ļ»æNo-fail blondies recipe that is dense, rich and chewy. Brown sugar with butter gives this the most loved butterscotch flavor. Makes a great party dessert and goes well with ice cream!
Hey hey!
This week, I had this weird thought or probably a case of collective guilt. Growing up, I’ve watched my mom and most people offer sandalwood, curd, milk, rose water, etc. to temples. Those offerings were used for bathing idols. Their intentions are purely spiritual, innocent and are just based on their beliefs.
These customary offerings have been there for generations and people couldn’t seem the obvious wastage of food. I’m not an atheist and never will be a vegan. But being a mom, it got me thinking how unjustified it is to waste cow’s milk. It is hard to produce and nurse human babies, it should be hard for cows too. When a group of people call consumption of milk products cruel, I wonder what wasting it should be called.
Recently my neighbor bought a huge can of milk, when asked, he said, rather proudly, it was for “abhisheka“. I couldn’t help but feel really sad; cows are mothers too. While this is one reason, this article from quint lists more valid reasons. After reading it, I truly felt foolish that this wastage hasn’t bothered me before.
Since there’s nothing I can do to about it, I thought I’d vent to you guys (XO thanks for listening). Anyway, let’s move on to a not so serious topic. I had some free time today and I don’t know how that happened! Glad though, cos I had time to make some of these gorgeous blondies.
Blondies / Blondie Bars:
I haven’t tasted a Blondie in restaurants, because brownies are so popular and I’m sure blondies are unheard of to most people. The first time I tasted blondies was when I made it. I admit, I was a bit reluctant to even make it for two reasons.
First thing, it had no chocolate (no chocolate chips doesn’t count. Ahem. brownies!). The second reason was melted butter, back then I hadn’t used melted butter before. After I unwillingly made it, boy was I surprised! It was just perfectly chewy and almost like a cookie bar. Since then I went through a number of recipes and I found this particular recipe close to my liking.
A perfect Blondie comes together because of the melted butter. Beating softened butter and sugar adds in some air to give cakey texture. Melted butter, on the other hand, gives that dense texture. Some recipes go for browned butter, but with the ghee all around me, I don’t brown the butter. The one and very last time I tried, it tasted like just another burfi bar.
Sugar is the star ingredient here; brown sugar that is. The molasses in the brown sugar is an important factor for the chewiness. These blondies turn out crispy on the edges, so you wouldn’t need to look away from brown sugar for crispiness. Blondies are very versatile; this recipe is with white chocolate chips and walnuts. You can use dark chocolate chips, pecans or walnuts. However, compared to chocolate chips, white chocolate chips doesn’t cut the flavor of the blondies.
How to make these:
Cut butter into even cubes – this is a crucial step. If you put a block of ice cold butter on a hot pan, the outer layer is gonna melt faster. It will continue to take the heat until the entire block of butter melts. This makes the edges to brown, we don’t want that.
For an even melting, cube and spread the butter evenly on the pan. Alternatively, soften the butter and spread them on the pan. Once melted, remove from heat and let it cool down a bit. Add the brown sugar to it and give it good mix.
Now add one egg and vanilla extract. Mix it thoroughly. For the dry ingredients, mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift them into the wet mixture. Mix them well before adding the extras.
Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Mix and transfer it to a prepared 8 inch pan. Bake for 30 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool down completely before serving. Serve with a big scoop of ice cream or store it for later.
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz’s “Perfect Scoop” book.
Note:
- Ensure not to overbake it; blondies will harden when done so.
- You can store them in air tight containers in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature before serving.
- You can also freeze them for about a month.
Other recipes you might like:
Enjoy!
Super-easy fail proof Blondie recipe
Ingredients
- 115 g Butter Melted
- 170 g Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Medium Egg
- 140 g All purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- One Pinch Salt
Other items
- 1 8 inch Square pan
- Parchment paper
- Spatula
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 170 C. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Soften the butter or if frozen, cut the butter into even cubes with a warm knife.
- Spread out the butter on a pan and melt it over low heat. It should remain yellow in color.
- Pour it into a mixing bowl. Tip the brown sugar into it and mix it well.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix it thoroughly.
- Combine all the dry ingredients and add it to the above mixture. Give it a good mix until just combined
- Fold the white chocolate chips and chopped walnuts into it.
- Bake at 170 C for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let it cool down completely. Serve it as is or with a scoop of icr cream.
