Vietnamese Coffee Swirl White Chocolate Blondies with Cardamom

Sweet Treats for Your Sweet Tooth – February (Chocolate Edition)

With Valentine’s Day coming up, Elizabeth and I are featuring chocolate for this month’s Sweet Treats for Your Sweet Tooth – and I wanted to do something cozy, indulgent, and a little unexpected.

I recently rediscovered a phin coffee filter I’d bought a while back for a client shoot, and it immediately sent me down the “Vietnamese coffee” path. I loved the idea of swirling sweetened coffee—brewed strong and mixed with condensed milk—through a chewy blondie batter, studded with white chocolate chunks and flavored with ground cardamom.

The result is a decadent blondie that is crave worthy and with a little twist—exactly the kind of treat this series is all about.

Why You’ll Love These Blondies

• Vietnamese coffee is brewed and baked into the blondies
• White chocolate balances the bitterness of the coffee beautifully
• Cardamom adds warmth and flavor without overpowering
• Irresistibly chewy, soft texture
• Perfect for Valentine’s Day—or anytime you want a coffee flavored treat

Ingredients

Vietnamese Coffee Swirl

• 3 tablespoons finely ground Vietnamese coffee (or any dark roast)
• 1/2 cup just-boiled water
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Blondie Batter

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

How to Make Vietnamese Coffee Blondies

Make the Coffee Swirl

Brew the coffee using a phin (or substitute with strong brewed coffee). Measure out 1/4 cup of the brewed coffee and whisk it with the sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Let it cook just until glossy and syrupy—this takes only a few minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. The mixture should be spoonable and thick enough to sit on the batter, but not too thick to swirl

Make the Blondie Batter

Heat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.

Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk until fully combined.

Gently fold in the flour, salt, baking powder, and cardamom just until no dry spots remain. Stir in the white chocolate.

Assemble and Bake

Spread the blondie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Spoon the coffee mixture over the top in loose ribbons, then use a knife to gently swirl it through the batter—just a couple of passes is enough.

Bake until the edges are set and the center is just soft, about 20–22 minutes. Let the blondies cool completely before slicing for the neatest cuts (I like to pop in the fridge).

Tips for the Best Results

• Don’t over-swirl the coffee mixture or it will disappear into the batter
• Pull the blondies when the center looks slightly underbaked for the best texture
• Let the blondies cool fully for the neatest cuts

Sweet Treats for Your Sweet Tooth

Be sure to check out Elizabeth’s chocolate recipe for this month’s Sweet Treats for Your Sweet Tooth series—she’s sharing her Valentine M&M’s fudge brownies and they look delicious!

We share a new sweet treat every month, always centered around a common theme (and hopefully plenty of baking inspiration!).