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I never thought frosted animal crackers could get any better, but I was so wrong! These gooey blondies have the flavor of birthday cake and are studded with white chocolate chips, nonpareils and of course frosted animal crackers.
Because this recipe uses melted butter, the ingredients can come together in a pinch with no need to wait for room temperature butter. You will need to chill your dough in the square pan before your blondies bake for the best texture, but otherwise it's a very low fuss recipe.
A key ingredient that brings out the birthday cake flavor is clear vanilla extract. While you can of course swap in classic vanilla extract for a deeper vanilla, the clear vanilla extract will provide that sweeter vanilla flavor reminiscent of a perfect buttercream frosting. And of course the mix-ins are key. In this recipe we'll use white chocolate chips, rainbow nonpareil sprinkles and frosted animal crackers (I used this brand). These not only add to the flavor but they add a lot of interesting textures too.
When I bake any bar or brownie recipe, I find I get the most consistent results when staying away from glass and ceramic pans as they absorb a lot of heat in the oven. I use this 9x9 OXO pan and have had great success. Any thinner, metal pan will work great.
Ingredients:
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 184g
2/3 cup light brown sugar 127g
1/2 cup granulated sugar 96g
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour 240g
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons nonpareil sprinkles
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup or about 21 frosted animal crackers 76g
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Chill time: 6-12 hours
Bake time: 25-28 minutes
Servings: 16 square blondies
Equipment:
9x9in square pan (or an 8x8 and increase the cook time a bit)
Spatula or large spoon (optional whisk)
Parchment paper
Heavy bottomed non stick pot
Cooking instructions:
Melt your butter in the microwave or carefully at a low heat on your stovetop. Add to a large bowl with your light brown sugar and granulated sugar and use a whisk, spatula or spoon to combine until smooth.
Next, add your clear vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk. Continue to mix until thickened and smooth.
Add your dry ingredients in, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and one tablespoon of your nonpareil sprinkles. Fold the dry ingredients in using your spatula or a large spoon until your dough is nearly formed and your sprinkles are evenly distributed.
Once you have a shaggy dough, add in your white chocolate chips and frosted animal crackers (I like to give these a rough chop just to halves or thirds). Continue to fold in your mix-ins until your dough forms and your chips and animal crackers are dispersed throughout.
Line a 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper and press your cookie dough down evenly into your pan, make sure to reach the corners. Sprinkle the top of your dough with the rest of your sprinkles (about half of a tablespoon) and completely optional, you can top your dough with some extra frosted animal crackers.
Cover your dough with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight (up to 12 hours).
Once your dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake your blondies for 25-28 minutes until lightly golden on the top but still soft.
Allow your bars to cool before slicing (about an hour) and enjoy!
They taste best shortly after baking and the day of, but will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a few days. You can always pop them into the microwave for 5-10 seconds to rewarm. You can also wrap the baked bars in plastic wrap and freeze to enjoy later.
Carb and serving info:
Servings: 16 blondie squares
Carbs per serving (1 of 16): 37
Carbs for full recipe: 598
Carbs from white chocolate chips: 102
Carbs from frosted animal crackers: 60
Carbs from the nonpareil sprinkles: 18
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.
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