Rhubarb & Tahini Blondies

The best sign of the arrival of spring is always a bright red handful of rhubarb. Tart and sassy, I love using it in all types of desserts: pies, ice cream, compotes and the like. Rhubarb can be difficult to bake with due to the very high amount of water content. For this reason, it’s good to give it a par cook depending on what way you’re using it. For these blondies, we’re going to roast them for a bit in the oven to concentrate their flavor and color, directly on a sheet pan, to push some of that extra liquid out. The blondies come together in one bowl! The recipe is super easy, and I opted to use a muffin pan to make every blondie a “corner” piece. If you don’t have a muffin pan, this will work in a square pan. For 8 x 8” I’d multiply the below quantities by 1.5. For a large rectangular pan, I would double the recipe and rhubarb.

There’s also a step by step tutorial of this available on my Instagram story - if you make these, please tag me @alexanderbakes or #alexanderbakes. It’s awesome to see your bakes!

Rhubarb & Tahini Blondies

For the roasted rhubarb:
3 to 4 stalks of rhubarb
Handful of white sugar

For the blondies:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour (sifted if clumpy)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 yolk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted & mostly cooled
2 tbsp tahini (or almond butter / peanut butter)
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, optional

1. To roast the rhubarb: preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice the rhubarb on a bias into 1/2” pieces. Grab an old sheet tray or pan that you don’t mind (maybe) damaging. Toss the rhubarb with a handful of sugar and roast for 20 minutes, then cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, honey, and melted butter with a whisk. Add the vanilla extract.
3. Whisk in the yolk and egg until fully combined. Add the tahini and whisk a few more times.
4. Add the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and fold the ingredients together with a spatula just until no flour streaks remain. Do not over mix!
5. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin pan with baking spray. Distribute the blondie batter between the cups evenly, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons each.
6. Next, evenly distribute the roasted (and cooled) rhubarb. Press it into the dough, and avoid the edges of the cups because the rhubarb may burn there. Top with sesame seeds at this point if you desire.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway through the cook time. Cool in the pan before eating. These will last a few days and get softer each day if stored in an airtight container!