Final installment of my trio of recipes using up seasonal ingredients. Having dealt with the mincemeat and chestnuts we’re moving on to something more obscure.
For some reason I always buy a pack of Boursin with Black Pepper at Christmas to be the soft cheese in my cheese selection. Seduced by the memory of that advert showing French people at a dinner table with the slogan “Du pain, du vin, du Boursin” no doubt.
I served these to some sceptical friends around Christmas. It’s not such a leap if you consider that dark chocolate with chilli is widely accepted as a great flavour combination.
Not only were the suspicious friends won over, but each of their husbands raved about these blondies too (my friends often get goodie boxes to take home with them these days). They are similar tasting to cheesecake with a subtle peppery hit afterwards.
Try them! You can have great fun getting your friends to guess what is in them. They will be flummoxed – and bowled over – I promise. If you cannot get Boursin you could use a log of soft cheese rolled in black pepper or just plain soft cheese with a little black pepper added to the batter.
Cream Cheese Blondies With Black Pepper Boursin
Makes 12
Servings: 12
Equipment
- 23cm square tin, 4cm deep
Ingredients
- 125 g white chocolate
- 125 g butter
- 2 large eggs
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 g plain flour
- pinch salt
- 150 g Boursin with Black Pepper or use plain soft cheese and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c / gas mark 4. Line the baking tins with butter and baking parchment.
- Melt the white chocolate and butter in a medium size saucepan. When almost melted, turn off the heat and leave aside to cool.
- Meanwhile beat the eggs in a bowl with the sugar and vanilla.
- Measure the flour and salt into a larger mixing bowl.
- Beat the eggs and sugar into the chocolate and butter mixture. Tip in the flour and salt and beat until smooth.
- Pour half of the mixture into the tin, coaxing it to the edge.
- With a table knife, dollop little nubs of the Boursin over the surface of the batter until you've used it all up.
- Pour the remaining blondie batter on top and spread across the surface evenly so that the cream cheese is covered. It may be scantly covered in places but it will be alright.
- Bake for around 20 minutes. The top should be paler and dry but the centre if you test with a cocktail stick still moist. You don't want the centre to dry out totally or you will have cake not blondies.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. They are easier to lift out when cold but warm ones taste delicious!
Notes
Inspired by Nigella Lawson's Cream Cheese Brownies.
Clever! And mmmmm, I love Boursin, although my weakness is the garlic & herb one. I use it to stuff chicken breasts – or on crackers 🙂
They sound great! Will definitely give these a go, thanks xo
Yummu….I've never really done the soft cheese cooking thing……… Can I have some please??