Lapsang Souchong Blondies {#sponsor product review}

I was recently introduced to Spicely Organics' spice and tea-infused chocolates*. I've known about Spicely for awhile; I buy their spices and herbs at Whole Foods all the time. But when we took our youngest Kitchen Elf on a chocolate walking tour in San Francisco, as an early birthday adventure, we discovered that Spicely also has chocolates infused with spices and teas. 

My son was so enamored with the chocolates that he changed the dessert course for his birthday party to a Curated Chocolate Tasting of a dozen Spicely chocolates.

What I love about Spicely's infused chocolates: they are distinctive and potent. The pieces are small, but because the flavor is so intense, you don't need very much. I opted to create a recipe to showcase my favorite of the infused chocolates, the Lapsang Souchong. It's exotic and smoky. 

In fact, one of my friends to whom I gave a sample called me and queried, "It's not bacon in there, is it? It's smoky, but it doesn't taste like bacon." I told her what it was and realized: it lends that bacon flavor without the bacon. It's a perfect vegetarian substitute for getting that smoky taste into baked goods. Eureka!

As I mentioned, the flavor is strong, so I didn't need very much to make the taste vibrant and enticing.

Lapsang Souchong Blondies

by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 C organic light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 C butter, melted
•  2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 t organic chocolate extract
• 1 t lapsang souchong tea leaves, slightly crushed
• 1-1/2 C flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t freshly ground sea salt
• 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 C lapsang souchong-infused chocolates from Spicely Organics, chopped

Procedure

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs, chocolate extract, and crushed lapsang souchong leaves just until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped chocolate.

Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan and spread with a spatula to reach the edges of the pan. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. 

If you’d like to learn more about Spicely Organics, visit their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter, @spicelyorganics. If you can’t find Spicely Organics locally, you can order directly from their website.

*DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary samples of infused chocolates for my participation in #TripleSBites, an upcoming blogging event...and for the purposes of review.  I did, however, purchase the Lapsang Souchong-infused chocolate on my own. I have received no additional compensation for this post and the opinions expressed here are my own and the recipe shared in the review of this product was not sponsored.