Blondie Sundaes Food

BLONDIE SUNDAES WITH FRIED WALNUTS AND CANDIED FENNEL

Steps:

• To make the blondies:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 13x9" baking dish with nonstick spray. Whisk buckwheat flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
• Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool slightly. Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisking constantly, add egg yolks one at a time followed by whole egg, beating after each addition to fully incorporate before adding more. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Scrape batter into prepared dish; smooth top.
• Bake blondies until lightly browned and center is firm when gently pressed, 15-20 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack and let cool. Cut into 16 bars.
• To make the sundaes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Let cool slightly; place in a heatproof jar or airtight container.
• Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly; then pour over walnuts. Seal jar and let sit at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Pour walnuts into a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean medium saucepan and let syrup drain into saucepan, tossing walnuts to shake off excess. Transfer walnuts to a medium bowl. Reserve sieve.
• Add sliced fennel and lemon zest to syrup; scrape in vanilla seeds and add pod. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is translucent and tender, 20-25 minutes. Discard pod; let fennel cool in syrup.
• Fit another medium saucepan with thermometer; pour in oil to come 2" up sides of pan. Heat oil over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°F. Add powdered sugar to walnuts and toss to coat. Place in reserved sieve and shake off excess sugar. Carefully add walnuts to oil and cook, turning with a spider or slotted spoon to prevent sticking, until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Break up any clumps.
• Scoop gelato into bowls. Top with ground cherries, blondies broken into large pieces, walnuts, candied fennel, and fennel fronds.
• Do Ahead
• Blondies can be made 2 days ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
• Walnuts can be fried 2 days ahead. Let cool; store airtight at room temperature. Fennel can be candied 2 days ahead. Let cool in syrup; transfer to an airtight container and chill.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat using a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract and eggs and beat again until fully combined. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until the mixture is just fully mixed. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

ALMOST-FAMOUS MAPLE-BUTTER BLONDIES

Steps:

• Make the blondies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.
• Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY BLONDIE SUNDAE

Steps:

• For the Blondie: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
• Stir together flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then remove from heat and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture, 1/2 cup peanuts, and 1/4 cup peanut butter chips.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan and scatter remaining 1/4 cup peanuts and peanut butter chips on top of the batter. Bake the blondies until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the Compote: Put grapes, sugar, grape juice, butter, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until thick enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon when dipped into it, about 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla and let cool to room temperature (it will continue to thicken as it cools.)
• Cut blondies into 9 squares and serve topped a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the grape compote.