Featured Post

sourdough discard crackers

use up that sourdough starter in something other than pancakes! this recipe is loosely based on King Arthur Flour's sourdough cracker re...

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

blondies

photo courtesy Stacey Cloud Chester

on one hand, blondies are very simple -- just like brownies, except the chocolate is concentrated in the chips, rather than incorporated into the batter. on the other hand, they're richer and more complex than brownies: because the batter is made with brown sugar, they're almost butterscotch-y in flavor. I used 2/3 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/3 chopped bittersweet chocolate (both Ghiradelli), because it's what I had on hand, and the sweet batter called out for a more intense chocolate. you can use light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or a combination - - the more dark brown sugar, the more butterscotch-y the flavor. this recipe makes a nice big batch.

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 2-1/2 cups light or dark brown sugar, packed
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt (kosher salt is tastier and less bitter than table salt. if you don't have any on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped or broken up into approximately 1/2" pieces
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
preheat the oven to 350 °F. butter and flour an 9 x 13 inch baking pan. in a large bowl, stir the eggs and sugar together (you do not want to incorporate extra air here; these are best when dense and just barely leavened), then the vanilla and salt. pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine thoroughly (do not overbeat).  sift the flour and baking powder directly over the bowl, all at once. again, gently whisk it all together until just combined -- i.e., no streaks of flour unincorporated; batter is thick and homogenous. stir in the chopped bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. using a flexible spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smothing the top out a bit. bake for 25 minutes. test center for doneness and continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool on a rack, cut into small squares and eat!

No comments: