Blondies - Alice Medrich recipe

Blondies

Blondies are so often overlooked in favor of their cousin the Brownie. But blondies rock! Without all the chocolate, you really taste the brown sugar and nuts. I might get pelted for saying this, but sometimes you need a break from chocolate (well, not a big break because this blondie has chocolate chips)!

Do you have a copy of Alice Medrich's Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies? It's very well written, like all her books, and this Blondie recipe is a winner. In the back of the book, she has helpful lists - such as lower fat cookies, dairy-free, cookies that keep at least 2 weeks, and cookie doughs that freeze well. Love that she took the time to make these lists for the reader. I just wish that the publishers used grams as well as ounce measurements. I like "counting" in grams because it is easier to halve recipes. In addition, the book uses decimal measurements (my Salter scale uses fractions) such as 6.125. I love math, but I have a hard time remembering that .125 is 1/8 of an ounce at 4 am in the morning. :)

Super duper easy to make. Melted butter is combined with brown sugar and many basic ingredients - you probably have everything you need in your pantry right now. Don't need a mixer...just a wooden spoon. Can't get easier than that. Make some today and your family and friends will thank you.

Recipe:
Blondies
From Alice Medrich's Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies, page 174 (find it in your library)

1 cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 T (6.125 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum or bourbon (optional, I did not use it)
2/3 cup walnut pieces (I used Trader Joe's Walnut baking bits)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 8 x 8 pan by lining it with parchment or foil.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to beat in the egg and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour mixture followed by half of the walnuts. Spread the batter in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and the chocolate chips evenly over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the nuts look toasted, the top is golden brown, and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the parchment or foil and transfer to a cutting board for cutting.