Baileys pecan blondies

2 HOURS 15 MINUTES + COOLING MAKES 16 | EASY

In my family, Baileys is a Christmas drink, enjoyed at the end of the day when everyone is a little sleepy. This recipe would be perfect then too but would also suit a festive party or when the family drops round unannounced. This simple pecan blondie is topped with a caramelised white chocolate ganache and a few gilded pecans, because it’s Christmas and gold makes everything festive.

BAILEYS WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE white chocolate 250g, roughly chopped sea salt flakes a pinch double cream 100ml

Baileys 50ml pecans 150g, roughly chopped edible gold lustre powder Ω tsp PECAN BLONDIE eggs 3 large soft light brown sugar 400g unsalted butter 250g, melted and cooled, plus extra for the tin plain flour 300g vanilla extract 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp sea salt flakes 1/2 tsp dark chocolate (65-70% cocoa solids) 100g, roughly chopped pecans 100g, roughly chopped

• Heat the oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas Ω. Put the white chocolate onto a rimmed non-stick baking tray and bake for 1-11/2 hours or until a rich caramel colour. While baking, the chocolate needs to be stirred every 10-15 minutes to prevent it catching on the baking tray and burning. Make sure you give the chocolate a really good stir and scrape it off the bottom of the tray each time. The chocolate will go a little grainy during baking but will become smooth and creamy when stirred. Sprinkle with sea salt and pour onto a new baking-paper-lined tray to set.

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. For the blondies, butter and line a deep 20cm square cake tin. Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl, and whisk together using electric beaters for 3 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Mix in the melted butter. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together until just combined. Scrape the blondie batter into the prepared tin and spread into an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is starting to brown slightly and has just set. Remove from the oven and cool.

• To make the ganache, roughly chop the caramelised white chocolate and put into a bowl. Put the cream and Baileys into a small pan, and bring to a simmer. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and put aside for 1 minute before stirring together to form a smooth ganache. If it’s not fully dissolved give it a whizz with a hand blender. Pour this over the blondie and spread into an even layer. Before the ganache sets, put the pecans and edible gold powder into a small bowl and toss to evenly coat the pecans. Scatter the gold pecans over the ganache in an even layer. Chill until the ganache is set and the blondie has fully cooled, then cut into squares. These blondies will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container.

PER SERVING 570 KCALS | FAT 36.1G SATURATES 16G | CARBS 51.9G | SUGARS 36.8G FIBRE 2.2G | PROTEIN 7.1G | SALT 0.4G