Chai Spice Blondies with Toasted Rye
I have to admit that I never really gave much thought to flour for most of my life. Anything with the label of “flour” was interchangeable to me. That is until I tried to bake with coconut flour interchangeably. It was a colossal fail. And then I learned that whole wheat flour could make things heavy and dense, and that almond flour was a lot like coconut flour, and not easily used interchangeably. Since then, I discovered sourdough, which is when I found the real value of using high-quality flour. A good bread flour, like this Organic High Mountain flour, could take the bread from a flat, dense mess to a great oven spring light and almost creamy bread. Knowing what I know now, I always try to use organic when possible, and after using Central Milling flour, always Central Milling.
Central Milling is one of the oldest continuously operating flour mills in the country - dating back over 150 years to the pioneer days when flour was an essential staple of daily life. Today they are the largest miller of Organic flour in the country. Only the highest quality grains are selected for products that have been designed, milled & tested by professional bakers – all to ensure exceptional baking performance. Central Milling is 100% employee-owned and operated, which means their employees are personally invested in their products' quality and relationships with their customers.
The flavor of flour that you know is freshly milled cannot be faked and elevates every dish it finds its way into. I was personally impressed by the desire of Central Milling to expose the versatility of whole grains, and I found an entirely new depth of flavor and versatility by using Organic Whole Dark Rye Flour and toasting it. These blondies actually look a lot like brownies because of the toasted rye and brown sugar but taste a lot more reminiscent of a gingersnap.
Toasted Rye Chai Spice Blondies
Ingredients
I cup Organic Whole Dark Rye Flour
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp chai spice + ½ tsp for sugar topping
Pinch of salt
4 tsp white sugar
Optional:
¼ cup white chocolate chips for white chocolate drizzle
Directions:
In a pan over medium to medium-low heat, toast the Organic Whole Dark Rye Flour. You want to keep the flour moving so that it doesn’t burn. It will smell a bit like popcorn as it is toasting. It should take about 5 minutes. Remove the flour from the hot pan. Let the toasted flour cool.
Preheat your oven to 350º and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and chai spice.
Add in the egg and vanilla and mix.
Stir in the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
Spread mixture evenly into the 8x8 pan.
Combine the white sugar and remaining ½ tsp chai spice and sprinkle evenly over the top.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, and a tester comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Melt the white chocolate chips and, using a spoon, drizzle on top of the blondies.
Make your own chai spice
(Recipe adapted from Bake From Scratch)
Ingredients
3 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cloves
½ tbsp ground cardamom
½ tbsp ground white pepper
Directions
Measure all ingredients into a small jar. Shake it up to mix, and store for up to 2 months.
CHAI SPICE BLONDIES WITH TOASTED RYE
Ingredients
- 1 cup Organic Whole Dark Rye Flour
- ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp chai spice + ½ tsp for sugar topping
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tsp white sugar
- OPTIONAL:
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips for white chocolate drizzle
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground cloves
- ½ tbsp ground cardamom
- ½ tbsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- In a pan over medium to medium-low heat, toast the Organic Whole Dark Rye Flour. You want to keep the flour moving so that it doesn’t burn. It will smell a bit like popcorn as it is toasting. It should take about 5 minutes. Remove the flour from the hot pan. Let the toasted flour cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350º and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and chai spice.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix.
- Stir in the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
- Spread mixture evenly into the 8x8 pan.
- Combine the white sugar and remaining ½ tsp chai spice and sprinkle evenly over the top.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, and a tester comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate chips and, using a spoon, drizzle on top of the blondies.
- Measure all ingredients into a small jar. Shake it up to mix, and store for up to 2 months.