These fudgy bakewell blondies swirl frangipane and raspberry jam into a tender blondie. They’re as if you combined blondies and a bakewell tart, or blondies and an almond raspberry croissant.
These fudgy bakewell blondies are a riff on one of the most popular recipes on the site — frangipane blondies. Frangipane blondies take frangipane, which is the gooey inside of an almond croissant (and also used in a lot of other great desserts!) and swirl it into a tender blondie batter. And when I shared the recipe almost a year ago, some of you commented suggesting making a blondie inspired by another frangipane-based dessert: the classic bakewell tart. And it sounded freaking amazing.
If you’ve never heard of a bakewell tart before, it’s a British dessert that has a buttery shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam and frangipane on top. It’s been around in England since the 1900s, but has become more popular in the US thanks to the Great British Baking Show.
SO these bakewell blondies take a tender blondie base and swirl it with frangipane and raspberry jam on top of the blondies. They’re an almond-packed, gooey blondie, with the perfect fruity, slightly tart balance from the raspberry jam. If you’ve never had a bakewell tart before, think of these blondies as a combination of an almond raspberry croissant and blondies — so good.
This post is all about fudgy, gooey bakewell blondies.
Bakewell Blondies
What are blondies? Aren’t they the same as a cookie bar?
For a long time, I didn’t really get blondies. Weren’t they just a cookie bar? And why would anyone want a blondie when they could have a brownie or a cookie? Luckily I now have a full appreciation for blondies and think they are one of the most underrated desserts.
A blondie is basically the vanilla version of a brownie. It has the soft and gooey texture of a brownie and is satisfyingly rich and buttery. But instead of being all about chocolate like a brownie, it has the warm nostalgia of vanilla. And bakewell blondies are blondies with swirls of frangipane (which is the creamy filling in an almond croissant) and raspberry jam. Absolute. Freaking. Dream.
We’ve had quite a few blondies recipes go viral that you all have loved — birthday cake blondies, almond frangipane blondies, brown butter blondies and maple miso brown butter blondies. SO if you have more blondies requests, shoot me a DM or comment on this post. I’d love to make them!
How to make bakewell blondies
To make bakewell blondies, you’ll make a small batch of frangipane and an easy blondie batter in separate bowls. You layer the blondie batter in a greased or parchment-lined baking tin, spread the frangipane on top and swirl it into the blondie batter. Next you’ll dot the top of the frangipane with raspberry jam and give those a few swirls, too. Then you’ll sprinkle some sliced almonds and bake until the center is set and starting to turn golden brown.
When baked, the bakewell blondie’s layers meld together a little, so you get the fudgy blondie, the creamy almond frangipane and a juicy, slightly tart bite from the raspberry jam.
Once the blondies cool, top them with just a little powdered sugar for a bakery flair if you want. You can eat them warm, but I find they’re even more fudgy and delicious at room temperature. These bakewell blondies taste out of this world.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter (if you only have salted butter, don’t add any salt to the frangipane and only add a 1/2 tsp salt to the blondie batter)
- Granulated / white sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt or another coarse salt (if you only have fine table salt, reduce salt in the blondie batter to scant 3/4 tsp)
- All purpose flour (you can easily sub in gluten free flour! I love Cup4Cup.)
- Almond flour (sometimes called ground almonds or almond meal — you can also make it at home by pulsing almonds in a food processor)
- Raspberry jam (raspberry or cherry are the traditional bakewell jams, but cherry can be hard to find)
- Sliced almonds or flaked almonds to top (optional but recommended)
- Powdered sugar / icing sugar to top (optional but recommended)
Tips for the best bakewell blondies
- When making frangipane, make sure your butter is soft. If it’s not soft, you’ll have a harder time creaming it with the sugar. You can soften cold butter in a pinch by microwaving it on defrost for 12 seconds, turning over the butter every three seconds. Or you can stick it in your waistband and rotate every few minutes (a great hack I got from Broma Bakery!)
- When making the blondie batter, make sure your melted butter has cooled before you add it to the brown sugar. If the butter is too hot, it will melt and dissolve the brown sugar.
- Don’t over-mix your flour. Once you’ve added the all purpose flour to the batter, fold it in until just combined. Over-mixing will develop the gluten in the flour, making your blondies more tough.
- Pull the bakewell blondies from the oven at the right time. You want the blondies to have a set center that doesn’t jiggle when you move the pan. The top may be golden brown or just starting to get golden brown, and the edges will be nice and brown. Since these blondies have frangipane in them, they’ll be nice and fudgy even if you overbake them a little, but don’t go too far or they’ll start to get dry.
- Eat these blondies at room temperature. I always eat one blondie when they’re still warm from the oven, but they’re more flavorful and fudgy at room temperature. I actually find they’re even better on day 2, if they last that long!
Check out more delicious recipes from loaves & such
- If you’re obsessed with frangipane, try frangipane blondies or frangipane brownies.
- If you’re looking for more blondies recipes, check out birthday cake blondies, almond frangipane blondies, brown butter blondies and maple miso brown butter blondies.
- If you now want something chocolatey, try the silky chocolate orange tart, the best salty fudgy brownies, or deep dish Nutella stuffed skillet cookie.
If you make these bakewell blondies, please leave a rating and review below. Follow along and for new recipes on Instagram or TikTok at @loaves.and.such! Happy baking!
Fudgy Bakewell Blondies Recipe
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minutesThese fudgy bakewell blondies swirl frangipane and raspberry jam into a tender blondie. They’re as if you combined blondies and a bakewell tart, or blondies and an almond raspberry croissant.
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Ingredients
- For the Frangipane
4 TBS. (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2/3 cup (66 grams) almond flour
Pinch of salt
- For the Blondies
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/4 cup (265 grams) light brown sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/2 TBS. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Scant 1 tsp. kosher salt or another coarse salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cup (150 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) almond flour
Scant 1/4 cup raspberry or cherry jam
1/4 cup sliced almonds or flaked almonds to top (recommended, but optional)
Powdered sugar / icing sugar to top (recommended, but optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 square tin with parchment paper (or grease with spray or butter). Spread the blondie batter onto the bottom of the pan.
- First, make the frangipane. Add the softened butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. Cream together with a fork until pale in color, two to three minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix. Add the almond flour and salt and stir to bring together into a paste. - Now, we’ll make the blondie batter. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and melted butter and whisk until they’re fully combined. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder and salt.
Fold in the flour and almond flour until the batter is just pulled together. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so no dry ingredients are left out. - Spread the frangipane in an even layer on top (an offset spatula is helpful with this). Using a butter knife, run four lines in one direction, rotate the pan and run four lines in the other direction, so you get a grid pattern. Bring up a little batter as you go to slightly combine the layers.
Dot circles of jam around the pan evenly. Using the knife, spread the circles out a little, and then run four lines in one direction across the pan to give them a final pretty pattern. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the blondies if you’re using them. - Bake for 40-50 minutes until the center is set and doesn’t jiggle when you move the pan. The top should be golden brown or starting to turn golden brown, and the edges should be dark and caramelized.
- Let cool, then top with powdered sugar if you’d like (I do just a little so they’re not too sweet) and slice. I love these fresh from the oven, but think they’re even more fudgy and delicious when they’ve cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for two days and then stick in the fridge for five more days (if they even last that long!).
Equipment
