Typically, we ask our cover celebs for a recipe and why they love it so much. But children’s singer Michal “Peanut” Karmi sent us a great story about her raspberry chocolate chip blondie bars. Here’s what she had to say:
“The story of the raspberry chocolate chip blondies involves the three Safran sisters, Eliel, Ketriel and Sivan, who sing with me on Cuddlebug Parade.
During one of our school breaks back in the day, I had a cooking camp with Eliel (she was then 7 or 8). We made different foods every time: Walnut pesto pizza, coconut rice and beans, and these raspberry chocolate chip blondie bars. We made them for Ketriel’s birthday. Ket and Sivan came to pick Eliel up with their mom that day, and the blondies were still in the oven. They came out piping hot topped with a river of glistening raspberry spread, sprinkled with chocolate chips. Ket and Sivan talked about them for months after (Sivan was barely 3: “remember that thing you and Eliel made for Ket’s birthday? Can we make it again?”) This recipe will potentially induce a sugar coma, but every once in a while, it’s mouth-wateringly worth it. By Post Punk Kitchen’s legendary Isa Chandra Moskowitz (i.e. it’s vegan!)”
Celebrity Recipe: Raspberry Chocolate Chip Blonde Bars
INGREDIENTS:
Raspberry layer:
2 c. frozen raspberries
3 T. cornstarch (or arrowroot or tapioca starch)
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 c. sugar (the organic part is implied. I use Sugar in the Raw.)
Blondie layer:
3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (6 oz.) container plain or vanilla soy/coconut yogurt
1/4 c. rice milk
1/2 c. plus 2 T canola oil
2 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. chocolate chips (vegan of course, which I have easily found at the store. Enjoy Life! is the brand. Also, side note… I felt like this was too much chocolate. I ended up using about 1/2 cup.)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.
For the raspberry layer:
In a saucepan, combine all raspberry layer ingredients and stir until the starch is dissolved. Bring to a boil and then lower to a low boil, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the blondie layer:
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl (a big one), combine the soy yogurt, rice milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. In batches, mix the dry into the wet until a dough forms. Set aside about 1 cup of the dough, and press the rest into your baking pan. Spread the raspberry filling over it, sprinkle half your chocolate chips over that, and spread out the rest of your dough. Finish with sprinkling your remaining chips.
Bake for 35 minutes, and let cool before serving.