I've gotten a lot of eye rolls over the years for publicly admitting that I like white chocolate. Truly, take it from me, don't confess that in a room full of people who work in food.
All serious food people claim to prefer bitter dark chocolate, which I'm not sure I buy. The same goes for cocktails: One person says they only drink Negronis and everyone else nods sagely, as if to say what sort of savage would drink a margarita?, at which point I find a spot on the floor to stare at intensely until the conversation ends.
Liking white chocolate started early for me. I had a sweet tooth, as evidenced by sneaking tiny scoops of granulated sugar and taking them straight to the face like a shot. White chocolate seemed like an obvious choice to me: sweeter than regular chocolate? Sign me up. My sisters didn't get it (you get more sugar guys!).
I understand now why white chocolate isn't popular. It can be cloying and sickly sweet. It masks other flavors, and when you're promised chocolate, you expect a deeper, richer, more intense flavor profile. But if you adjust your expectations, and find some very high-quality white chocolate, you might be pleasantly surprised.
White chocolate is best when paired with something assertive to tame its sweetness. In this recipe, bittersweet chocolate balances out the sugar. These bars remind me of a chewier sugar cookie. Studded with bittersweet chocolate chips, they're pretty to look at, easy to bake, and a little more interesting than your average brownie or blondie.
Black & White Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped white chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
In a heatproof bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate. Microwave in 1 minute increments until the butter has melted and the white chocolate has just begun to soften, but do NOT let the white chocolate melt. You want the chocolate to stay in pieces.
Stir the vanilla, nutmeg. and salt into the white chocolate mixture. Let it cool to room temperature, or close to it. Add the eggs and mix well.
Whisk in the flour and baking powder. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate and pour the batter into the greased pan. Scatter the rest of the dark chocolate over the top of the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan slightly.
Let cool in the pan, then slice into squares.