FESTIVE GINGER FUDGE BLONDIES

“The recipe for these wonderfully chewy festive blondies is based on one my friend Alida Ryder gave to me. Initially I thought that it would be a bit cheeky to tweak it but seriously, the addition of crystallised ginger and mixed spice for the Christmas version is a genius idea. It somehow seems to cut the sweetness.”

Makes 40

EASY

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 15–20 minutes Cooking: 25–30 minutes

butter 200 g, melted brown sugar 500 g large free-range eggs 4 vanilla extract 1½ t flour 500 g baking powder 1T salt 1t mixed spice 1½ t fudge 165 g, broken into small pieces (I use the artisanal one from Woolies) crystallised ginger 50 g, cut into tiny pieces

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 35 x 23 cm baking dish with greaseproof paper. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

2 Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and mixed spice into a separate bowl. With the mixer running, add the flour mixture a spoonful at a time until it’s all incorporated. Fold in the fudge and ginger. (A handy tip for this is to put all the bits of fudge and ginger in a bowl with a small amount of flour and smoosh it around so the flour prevents the bits from clumping together before mixing it into the batter.)

3 Transfer the batter to the baking dish and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool for 20–30 minutes before slicing and serving. WINE: Amarula Cream Ethiopian Coffee Liqueur