Go Back
Print Recipe

Blackberry and Cream Cheese Blondies

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time32 minutes
Total Time1 hour 2 minutes
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.