture just like brownies.
What is Miso?
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning paste produced by fermenting soybeans, salt, rice, or barley. It is one of the most staple seasonings in Japanese cuisine because it’s really versatile. We use it pretty much every day in everything such as miso soup, dip for vegetables, marinade for meat or fish, and even in Japanese sweets. Also, miso is highly beneficial to health. The saltiness of miso doesn’t affect blood pressure as much as other salty seasoning does.
You might be thinking miso is the same flavour as soy sauce in a different form but actually, they are so different! If you’re assuming that you can use miso and soy sauce interchangeably, please do not do that!
What kind of Miso is best for the recipe?
Nowadays, you can find a different kinds of miso in ordinary grocery stores in lots of contries. The most common miso which is called awase miso in Jpanese is best for the recipe. You don’t need to look for a particular type of miso in Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients You will Need
Butter – Unsalted butter is best for this recipe because miso is quite salty.
Light Brown Sugar – Brown sugar has caramely flavour you want but you can use white sugar if you want.
Free-Range Eggs – If you are using small eggs, use 3 eggs.
Peanut Butter – I like to use chunky peanut butter but smooth one works perfectly.
Miso – “Awase miso” is the best for the recipe. If you have only shiro miso, add more 1/2 tbsp of miso to the batter.
Plain Flour – Any plain flour is fine.
Vanilla Extract – This is optional.
Dark Chocolate – If you don’t like dark chocolate, use milk chocolate or even white chocolate.
Step-by-Step Guide
1 Preheat the oven to 160C(320F). Line a 20cm/8in square cake tin with parchment paper.
2 Put butter saucepan over medium-low heat. Continue swirling the butter over the heat until it becomes light brown. Once it is brown and smells nutty, remove it from the heat.
3 In a bowl, beat the sugar and melted butter together, then add peanut butter, miso, and eggs while whisking. Add the flour and vanilla extract to the bowl, and combine them using a spatula.
4 Add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate and mix it with the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and level it out with the spatula. Scatter the remaining chocolate chunks evenly on top.
5 Bake the blondie in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges become golden brown but a little bit jiggly in the center when you shake the cake tin. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
Tips & Tricks
Burn your butter!
Burnt butter a.k.a brown butter is nutty in flavour, adding deepness and extra richness to your blondie.
Do not overbake your blondie
To get the maximum fudginess, bake your blondie until the edges are golden brown but a little bit jiggly in the centre when you shake the cake tin.
Chill your blondie as long as possible
Chill your baked blondie ideally overnight to mature the blondie and make it fudgier.
Q & A
Can I make the blondie vegan?
Yes, You can make your blondie vegan by using egg replacer and vegan butter or oil.
How long does the blondie last?
This blondie lasts for about 1 week in the fridge and 2-3 days at room temperature. Please make sure to put it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying.
Can I freeze the blondie?
Yes, you can freeze the blondie perfectly in the freezer for up to 1 month. Put it in freezer bags and seal it tightly so that it won’t get freezer burn.
How can I reheat the blondie?
Yes, just microwave it for about 30 seconds or put it in the oven preheated at 140C for 5-10 minutes.
More Miso Recipes
Vegan Deep Fried Tofu with Sweet Miso Sauce and Peanuts (Miso Peanut Karaage)
Potato Tempura With Sweet Miso Sauce
Miso and Peanut Butter Blondie with Chocolate Chunks
Equipment
- 1 Square Cake Tin (8 x 8 inch)
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula
- some Parchment Paper
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 160 g Butter unsalted
- 260 g Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Free-Range Eggs
- 200 g Peanut Butter I used chunky one
- 1 tbsp Miso
- 200 Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract optional
- 200 g Dark Chocolate cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C(320F). Line a 20cm/8in square cake tin with parchment paper.
- Put butter saucepan over medium-low heat. Continue swirling the butter over the heat until it becomes light brown. Once it is brown and smells nutty, remove it from the heat.
- In a bowl, beat the sugar and melted butter together, then add peanut butter, miso, and eggs while whisking. Add the flour and vanilla extract to the bowl, and combine them using a spatula.
- Add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate and mix it with the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and level it out with the spatula. Scatter the remaining chocolate chunks evenly on top.
- Bake the blondie in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges become golden brown but a little bit jiggly in the center when you shake the cake tin. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
- Once it has been cooled down, chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight to get the fudgy texture. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- You can add anything you want such as nuts, candies, other types of chocolate, and dried fruit.
- You can use salt instead of miso to get the saltiness you want in your blondie. Just use 1/4 tsp of salt in place of miso.
- The blondie is the fudgiest when it’s chilled, but is also great when warmed up in the oven and has some ice cream on top.
- If you want your blondie cakier, bake it longer or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
