Blondies

This is for you, James.

And anyone else who loves a good blondie.

I have been asked by many people "What is a blondie?" Well, say hello to the brownie's brown sugar cousin.

A delicious, delectable, moist, chewy brown sugar brownie.

This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen.

I received this cookbook from my mom last year. Do you think she went out and purchased me a copy? No, she pulled down the one on her shelf and wrapped it up. I love that about my mom. But, don't feel too badly for the lack of this cookbook in her life, she has at least two other America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. (Does anyone else find themselves saying "Ameri-cur"? Just me? OK.)

I'm listening to my Christmas music while I'm baking these, just to add to the ambiance of my kitchen. Oh, Josh Groban, please come and serenade me in real life. Thankyouverymuch.

First you combine 1 1/2 sticks of melted, cooled butter to 1 1/2 cups of lightly packed brown sugar. Sounds like a good start, eh?

Sidenote:

This is my favorite spoon. I think it was under $3.
It's bamboo and has a nice flat edge.
I lurve it and feel sad when it's dirty.

Then, you add in the 2 eggs and 4 teaspoons vanilla.

Next, the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt.

That's your basic blondie; except now it's time to go rogue.

What's rogue? Well, think about what kinds of things you like in your sweet stuff and mix it in! Chocolate chips? Butterscotch chips? White chocolate chips? Almonds? Walnuts? Pecans? Dried fruit? Coconut? Oatmeal?

I'm making mine with coconut, pecans and chocolate chips.

So, I'm adding in about 3/4 of a cup of coconut, 3/4 of a cup of pecans and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I think I may have overdone the chocolate chips.

Do you have an off-set spatula? You need one. It's the best for spreading anything: a thick batter, icing cookies, turning crepes. I don't know how I lived before I got mine.

So, spread out the batter and then play with the focus on your fancy-pants camera.

Bake your blondies in your greased $3.49 metal 9x13 with a plastic lid from Kroger if you want. I debated between the pyrex and the cheapie, but the cover won it for me.

Blondies
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla
2-3 cups of add in's

Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving. Trust me, these are one of the few baked goods which are much better cool than warm.

Add-ins

• semisweet chocolate chips
• milk chocolate chips
• white chocolate chips
• butterscotch chips
• dried fruit
• almonds
• walnuts
• pecans
• coconut
• oatmeal

I've made some totally rockin' Butterscotch Blondies with white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and exchanging 2 tsp of vanilla for 2 tsp of butterscotch schnopps (which I stole from my delightful roommate). Delicious!

Don't you think 3/4 cup of oatmeal, 1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries and white chocolate chips would be good?

Or coconut, almonds and milk chocolate? Like an almond joy? Maybe some almond extract in for a some of the vanilla...

(I'm practicing and eventually my posts will not be chock-full of blurry pictures. However for now....)