Amlou Blondies

Name: Amlou Blondies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 9 blondies
Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients: 1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing; 1 packed cup/190 grams light brown sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cups/150 grams all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; Flaky salt (such as Maldon), for serving (optional); 1/2 cup/120 grams natural (preferably roasted) almond butter, or peanut butter; 2 1/2 tablespoons/55 grams honey; 2 tablespoons/30 grams argan oil, or walnut or peanut oil; 1 generous pinch fine sea salt

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Published Sept. 6, 2024

Amlou Blondies — Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: About 1 hour
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ cooling
Rating: 4(42)
Notes: Read community notes

Amlou is a Moroccan spread made with just three ingredients: almonds, honey and argan oil. Affectionately referred to as Moroccan Nutella by Moroccans, it is traditionally enjoyed at breakfast or teatime alongside breads, pancakes, yogurt or cheeses. Here, it’s used to top blondies, adding a smooth textural contrast and a deep, sweet, nutty flavor. While amlou is traditionally made with almonds, peanut butter is commonly used as a substitute. Argan oil is extracted from the kernels of the argan tree native to Morocco; if you can't get your hands on argan oil, walnut or peanut oil is a suitable alternative.

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Ingredients

Yield:9 blondies

For the Blondie

½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing
1packed cup/190 grams light brown sugar
2large eggs, at room temperature
2teaspoons vanilla extract
1¼cups/150 grams all-purpose flour
½teaspoon ground cinnamon
½teaspoon fine sea salt
¼teaspoon baking powder
Flaky salt (such as Maldon), for serving (optional)

For the Amlou

½cup/120 grams natural (preferably roasted) almond butter, or peanut butter
2½tablespoons/55 grams honey
2tablespoons/30 grams argan oil, or walnut or peanut oil
1generous pinch fine sea salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter and line it with a sheet of parchment paper that overhangs a little on two sides.
Step 2
Prepare the blondie: In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, sea salt and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and, using a flexible spatula, gently scoop up some of the egg mixture from the bottom and fold it over the flour on the top, rotating the bowl and repeating until you no longer see flecks of flour, making sure not to overmix.
Step 4
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 18 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before using the parchment to transfer the blondie from the pan to a plate or platter.
Step 5
While the blondie bakes, make the amlou. To a small bowl, add the almond butter, honey, argan oil and sea salt. Stir to combine.
Step 6
Pour the amlou onto the center of the blondie and use a large spoon or spatula to spread it evenly. If using, sprinkle on flaky salt, and then cut the blondie into squares. For clean cuts, wipe your knife before making each slice.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

42 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Allison2 months ago

Sounds interesting, but that 2tbsp of argan oil is around 5-7 dollars. It better have a distinctive flavour otherwise I’ll stick to plain almond butter, I think…

Gale1 month ago

The author does give substitutes (good walnut oil works best) so no need to buy the argan if that is all one is going to use it for. And walnut oil makes a great vinaigrette.

Brigette1 month ago

Culinary argan oil is made from roasted nuts, whereas cosmetic argan oil is made from unroasted nuts. The flavor will be completely different, and I would not consider the two interchangeable.

CLT1 month ago

I substituted 1t of almond extract for the 2t vanilla. That made the blondie taste like marzipan- so good with the nut topping. (For which I used Kirkland Mixed Nut Butter.) I also used olive oil. It was delicious, if not authentic.

Deborah1 month ago

Does the topping set up? This is very important. The recipe says to put on the topping, then cut. The photograph shows a great cut with topping dripping down the sides of the squate

Jen1 month ago

Question - does the amlou go on top of the warm or cooled blondies? I couldn't tell from the recipe. Thanks!

caroline1 month ago

i only have a muffin pan right now would that change the cooking time?

Diana1 month ago

This sounds like an intriguing recipe and I am willing to purchase the argon oil. However, I would like to be able to use another recipes as well so I hope that the NYT publishes other Moroccan recipes utilize the argon oil.

Brigette1 month ago

Culinary argan oil is made from roasted nuts, whereas cosmetic argan oil is made from unroasted nuts. The flavor will be completely different, and I would not consider the two interchangeable.

Greg Ho1 month ago

Maybe a dumb question, but I have Argan oil I use for my hair and beard. Can this be used in this application?

Justine Aurelia S.1 month ago

Could one use the same Argan oil one uses on the face? Assuming it is 100% Argan oil.

Gail1 month ago

Argan oil does have a distinctive flavor. I'm not a fan of almond butter, but this is quite different.

Gale1 month ago

The author does give substitutes (good walnut oil works best) so no need to buy the argan if that is all one is going to use it for. And walnut oil makes a great vinaigrette.

Allison2 months ago

Sounds interesting, but that 2tbsp of argan oil is around 5-7 dollars. It better have a distinctive flavour otherwise I’ll stick to plain almond butter, I think…

Damaris1 month ago

@Allison As stated in the recipe it's suggested using walnut or peanut oil instead of Argan oil. The almond butter is for the other part of the topping.

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