Some time in high school I realized that I was good at baking. And brownies
became my go-to dish: they were simple and, surprisingly, people got excited about eating them. After
awhile, though, even a great brownie baker needs a change of pace.
Enter the brownie's adorable little sister, the blondie. In my house,
the blondie was the bigger, blockier version of a chocolate chip cookie. Created in a
baking pan just like brownies, cut like brownies, and (not surprisingly) eaten
the same way as brownies: with fervor. If you need to get away from the tradition of
cookies or brownies, combine them both and enjoy the blondie.
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2
sticks), softened
- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- About 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional, if you're into that sort of thing...)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch
baking pan.
Put the sugar in a large bowl. Melt the butter in the
microwave in a glass measuring cup. Stir the butter into the sugar until
smooth, cool to room temperature.
In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and
salt together.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add the
flour mixture a bit at a time and mix until a smooth thick batter forms. Fold
in the chips, as desired.
Pour mixture into the baking pan and spread to evenly
fill the dish. Bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Makes about 12-18
squares.
