Rye and hazelnut blondies

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Put the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes until toasted. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop. Melt half the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water), stirring only once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Increase the heat and continue to cook the butter until the milk solids turn golden and the butter smells nutty, then remove from the heat and stir in both sugars. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Mix the eggs into the cooled sugar/butter mixture with a whisk, one at a time, followed by the melted chocolate, espresso powder, if using, and vanilla extract. Finally, use a metal spoon to gently fold in the rye flour, cardamom/ cinnamon, the remaining chocolate and most of the chopped hazelnuts.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the rest of the nuts. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top forms a golden crust and the blondies are just set (the middle should still feel squidgy). Allow to cool completely in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares to serve.