It’s raining again in St. Louis. The colors outside are muted. The ground is wet and my puppy’s paws are muddy. With no rainbow in sight, I decided to bake one. I baked Rainbow Chip Blondies!
I promise that after this recipe I will give homemade colored chips a rest. Ever since I discovered that I could color white chocolate chips, they have been popping up as an ingredient in all of my recipes. Is there a difference between excited and obsessed? First, I made my own pink chips. Then, I used melted green chips to make a swirly topping for brownie bites. Today, I give you a recipe for a rainbow.
I wanted to dress up these golden blondies, but keep them desert safe. With frosting out of the question and add-ins limited, my thoughts went to chocolate chips, not your standard brown chocolate chips, but oodles of brightly colored white chocolate gems. I worried that not everyone has the time or the interest to pipe out their own colored chips, especially since I was thinking of chips in a variety of colors. That’s when I came up with the idea of using brightly colored chocolate chunks instead.
Technically, these blondies should be called Rainbow Chunks Blondies, but everyone would wonder what a rainbow chunk was. Rainbow Chips are readily understood and sound more appealing. Creating colorful chocolate chunks is MUCH easier and quicker to make than piping individual chips. Once the chunks are baked into a bar or cookie, their original shape is unimportant.
To make the colored bits, I melted ½ cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave, then mixed in a few drops of regular food coloring gel. On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, I spread the colored chocolate into a small rectangle about ¼” thick. I made seven different colored rectangles (slight overkill in the color department), then put the cookie sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set firmly. Once set, the rectangles can be chopped into chunks. This method gave me the colored morsels I needed for this recipe, with plenty of extra for future baking.
Everyone needs some cheerful color in their day. The rainbow in these sweet, chewy blondies is bake-able, mail-able cheer.
Rainbow Chip Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies
- 8 ounces baking bars white chocolate broken into chunks
- ½ cup butter or vegetable shortening
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rainbow chips see directions for making rainbow chips
Rainbow Chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips for each color
- Food coloring gel
- ***Desert safe adaptations: For desert safe baking use vegetable shortening.
Instructions
Rainbow Chips
- In a small bowl, microwave ½ cup of white chocolate chips until just melted (about 1 minute on medium power).
- Add 2-3 drops of food coloring gel and mix.
- On a sheet of waxed paper or parchment, spread the colored chocolate, about ¼” thick , into a small rectangle about the size of a notecard (3”x5”) .
- Freeze or refrigerate the colored chocolate until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Chop into chips.
- Store in ziplock bags at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use.
Blondies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray cooking oil onto 9”x9” brownie pan.
- Place chocolate and butter/shortening in medium sized microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave 1 minute. Stir. If not completely melted, return to microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring between heating, until completely melted and combined.
- In bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs until foamy (about 3 minutes).
- Mix in sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
- Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated.
- Stir in rainbow chips.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If mailing internationally, undercook by about 1 minute. (The extra moisture from undercooking will help keep the blondies soft while shipping)
- Cool for 15-20 minutes in pan, then remove from pan to complete cooling on a wire rack.
- Blondies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.
Notes
- For 9”x9” pan blondies, wrap entire square of blondies (removed from pan or in disposable foil pan) in two layers of plastic wrap and insert into gallon zip lock bag.
- For individual cut blondies, wrap each blondie in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container or zip lock bag.
Nutrition
Blondies can be made in so many mouthwatering flavors! Click on the photo for some favorites!
thatskinnychickcanbake
Wow, these are SO fun and pretty! My kids love cookie bars and I love the idea of homemade rainbow chips!
themondaybox
Thanks, Liz! The kids would have a great time making, baking, and eating these chips! They are so easy and fun! The only tricky part, as I am sure you know, is to be careful not to over heat the white chocolate chips. 🙂
BruCrew Life
I love the bright fun color in these blondies!!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! Color is what I was going for! 🙂
Mama's Gotta Bake
How festive these are. They deserve a party!
themondaybox
Thanks,Sheryl! If blondies can make someone smile, these are the ones! 🙂
Monica
Wendy - kudos to you for making your own rainbow chocolate chunks/chips! That is awesome and as a fan of sprinkles and color, it makes me smile. I would try it myself if I didn't have an iffy history with white chocolate. I don't know but on occasion when I've tried coloring it, it wants to seize up and thicken too much. I think I was working with too small a quantity. But yours came out great and the array of colors! Perfect to showcase in these blondies. : )
themondaybox
Thanks, Monica! White chocolate is a pain!! I have thrown out more white chocolate due to over heating than I want to admit. I've over heated it on the stove (double boiler) and in the microwave. Now I heat it at med. power for small intervals and stir in between. Usually stirring gets rid of the last few lumps. It does seem to seize up a tiny bit when I add the color but I stir, stir, stir as I am adding the food coloring and it is smooth enough to pipe or make into a disc like I did here. Honestly, if it was tricky, I couldn't do it. My experience with heating chocolate is worse than my experiences with yeast! 🙂 Maybe the stabilizers in white chocolate chips help. Give it a try when you are feeling adventurous. It was so much fun! 🙂
Ashley
Okay, these are outrageously fun! Blondies are always a good thing : ) I love the photos of just the colored chunks - they are so cool looking. My little cousins would absolutely love these - they are very into rainbow colors / tie-dyed stuff!
