The anticipation for Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has been palpable. And as Taste of Home‘s resident Swiftie, it’s been an exciting few weeks. I’ve written about the sparkly orange KitchenAid stand mixer, Funfetti’s rainbow sourdough bread mix and even Aldi’s artisan bread kit.
Taylor Swift is basking in the glow of her recent engagement alongside a brand new album that’s sure to break records. I think it’s a great time to pop some champagne! But we wanted to take things one step further and create a brand new recipe to celebrate this time in her life.
Without further ado, I present our recipe for French blondies.
What are French blondies?
This is a dessert recipe inspired by Taylor Swift’s favorite cocktail, the French Blonde. The drink is floral, fruity and extremely well-balanced. Elderflower liqueur, gin and Lillet Blanc (a fortified French wine) packs a boozy punch, and the grapefruit juice and lemon bitters add a nice citrus zing.
One of my favorite hobbies is thinking about what kinds of drinks would make delicious baked goods, and vice versa. This is how our recipe for salted caramel cold brew Rice Krispie treats came to be. The French Blonde ingredients immediately made me think of lemon bars, and then we improvised from there.
How to Make French Blondies
First, you’ll have to make the batter. This base includes sugar, grapefruit zest, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract and flour. Combine them all and take care not to over mix—this will result in tough, dense blondies. Next, you’ll bake the blondies for about 25 minutes, depending on your oven. You’ll need to let them cool completely before you glaze them. It’s worth the wait, because the glaze is the best part!
The elderflower liqueur glaze is what really turns these blondies into their own very special treat. Mix up confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and elderflower liquer until the glaze has the consistency of maple syrup. When it’s ready, pour it over the tray of blondies.
Finally, it’s time to garnish. Candied grapefruit or lemon pieces, citrus zest and edible glitter will turn this recipe into a popstar-worthy dessert. In my opinion, edible glitter is nonnegotiable any time you’re baking something in honor of Taylor Swift.
Why We Love French Blondies
Obviously, creating a brand-new recipe lets our creativity flourish, which feels like something that Taylor Swift would approve of. It’s a fun challenge to think of how to remix ingredients and come up with a totally new dessert. Plus, this is very versatile, considering that you can use any available citrus you like to get the result that you feel is worth celebrating.
Honestly, I think that Taylor herself would really enjoy these French blondies. I could even see cutting them into little cat shapes, and using candied citrus peel to make a cat nose and whiskers. A cat-shaped French blondie garnished with edible glitter? Taylor, I think we just found your perfect wedding dessert—are you ready for it?
