I had a bunch of spotty bananas at home last week and came up with the idea to put them through a recipe face off. I always love the fudgy butterscotch taste of blondies and the thought of pairing blondies with bananas was excitement in bite-size form. Dan Lepard’s Banana White Chocolate Blondies with Brazil Nut Toffee has occupied a place on my to-bake list for months. Sourcing the ingredients proved to be tricky because good quality white chocolate and fresh brazil nuts are not just a hop and a skip to the grocery store next door.
The idea of banana blondies may not be ground breaking but certainly not run of the mill either. Coincidentally, Melissa Clark recently published her version of Chocolate-Crusted Banana Blondies. It was the perfect opportunity for a recipe face off.
Dan Lepard’s Banana White Chocolate Blondies with Brazil Nut Toffee
Recipe: available at The Guardian and his cookbook Short & Sweet
What It Is: Fudgy and moist with loads of white chocolate and banana, punctuated with crunchy shards of caramelized brazil nuts.
Difficulty Level: Medium. You make brazil nut toffee by first cooking a dark caramel to coat the nuts. The toffee was chopped before folding into the rich white chocolate-based batter.
Pros: Banana took centre stage and complemented by white chocolate. This was truly a white chocolate brownie with the characteristic fudgy texture. Best served chilled.
Cons: If you have never cook caramel before, making the brazil nut toffee may be daunting. Good quality white chocolate and brazil nuts are not easy to find.
Melissa Clark’s Chocolate-Crusted Banana Blondies
Recipe: available at New York Times
What It Is: Dark and crunchy chocolate cookie crust topped with chewy butterscotch banana layer. Toasty walnuts and coconut added textural interest.
Difficulty Level: Medium. You bake a press-in-pan chocolate crumb crust before topping it with a beurre noisette-based blondie batter.
Pros: Great textural contrast. Complex taste from simple ingredients. The dark chocolate cookie crust tempered the sweetness of butterscotch. Sturdy yet refine treat to pack into the lunchbox.
Cons: Lots of dishes to clean. Food processor to make the crust, pot to brown the butter, and a mixing bowl to mix the batter.
The Verdict: Unofficial poll from my tasters gave Melissa Clark’s chocolate-crusted version a slight edge. It was not as rich and the contrast in texture kept every bite interesting. I personally would not say no to either but will likely save Dan Lepard’s version only for special occasion when I can source all the (ahem, expensive) ingredients.
Would you be interest in reading more recipe face off in future? Let me know and I’ll see what I can do!
