
Gluten-Free Brilliance: Nigella Lawson's White Chocolate Dessert Upgrade
- Aug 14, 2025
Culinary maestro Nigella Lawson's gluten-free white chocolate creation from her book "At My Table" has been noted for its uniqueness. As a delectable twist to MasterChef Australia participant Chloe Bowles' blondies, given to Lawson during her stint as a judge on the show, this dessert emerges as something more than a bake sale offering. Pieces are best served individually, garnished with fresh raspberries and a dollop of crème fraîche.
White chocolate – not the chip variety – is melted into the batter, so high-quality white chocolate bars or wafers should be the go-to selection. These should ideally contain only cocoa butter, milk solids (or powder), sugar, and perhaps lecithin and vanilla. Any white chocolate with a fat other than cocoa butter should be avoided.
For those possessing blanched almonds, a simple home grind can save them from buying almond flour. This task can be achieved by pulsing the nuts in a food processor until they're finely grounded. It is key to monitor this process closely, ensuring no large pieces are left in the mixture so you don't end up with almond butter.
If you're aiming for a more traditional blondie taste, Lawson advises an additional five minutes of baking time under loosely draped aluminum foil. Refrigeration is crucial to achieve the perfect cutting into squares once the blondie has fully cooled.
The ingredient list includes: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (7 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes – and a little more for greasing the pan, a chopped bar of white chocolate (equivalent to about half a cup), 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 3 large eggs (at room temperature), 1 2/3 cups fine almond flour (5 7/8 ounces), 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts. The serving includes crème fraîche and fresh raspberries.
Follow these cooking instructions: Preheat your oven to 340°F and lightly butter an 8-inch-square baking dish. Separately, melt the butter and chocolate in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook until it forms a sludgy paste, then stir in the brown sugar and ginger. Incorporate the eggs into the cooled butter-chocolate mixture, before carefully mixing in the almond flour and chopped walnuts. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is dark brown and crisp around the edges. Once cooled down, it is ready to be cut, served, and garnished with crème fraîche and raspberries. The batter can be kept cool and safe up to an hour prior to baking, with leftovers being refrigerable for up to a week.