themondaybox
Thanks, Ashley! I think you came up with the perfect description, "outrageously fun"! We teach kids not to play with their food....but these are blondies to have fun with!
saltandserenity
Wendy, the photos of the coloured white chocolate in the middle of the post look like an arts and craft project. Just so pretty. I love blondies and these are over the top! Your imagination seems to work overtime in the rain.
themondaybox
Thanks,Cindy! Cooking is sort of an arts and crafts activity. At least, it is in my kitchen. 🙂 I did worry that people might think I was putting chopped crayons in the bars! I definitely needed color on a rainy day and golden brown blondies aren't very photogenic on their own (delicious, but not Ms. Universe material). 🙂 These do seem to have a cheering effect on people. 🙂
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
This is absolutely brilliant! How beautiful. Love the chunks of chocolate - and so colorful! Rainy days are great sometime but I hate the wet puppy paws. We have a big basket sitting next to the back door full of old towels for just that purpose. You asked about Montreal Steak Spice - it's a McCormick blended spice you can find in any grocery store - as it is very popular. They make it in various flavors i.e. spicy, etc. Enjoy!
themondaybox
Thanks, Tricia! We eat very little beef at home other than a brisket a few times a year (holiday food) and beef kebabs for my son in the summer. I guess I don't pay attention to the steak spices! Spicy would be my son's choice. I am going to check out my grocery spice aisle today.:)
I am having a lot of fun with food coloring and white chocolate! There are so many possibilities for adding color. 🙂
Our old golden just stood there when you wiped off his paws. He acted like he was receiving a reflexology massage! This new puppy must have a hyper-wiggle button on the bottom of his paws! Luckily, he is small (and so are his muddy paw prints). 🙂
Miss Messy
So bright and cheery! I love these. They need to go on my baking list! 😀
themondaybox
Thanks! The blondies are a great chip holder.:) These cheery chips can be used in so many things!
Suzie
These are so bright and cheerful, they would make anyone's day! These would be great for hospital staff as a thank you too. Also for a lonely elderly neighbor and of course our soldiers would be grateful!
themondaybox
That's exactly what I thought, Suzie! Thanks! Everyone needs a rainbow in their life, especially all of the people you mentioned! I think perhaps stationed in a desert with everyone wearing army fatigues....a little color would be a happy thought in a cookie bar. 🙂
Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
I love the rainbow chip idea! How very cute and fun! Perfect for a rainy day!
themondaybox
Thanks, Serena! They brightened my rainy day and they were fun to eat rain or shine. 🙂
Reeni
I never tire of rainbow chips! What another good idea to make your own colored chunks! You're just full of rainbows and sunshine = happiness. These look delectable and would surely brighten up someone's life!
themondaybox
Your incredibly sweet comments brighten up my life, Reeni! Especially in a care package, you want the people who will eat your baked treats to smile....before, during, and after eating. 🙂 Making colored chips is just so easy and fun!
NanaBread
I love these! The grandkids would love these, including making their own rainbow colored chips. Such a happy, fun cookie!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jeanne! Kids love colored food! Making the chips was a lot of fun and I think it would be a great cooking project with kids. I am loving the results of using colored chips for toppings and add-ins!
gottagetbaked
These blondies look like so much fun! I remember Rainbow Chips Ahoy from my youth - that's totally what these remind me of. I was wondering where in the world you got the rainbow chips until I saw that you made them yourself. Awesome!
themondaybox
I remember those Rainbow Chips Ahoy, Nancy! 🙂 These chips were so easy to make and added a twist to these chewy golden blondies. You have to make some colored chips. Its fun! 🙂
noyomoco
I adore that you colored your own chips!! These blondies look so cheerful and fun 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Jennifer! The chips are so much fun! They are so easy to do in chunks and can be stored just like regular chocolate chips. Holiday colors, school colors, team colors....anything is possible! They certainly perked up these blondies. 🙂
shannon
i love reading local blogs because i totally know when you wrote this: we were in the same rainy day! 🙂 sadly, i did not bake rainbows, but rather allowed myself to wallow in the muted colors of the weather. you, though; you made beautiful rainbow chips! which i love...what a great idea, and not at all difficult to do. your blondies are extremely cheerful, and would put a smile on anyone's face. 🙂
themondaybox
I agree, Shannon! Reading local blogs give truth to "been there done that!" As you know, it wasn't pouring just a constant fuzzy drizzle. Maybe that is why the outside world looked so color-impaired. I never noticed before how muted everything seems in the rain. Depressing.
These blondies did cheer me up and I had great fun playing with the colored chocolate! My only concern, should you decide to do something like this as an activity with the wee one, is that she see that you are putting chocolate in the cookies/bars and not crayon pieces! 🙂