Blondies

Blondies on a plate!

My baking compulsion has resurfaced. Now that i live on my own, I have a clean kitchen at my disposal 24/7. This is a very dangerous thing. You see, Sunday afternoon I was supposed to be studying and putting together the first draft of a complaint for my employment law class. What did I really accomplish? Blondies.

In all truthfulness, what I really wanted was brownies. My brownies. But, that recipe calls for cake flour and as of yet I have none. So I glanced at the recipe for blondies and realized I had all the necessary ingredients at hand. The recipe actually calls for chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, but all I had were bars for baking. Then I thought, hey, chopped chocolate could be better than chips! So I proceeded with my chopping. Chopping chocolate is a very therapeutic activity for me, especially after dealing with the stress of trying to find the format for a complaint in the U.S. District Court in the State of Oregon. Yes, so the recipe came together quite easily with no trouble at all. My only concern was how little batter there seemed to be for the pan, but in the end, the blondies puffed up quite nicely.

As for the eating of the blondies, the recipe says you must let them cool completely for cutting, which was sheer torture for me. But I am learning to be patient! So I practiced belly-dancing in the meantime. While dancing, I realized I could easily spin out of control and fall and crack my head on my furniture and pass out and no one would know... But maybe my dog secretly knows how to dial 911? Okay, I digress. Let's just say, by the time I was done dancing, I was famished, and ate two blondies (I normally do not eat more than one of something in one sitting). And they were good.

Do you know who else enjoyed my blondies? My new kitten, Enzo. The pesky rascal climbed on my dining table this morning and chewed through the plastic wrap that covered a plate of blondies I was taking to work. Luckily he only got a few nibbles out of one before I caught him in the act and tossed that one out. I believe this kitty is going to cause me trouble...

In the pan

Blondies
from The New Best Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 lrg eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that one measure 13 inches wide and the other measures 9 inches wide. Fit into the bottom of the pan in a cross-wise pattern so that the edges stick out over the sides. This makes it easier to remove the blondies from the pan. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

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

3. Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the semisweet and white chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.

4. Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2 by 2-inch bars and serve.

Yummmmmm...

Enjoy!

Note: My coworker Chelsea told me these were her favorite treat I've ever brought in. The plate I brought in to work was empty by 2pm, a first for me.