Hello folks…

Now and again when the season or the timing is right…. I reach back into my archives for old recipes and posts to see what we can bring forward again as I know our audience has grown and social media has changed the landscape of how, when and where we reach our audience… our readers… you.

Well… this is the VERY FIRST recipe I posted… after assuming the role as Food Service Director here at Camp… from our snail mailed Camp newsletter we lovingly called “The Smoke Signal”. The Smoke Signal does not exist in it’s old format anymore. It was a 4 page gatefold newsletter printed on tan paper with green and/or black ink that was then tri-folded, sealed, labeled, stamped and delivered to your door the “old fashioned” way.

Now we use an e-newsletter format sent directly to your email inbox (sign up for it at www.ycamp.org if you haven’t already). That e-newsletter contains all sorts of great news, updates, information, stories and history of this great Camp. We also use other forms of social media to reach various audiences with slightly varying… and sometimes “exclusive” content. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter along with this very Blog and our e-newsletter to keep up on everything going on at Camp in the past, present and the future!!

So… since this recipe was mailed out back in the “Fall 2006” edition of the quarterly paper newsletter… and since it’s still one of my favorites… I thought it was time to bring it back for our newer friends of Camp to enjoy.

Without further ado… my recipe for Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Blondies (minus all the very dated preamble that was included in the original Smoke Signal article)…

(makes 9 large or 16 small squares)

9 tablespoons (1 1/8 sticks) unsalted butter (plus a bit to butter the pan)

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup sliced almonds (toasted)

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 pint fresh raspberries

Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 X 8 inch with parchment paper and butter the paper lining.
  2. In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
  5. Add flour to mixture and mix on low speed until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  6. Mix ½ cup of the almonds and ½ cup of the white chocolate chips into the batter.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into pan evenly with a rubber spatula.
  8. Scatter raspberries and remaining almonds and white chocolate chips on top of the batter.
  9. Bake in preheated oven until knife or cake tester comes out clean (approx 55 to 60 minutes).
  10. Let them cool before dusting them with confectioners’ sugar and cutting into squares.

Be good…

Chef Jason