Ingredients
- One 2-pound butternut squash, halved and seeded
- 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced, plus more for the pan
- 2 to 3 tablespoons demarara sugar for the pan
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the squash halves on it, cut side down. Roast until the flesh is fork tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skins into a food processor and puree until smooth.
Transfer the squash to a saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes to remove excess moisture. Remove from the heat, measure 1 cup for the blondies, and reserve the remaining puree for another use.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350. Grease an 8x11 inch baking dish or cake pan with butter and coat it generaously with the demerara sugar, tapping out the excess.
In the bowl of a standing mixer wtih the paddle attachment, toss the 3/4 cup butter and the brown sugar together with your hands until the butter is coated. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until lightened and no clumps of butter remain. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions. Add the syrup and vanilla and mix well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cumin, ginger, and mace together; sprinkle the salt over the top. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, mixing until just combined. Add the cooled squash and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in two thirds of the white chocolate pieces.
Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate pieces evenly over the top. Bake on the center rack until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack before cutting into 12 equal sized pieces.