Preheat your oven to 350°F. While it heats, line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on two sides for easy removal later. This setup ensures your blondies bake evenly and come out cleanly.

Cut the unsalted butter into small cubes and place it in a heat-safe bowl with the chopped white chocolate. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water (a double boiler method), stirring occasionally until completely melted and smooth—about 3-5 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 15-20 minutes until it's warm but not hot; this prevents the eggs from scrambling when added later. I like to let it cool slightly longer than the recipe suggests because it gives me more control over the final texture.

Once the butter-chocolate mixture has cooled, stir in the granulated sugar for about 2 minutes until well combined and slightly lightened in color. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract, stirring to incorporate. Then add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition until fully incorporated before adding the next egg. This gradual incorporation prevents lumps and creates a cohesive batter.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and sea salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry mixture into the wet batter from Step 3 until just barely combined—don't overmix, as this keeps the blondies tender rather than tough. The batter should look slightly streaky when you move to the next step.

Gently fold the pitted and quartered fresh cherries into the batter from Step 4 until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into your prepared 8x8 inch baking dish, spreading it gently and evenly. I recommend folding in the cherries by hand at the end rather than processing them, which keeps their structure intact and prevents them from releasing too much juice prematurely.

Scatter the slivered almonds evenly across the top of the batter, then arrange the halved cherries on top in a decorative pattern, pressing them gently into the batter so they stay put during baking. Bake in your preheated 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it—the blondies should be golden brown and set but still tender.

Remove the blondies from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature in the baking dish—this takes about 1-2 hours and is important for achieving clean, stable slices. Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the whole block out of the pan, place it on a cutting board, and cut into 9 or 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean edges.