Nutella & Cream Cheese Swirled Blondie Recipe For A Surprise Baby Shower

Nutella & Cream Cheese Swirled Blondie Recipe For A Surprise Baby Shower

There is nothing more exciting than welcoming the arrival of a little one to the world. Of course, the birth of every baby boy or girl is special, but there’s a certain glow that envelops couples who are about to have their first child. That must be because sleep deprivation hasn’t yet set in. Seriously, I am thrilled to contribute these Nutella & Cream Cheese Swirled Blondies to this virtual baby shower, spearheaded by Marla and Lisa and packed with treats and crafts from a whole host of creative bloggers (scroll down for the links). And who is the baby shower for? It’s for Maria and Josh of Two Peas and Their Pod, who will be introducing us to their little boy in a couple of weeks (unless that little pea decides to pop out his pod early – sorry, Maria. Bad analogy.)

These bars started with a basic blondie recipe from one of my favorite baking cookbooks, America’s Test Kitchen: Family Baking Book. I left in some of the white chocolate chips from the original recipe, which add a caramel flavor to the baked bars. From there, I whipped together a mixture of Nutella and cream cheese, and dolloped this over top with my trusty cookie dough scoop. With a simple swirl of a butter knife, the mixture was ready for a quick turn in the oven.

The result – some of the most tender blondies I’ve tried, with a subtle taste of Nutella. These would be a huge hit at any baby shower, birthday party or backyard barbecue. Just be sure to save a few to tuck into the kids’ lunch boxes the next day. They’ll thank you for it.

Congratulations, Maria and Josh. I can’t wait to meet your little guy!

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan with foil, with foil edges hanging over the side. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture until just combined. Add white chocolate chips and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, Nutella and egg yolk until completely combined.

Transfer blondie mixture to prepared pan and spread evenly. Drop the Nutella mixture by tablespoonfuls over the blondie mixture. Using a butter knife, swirl in the Nutella mixture.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, 25 to 28 minutes. When testing, be sure to insert the toothpick into a section with blondie, rather than Nutella. Cool the blondies, in the pan, on a wire rack until completely cool, about 2 hours. Holding the overhanging foil, lift out the blondies. Cut into squares and serve.

Be sure to stop by to see the other wonderful posts for the virtual baby shower:

Drinks

Simple Bites – Lemon Balm infused Lemonade

Ingredients, Inc. – Healthy Fruit Punch

Food for My Family – Lemongrass Soda

Heather’s Dish – Mixed Fruit Punch

She Wears Many Hats – Mini Pistachio Smoothies

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan with foil, with foil edges hanging over the side. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture until just combined. Add white chocolate chips and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, Nutella and egg yolk until completely combined.

Transfer blondie mixture to prepared pan and spread evenly. Drop the Nutella mixture by tablespoonfuls over the blondie mixture. Using a butter knife, swirl in the Nutella mixture.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, 25 to 28 minutes. When testing, be sure to insert the toothpick into a section with blondie, rather than Nutella.

Cool the blondies, in the pan, on a wire rack until completely cool, about 2 hours. Holding the overhanging foil, lift out the blondies. Cut into squares and serve.

2.0

bars,

blondies,

brownies,

chocolate,

cream cheese,

hazelnut,

Nutella