Dark Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

These vanilla blondies are wonderfully dense and chewy with plenty of dark chocolate and dried cranberries, plus a hint of fresh orange zest. They’re made from Kristin Hoffman’s Master Blondie recipe found in her cookbook Baker Bettie’s Better Baking Cookbook

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (150g) light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) kosher salt
• 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (130g) bittersweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
• 3/4 cup (105g) dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Prep: At least 30 minutes before baking, take the eggs out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Position an oven rack in the center position. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan or 9-inch (23 cm) round pan with parchment paper or grease with non-stick spray.
2. Blondies: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and orange zest and whisk until well incorporated, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour to the mixing bowl and use a silicone spatula or mixing spoon to stir together until well combined. Stir for about 30 seconds to purposely develop a little bit of gluten, which will give your blondies more chewiness. Fold in the chocolate and dried cranberries.
4. Transfer the mixture into your prepared pan and spread evenly.
5. Bake for 28-33 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing into squares. Since I use a cake pan, I slice into 12 wedges.
7. Store leftover blondies at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days.