Rhubarb – the vegetable of the season!
Rhubarb is such a weird vegetable to me. It looks like celery but tastes completely unique, and is the most delicious addition to any baked good. It also grows like crazy in gardens, at least across the UK and Denmark, and I’m sure in many other places as well. But somehow I always have to trek to the one supermarket in my area that has it. It’s elusive but also so common, sour but added to sweet cakes and pastries, used like a fruit but it’s a vegetable. Make it make sense! Despite these contradictions, it’s a favorite of ours in May and June when it’s in season because it brings such a distinct flavor to baked goods that reminds us of summers growing up in the Danish countryside.
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Today’s recipe – rhubarb and white chocolate blondies
Our inspo for this recipe goes to Sofia Nordgren of The Nordic Kitchen blog. I have her cookbook, The Nordic Baker*, which is a plant-based book with tons of recipes for Nordic baked goods and a lot of beautiful photos. It’s all about using seasonal ingredients and getting in touch with nature, which I love! The landscapes and greenery in her photos also bring me back to summers in Denmark. There’s an unmatched beauty in the Scandinavian countryside, even when it’s cloudy or raining, and her book puts that on display. I can highly recommend it, and you can order it on Amazon at the link below and follow her blog here: https://www.thenordickitchen.com/.
Not a unique recipe
Besides Sofia’s plant-based recipe for rhubarb blondies, there are also several other recipes out there, so this isn’t a unique idea by any means. However, we couldn’t resist coming up with our own version! These blondies are the perfect balance of cakey and chewy, with plenty of fresh rhubarb added. It’s easier than making a rhubarb compote, which some recipes call for, and it retains the nice sourness from the rhubarb. Then, we add white chocolate, because it’s the perfect sweet and milky companion to the sharp rhubarb. Plus, it adds a nice texture, melty when the blondies are warm and then firm and sweet when the blondies have cooled down.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make these, you’ll need pretty basic ingredients for the blondie batter: butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose or plain flour, and salt. Then, you’ll need the add-ins: white chocolate and chopped rhubarb. Feel free to use chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips – either type works. You can definitely use this as a basic blondie batter and add other ingredients if you like! I think dried cherries and dark chocolate would be a good combo, as would dried apricots and white chocolate. Are there any other blondie flavors you’d like to try? Let us know in the comments below.
How to make rhubarb and white chocolate blondies
Blondie batter is made similarly to chocolate chip cookie dough. Melt the butter and sugars together on the stove until everything is melted together. Let this cool until no longer hot and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk this together for a minute or two until slightly lightened in color, but you don’t want to whip too much air into the blondies. Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl and whisk to get rid of any lumps.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet, then add the chopped rhubarb and chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. Reserve a few of each to sprinkle on top. Pour this into a parchment-lined baking dish, sprinkle with the rhubarb and chocolate, and bake. Let the rhubarb and white chocolate blondies cool to room temperature before slicing (if you can resist). That’s what will give you the perfect blondie texture!
Other rhubarb recipes
Obsessed with rhubarb like us? Well, lucky for you, we’ve got a lot of rhubarb recipes to tide you over until rhubarb season ends. Try these out and let us know in the comments if there are any other rhubarb recipes you want to see here on the blog!
- Rabarberkage (Rhubarb Cake): A very simple sponge cake recipe with pieces of fresh rhubarb. As you eat it, you get lovely bursts of tangy and sour rhubarb throughout the sweet vanilla cake.
- Rabarberhorn (Rhubarb Crescent Pastries): These are such a tasty brunch treat, and actually a pastry you can find in many Danish bakeries because they’re so popular!
- Rabarbersnitter (Rhubarb Slices): If you’re looking for a rhubarb dessert that is as beautiful as it is delicious, this is the one to try. This is our rhubarb version of hindbærsnitter (raspberry slices).
- Rabarbertærte (Rhubarb Pie): The pie crust is beautifully flaky and buttery, the perfect contrast in texture and flavor to the soft and tangy rhubarb. Definitely one to try this summer!
- Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp: If you need a very simple dessert to throw together, whether it’s for a big group or just your immediate family, this is a great option.
Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies
Ingredients
- 200 grams unsalted butter
- 75 grams brown sugar
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 grams all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 250 grams chopped rhubarb
- 100 grams white chocolate (you can use white chocolate chips or a chopped up chocolate bar!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 355F (180C).
- Clean and chop rhubarb into small pieces. Set aside until ready to use.
- Line a rectangular baking dish with parchment paper (8" x 13", or you can use a square 10" x 10" pan).
- Melt the butter and the two types of sugar together in a small pot on the stove until it's just combined. Let it cool until it's no longer burning hot, about 15 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar, whisking vigorously to make sure the eggs don't scramble. Whisk together for about 2 more minutes.
- Combine dry ingredients – flour and salt – in a separate mixing bowl.
- Add dry ingredients into the wet, folding together with a spatula until there are no dry spots left.
- Set aside a small handful of rhubarb and white chocolate to sprinkle over the top, then fold the rest of the chopped rhubarb and white chocolate into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Add batter to pan, spreading evenly, then sprinkle over the reserved rhubarb and white chocolate.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes (this is a wide range because ovens can vary a lot – start checking them at 25 minutes) until the edges are golden brown and the middle is just set. You can check this by poking a knife into the center – if it comes out clean with no raw batter sticking to it, it's ready.
- Let cool to room temperature, then sprinkle with powdered sugar for optional decoration. Slice and enjoy!
