Green Tea-Infused Pecan Blondies

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 All opinions are mine alone. #AmericasTea #CollectiveBias

These Green Tea-Infused Brownies are the perfect St. Patrick's Day, or anytime, treat. Whip up a delicious batch today...they're easy to make!

I struggled with naming this treat. I mean, a blondie is a blond version of a classic brownie. So, if blondies are blond, and brownies are brown...should these be called greenies? While they're not a deep, rich green, they still have a hint of greenness in them. I'm still a bit undecided. But, I do know that whether they're green blondies or just plain greenies, they are absolutely yummy. I had fun infusing the tea into these with a trick I learned when we visited the Bigelow Tea Headquarters and test kitchens back in October (read all about that trip here). Check out the recipe below.

I made a few batches of these for my kids and their friends this week (and myself...of course!). I photographed all of the batches...a few are a bit greener than others. In one batch, I steeped eight tea bags a bit longer (over an hour) and in another, I only steeped six bags for half an hour. I wanted to show the different batches' colors in this post so you can see the varying degrees of green that can come from different steeping times and amounts of green tea used.

And, y'all...I just love green tea and was really excited to incorporate it into this recipe. Around the holidays, I ordered a big tin filled with lots of green tea from Bigelow. It was perfect for holiday entertaining and had so many varieties. I loved them all...the Green Tea with Earl Grey's oil of Bergamot really made me smile (so delicious). But, I think that the classic Green Tea will always be my favorite. I drink at least two mugs a day for its health benefits. While there are no medical claims being made, green tea naturally contains an antioxidant that can inhibit the growth of urokinase, an enzyme that promotes the growth of cancerous tumors. Even more benefits are found all the time on the benefits of green tea, as studies are always being done. (source)

Bigelow definitely makes my favorite green tea, too. After getting to know all of my Bigelow friends in the fall, I fell even more in love with the company. Bigelow Tea is All American: 100% American made by an American Family; an American Company for the American consumer. And, it's available at local Walmarts.

These Green Tea-Infused Blondies are absolutely delicious with a hot cup of Bigelow Green Tea, too. It's a fabulous little afternoon snack.

Bigelow also has a great Tea for Troops program. Almost 4 million bags of tea have been sent to troops overseas. Click here for more information on this excellent program.

Infusing the tea into the butter is a really fun way to add in the green tea. I learned this trick from one of the ladies in the test kitchen at Bigelow. I also used this method on my Orange and Spice Pound Cake here. 

After I add my tea bags to my melted butter, I cover the pot with a dish towel to steep (this really isn't a traditional steeping method...it's just how my mom always steeped her tea, y'all. A dish towel does the trick!). As I mentioned above, the longer the tea steeps into the butter, the more intense the flavor (and color) becomes.

Green Tea-Infused Blondies

:::CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION:::

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

6-8 bags Bigelow Green Tea
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in tea bags to steep in the butter. Allow to steep for at least half an hour. Squeeze excess butter out of bags and discard bags.

Whisk brown sugar into butter until smooth. Whisk in eggs and extracts. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in large bowl. Add brown sugar and butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until mixed. Fold in chopped pecans.

Pour into parchment lined 8x8" square pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until done. 

Cool and cut into pieces.

:::CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION:::

I bet you can practically smell all of the yumminess here!

You can have an amazing Bigelow experience of your own, as well. Bigelow Tea's Charleston Tea Plantation is America's largest working tea garden. Guests are invited to the Charleston Tea Plantation for weddings, tours and even a variety of music festivals. It's a tea-riffic way to experience historic Southern culture and a living piece of American history! And...because tea, y'all! ;)

This was one of the greener batches, pictured above, where the tea steeped longer. I honestly can't decide which one was my favorite...they're all delicious with such a great hint of the Bigelow Green Tea.

Be sure to check out my other tea-infused recipes below, too.

Green Tea-Infused Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Orange & Spice Pound Cake

For more delicious tea-filled inspiration, 

follow Bigelow on Facebook here, or on Twitter here.

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