Hot Cross Blondes

Hot cross blondes!
Hot cross blondes!
One a penny, two a penny... wait a minute, A PENNY? These are far more valuable than that!

Ahem...

Hot cross blondes!
Hot cross blondes!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons... Give them away? GIVE THEM AWAY!?!!! Are you joking?!!!

Hot cross blondes!

Prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: 35-40 Mins
175g White Chocolate (Broken into small squares)
150g Unsalted Butter (Cubed)
175g Light Muscovado Sugar
100g Ground Almonds
50g Self Raising Flour
1/2tsp Vanilla Paste (or 1tsp Vanilla Extract)
1tsp Almond Extract
2 Large Eggs and 1 Yolk
25g Dark Chocolate (Melted)

To the kitchen! Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, grease a 20cm square baking tin and line with baking paper. Melt together the white chocolate and butter, either over a bain-marie or in the microwave (if you are confident in your timings), then set to one side to cool slightly for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the muscovado sugar and flour, then add the melted chocolate and butter, followed by the vanilla paste and almond extract. Give it all a brief mix, then add the eggs and mix with vigour until you are left with a smooth consistent batter. Pour into your prepared tin and even to the edges.

Drizzle the dark chocolate in lines over the top of the mixture, so you will be left with crosses when the blondes are cut. You can be accurate and precise with this, but in all honestly I am rather cavalier when completing this task myself. Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake for around 35-40 minutes, until risen and golden brown. When you are happy the blondes are baked remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin, before placing in the fridge for an hour. I do this prior to the chopping as these blondes are VERY fudgy, so chilling them makes it much easier when it comes to the slicing.

Speaking of which, carefully remove the baked blonde mixture first from the fridge and then from the tin, peeling off the baking paper as you go. Slice into squares (or whatever shape you fancy) and you have finished. Huzzah!