Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)
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Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies
Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.
For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋
Cherry Blondies
Servings 9 slicesIngredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour ($0.28)
- ½ tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 large egg ($0.29)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.47)
- ½ tsp almond extract ($0.15)
- ½ cup cherry pie filling ($0.73*)
- 1½ sticks salted butter (cut into cubes, $1.48)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.19)
- 1 cup brown sugar ($0.91)
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips ($0.42)
- ¼ cup slivered almonds ($0.87)
Instructions
- Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
- Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
- Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
- Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
- Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
- Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
- Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
- Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.
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Equipment
- 8×8” Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
- 3 Mixing Bowls
- Sauce Pan
- Hand Mixer
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.
Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.
Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.
When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.
Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.
Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.
Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.
Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.
Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!
Tips for Browning Butter
I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.
It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):
- Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
- Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
- It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
- Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.
You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.
More Recipe Success Tips
- Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
- Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
- Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.
Storage Instructions
Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
I grow tart cherries; should I dust the fresh cherries with cornstarch if I’m not using canned ones?
I grew up with cherry trees, and although I still own that orchard, lightning killed the cherry trees–so jealous! Of course we always had to pick fast to save any from the orioles, cedar waxwings, bluebirds and more.
That sounds dreamy though!!
I don’t think that will be necessary! If you pat them dry after pitting them they should be ok. Maybe just a little juicy in spots like fresh blueberries in a blueberry muffin?! Let us know if you try it and what worked for you! I would have loved to use fresh cherries but it would have been too expensive for this one. (SO jealous of your cherry orchard!!)
it’s a backyard orchard of two trees that produce a lot of cherries for the two of us. We share the tops of the trees with the birds.