Mini caramel blondies in mini bundt pans

You can make mini blondies in Nordic Ware mini-bundlettes pans! This recipe for caramel blondies it's really delicious and you have a bite ready in a moment. Its buttery flavor and the aroma of brown sugar it’s delicious, and it’s a great way to present classic blondie bars but in a beautiful shape, thanks to the finish provided by the mold of Mini bundlettes by Nordic Ware.

If you're not familiar with the term, the Blondies are the blonde version of brownies, some bites that are somewhere between sponge cake and cookie, absolutely addictive. It is important to note that they must be made with brown sugar, because it is precisely that which gives them their characteristic toffee (caramel) flavor — if white sugar is used, they become brownies.

To make these blondies we use, well, brown sugar; however, we also give them an extra toffee flavor thanks to the caramel that we add to the dough.

They're a great option for breakfast, for a snack at school, or to serve at any celebration. Want to give it a try?

Ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups of brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 XL egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 ½ cups of pastry flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup caramel chips*
• Optional: icing

*For the caramel chips, chop up classic coffee-with-milk caramels (like the classic caramel and toffee ones from Nata de Torres). If not, you can also substitute chocolate chips—I promise they turn out delicious.

To make them caramel, you can also add a couple of tablespoons of Tiptree Salted Caramel to the mixture, thus replacing the chips, and you get some delicious blondies!

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C and prepare the mold Mini Bundt Braided with mold release spray. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the details of the mold.
2. Use the Kitchenaid robot with the paddle attachment to mix the melted butter and the brown sugar. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the egg and the egg yolk, mixing on low speed.
3. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix these dry ingredients, then add them to the Kitchenaid bowl, mixing well with the butter and sugar.
4. Add caramel chips, chocolate chips, or a few tablespoons of caramel sauce.
5. With the batter, fill each cavity of the Mini-Braided mold (only up to ¾ of its height, because they will rise as they bake). Gently tap the mold on a cloth on the countertop, giving a few taps to release the air trapped in the batter (after tapping, you’ll see some bubbles rise to the surface of the batter), and it also helps the batter settle well in the mold.
6. Bake for 18–20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven or until the edges are lightly golden and the Nordic Ware cake thermometer indique that they are made.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Then invert onto a rack to unmold (don’t wait more than 10 minutes to unmold so they come out properly).
8. Clean the mold, coat the cavities with spray, and repeat the baking time with the remaining batter.

For the final presentation:

• You can sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar, or you can melt in a bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan a few generous tablespoons of Tiptree Liquid Caramel, to brush some of the blondies (or all of them). Also with a light chocolate coating they will look good, brush them with dark chocolate melted in the microwave for a few seconds along with a little heavy cream, so it becomes glossier and smoother.
• Another alternative, if you want to make it sweeter, is to coat them with Dulce de Leche Havana, which you can mellow by heating it with a bit of butter or cream; and of course you always have the option of adding condensed milk for those with a sweet tooth.
• With the caramel center flavor of these blondies, a works very well vanilla glaze. To do so, simply combine 2 cups of sifted confectioners' sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter (cooled), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and
  3 or 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix everything and pour it generously and decadently over the blondies.

Notes:

• If you coat them with chocolate, caramel, condensed milk... or your favorite icing, you can still give them an extra touch, which is to sprinkle some on top chopped and caramelized hazelnuts, or coconut flakes, sliced hazelnuts, candied walnuts... They'll look pretty and suit them well.
• If you decide to add frosting on top or make a glaze, poke the blondies several times with a toothpick so the flavor seeps into each piece.
• It's better to serve them hot. If the Mini Blondies cool and harden, heat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and enjoy!