Cherry Blondies

These Cherry Blondies combine a rich, almond-flavored cookie base with a sweet swirl of cherry jam. They’re easy to make in under an hour, whether you’re a novice baker or pro.

So read on to learn all the tips and tricks to make this recipe. Or just grab your apron, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make cherry jam-swirled blondies!

a batch of cherry bakewell blondies on parchment with a hand reaching for one.
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Ingredients

cherry jam, sugar, flour, almond flour, butter, eggs, and almond liqueur on a countertop.

 

The cherries here come in form of the cherry preserves or jam, but you can also use pitted and halved cherries.

Brown butter, almond flour, and almond liqueur are all used to give the blondie base a rich, nutty flavor.

If you love cherries and almonds, try a Rainier cherry crisp, cherry vinaigrette salad dressing, raspberry Linzer cookies, or Nutella thumbprints.

Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and substitutions

  • Substitute your favorite jam or preserves.
  • Add a half cup of chopped toasted almonds or chocolate chips to the batter before swirling in the jam.
  • Sprinkle sliced almonds on top and serve with powdered sugar.

Recipe tips and tricks

This cherry blondie recipe is a marriage of my Nutella blondies and my cherry Bakewell cocktail recipe. They’re another great example of how flavors can be shared by cocktails and baked goods.

For other cocktail and baking pairings, check out my tiramisu cake and creamy espresso martini, peanut butter cookies and peanut butter Manhattan, or the Earl Grey lavender cake and the Lady Bridgerton Empress Gin cocktail made with an Earl Grey lavender simple syrup.

Preparing the pan

You have two options for preparing your pan when you make brownies and blondies. You can either butter it, or you can line it with parchment paper.

Either way works if your goal is to prevent your cherry blondies from sticking to the pan. Lining the pan with parchment paper allows you to lift out the baked blondies and slice them without scratching your pan.

Making the cherry blondie batter

There’s nothing particularly special or challenging about making the blondie batter. The recipe uses browned butter (Panel #1, below), because browning the butter increases the nutty flavor. Let the butter cool slightly so that it doesn’t cook your eggs.

Tip from the wise quacker: when you’re making brown butter, the trick is to heat the butter slowly so it doesn’t burn. When it stops popping, swirl your pan constantly until it smells rich and nutty. Let it cool slightly, then scrape out all those brown bits into your batter.

Add the eggs one by one and beat for about one minute. Then add the almond liqueur or almond extract (Panel #2). Then mix in the dry ingredients (Panel #3).

three panels showing each step in making the cherry blondie batter.

Swirling the cherry jam

Probably the most important thing when you’re swirling in the jam into your blondie batter is to avoid going all the way down to the bottom of the pan. If that happens, it’s not the end of the world. Your cherry blondies might just stick to the pan.

four panels showing the steps in swirling the cherry jam into the blondie batter.

Bake in the middle of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and slice.

Recipe FAQs

What’s a cherry Bakewell tart?

Bakewell tarts are classic English desserts made with pastry topped with frangipane (an almond custard) and then a layer of jam.

What’s the difference between blondies and brownies?

It’s primarily due to the color. Both are types of bar cookies, but brownies are dark from the chocolate.

How should I store these blondies?

Store your cooled cherry jam blondies on the countertop in an airtight container for up to three days. Blondies and brownies freeze very well. Just let them cool, slice the batch, and freeze them in a freezer bag.

Check out other Ugly Duckling Bakery cookie recipes including blondies and brownies like:

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

Cherry Blondies

5 from 2 votes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Unspecified
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 16
Calories: 248kcal
These Cherry Blondies combine a rich, almond-flavored cookie base with a sweet swirl of cherry jam. They are incredibly quick and easy to make for an informal dessert.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 Mixer optional
  • 1 9 inch square baking pan

Ingredients

  • cups (188 grams) bleached, all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (62 grams) almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (192 grams) dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon almond liqueur or 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup cherry jam

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 inch square pan or line the pan with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper.
  • Sift or whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium sized bowl.
    1½ cups (188 grams) bleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ cup (62 grams) almond flour
  • Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it starts to darken and the "popping" sound stops. Let cool slightly.
    1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter
  • Add the sugars to a mixing bowl, add the brown butter without scraping the bits at the bottom of the pan, and beat until combined.
    1 cup (192 grams) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • Beat in the eggs for one minute, one at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
    2 large eggs
  • Beat in the almond liqueur.
    1 tablespoon almond liqueur
  • Mix in the dry ingredients just until uniform.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
  • Dollop the cherry jam on top of the batter. Then use a knife to swirl the jam into the batter, being careful not to go to the bottom of the pan.
    ½ cup cherry jam
  • Bake your cherry blondies for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the blondies comes out clean and the blondies are just slightly firm to the touch. Check the blondies at 30 minutes and loosely cover with foil if they are browning quickly.
  • If you used parchment paper, let the blondies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment to remove the blondies to a rack.
  • Store cherry blondies at room temperature for up to 1 to 2 weeks.

Notes

Lining the baking pan with parchment makes it easier to cut the cherry blondies.
Light brown sugar can be substituted for dark brown sugar in this recipe. It will just give a slightly less prominent taste.
Vanilla can be substituted for the almond liqueur because they have similar alcohol by volume.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
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