Rich, chewy and bursting with fresh blackberries! These blondies are a great way to enjoy the sweet, summery berries! I added tangy cream cheese to my blondie batter and marbled the top with a whole berry sauce. It’s a really simple recipe really impresses!

Here’s what you need for the blackberry topping:

Make the blackberry topping.

Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to stir for 10 to 15 minutes until the berries have broken down a bit and the sauce is reduced by about half.

Don’t try to reach a jammy consistency here.

It does need to be a bit loose in order to swirl properly in the thick blondie batter. Pour the sauce into a measuring cup and if it measures around 2/3 cup, it is ready. Let it cool completely.

Here’s what you need for the blondies:

Make the blondie batter.

Room temperature cream cheese is key to creating a smooth batter.

Cream the cream cheese and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, then the melted and cooled butter. Use a rubber spatula whenever you feel is necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Whisk together the dry ingredients then add them to batter and continue to mix until it just comes together. Don’t overmix.

Pour the batter into a prepared pan.

Have a 9 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray and the bottom lined with a square of parchment.

Pour the batter in the pan and use a rubber spatula to spread it out. It’s a thick batter and doesn’t spread as easily as a cake batter. You will need to use your spatula to actually push the batter from the center out. Be careful not to let the parchment at the bottom slide around. This takes a minute, so just be patient and take your time.

Spoon the cooled blackberry sauce all over the top of the blondie batter.

For best marbling, use a chopstick.

The blondie batter is very thick, so in order to get the sauce down into the bars, you need something wide enough to cut some small wells as you make your swirls. I have found that the small end of a chopstick is the perfect size for this. If you don’t have a chopstick, you could use the blunt end of a skewer or even a small birthday candle. Whatever you decide to use, swirl lots and lots of figure 8’s all over the batter.

Once you have made your swirls, use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to gently smooth over the top of the batter. This will help push the sauce into those wells you created and it will keep any bits of blackberries that would be sticking out from burning up.

Bake the blondies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 32 to 33 minutes. They will have a golden tinge around the edges when done.

Cool completely before cutting.

So important! I know that eating baked treats hot out of the oven can be the best thing ever, but these do need to set because they are quite thick. If you cut into these too soon, they will fall apart before they reach your mouth. If you want a lovely, chewy texture, let them cool to room temperature.

Lift the entire square onto a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into equal-sized squares. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 day. Beyond that I would recommend refrigerating them for up to week.

Other recipes to try:

Print Recipe

Blackberry and Cream Cheese Blondies

Prep Time30

Cook Time32

Total Time1 2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chewy, easy, fruity, seasonal, summer, sweet, vegetarian

Servings: 9 bars

Author: Christen Clark

Ingredients

For the blackberry filling:

12 ounces fresh blackberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

For the blondies:

1 cup full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour all purpose
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

Make the blackberry filling:

Add the berries, granulated sugar, salt, and lemon juice to a medium saucepan. Stir as you bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly. It will be sufficiently reduced when the finished sauce measures about 2/3 of a cup and is still a bit loose. Allow to cool completely.

Make the blondies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a square of parchment.
Whisk together the flour, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
Cream together the brown sugar and cream cheese in a stand mixer or with hand mixer. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl whenever needed while the batter is coming together. Add the melted butter and vanilla.
Finally add the dry ingredients in a couple additions and mix until it just comes together.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter out to the edges and corners. It is quite a thick batter, so be patient with it. Use the spatula to push from the middle outward.
Spoon the blackberry spread all over the top. If you have a chopstick, I find this is the best method for marbling the topping into the batter because it creates a thicker well. If you want to use a skewer, use the blunt round end instead of the pointy end. The blondie batter is very thick and you need to use something that will create little rivers all over the top for the filling to seep into.
Make "figure 8" type of swirls all over the blondies with your chopstick or skewer.
Finally, use the back of a spoon to smooth out the very top of the batter, pushing the berry filling into the swirled batter.
Bake in a preheated oven for 32-33 minutes. It will have a slight golden tinge around the edges. Allow them to cool completely in the pan. Resist the urge to cut into them right away because they will just fall apart.
Once cooled, use a spatula to hoist the whole thing onto a cutting board and cut into 9 bars or smaller bars if you prefer.