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La Belle Cuisine
Life
with Blondies
by Lisa Yockelson
Chocolatier July 1999
“The blondie, that golden bar cookie, is a sweet package that neatly combines
the qualities of buttery, chewy and dense in a simple-to-mix bakery treat. With
intriguing undertones of butterscotch and caramel, a blondie batter can wrap
itself around an entire range of fruit, candy and nuts in the most appealing,
and irresistible ways.
Basic to a blondie batter is a classic list of baking staples – unsalted butter,
sugar, flour, eggs, flavoring extract and leavening. When combined, these form
a somewhat thick, reasonably sturdy mixture which bakes into moist, sultry
squares
or bars. The key to a knockout blondie is moistness combined with chewiness. This is achieved by using butter in the melted state, by incorporating
a small amount of leavening to develop the texture, by juggling the quantity of
flour
and amount of eggs, and by adding taste-heightening ingredients (like sweetened, flaked coconut) that promote a chewy-compact ‘crumb.’
The body and substance of blondie batters is created by the addition of coconut,
chopped nuts or flavored chips and, occasionally, a generous amount of chopped
candy. The nuts and chips season every bite of a blondie. Candy bars, cut into
small chunks, become pools of sweetness and texture (in a creamy, crispy or
chewy way) as the pieces meld into the batter as it bakes. Apart from actually
determining the taste of the batter, these components add bulk which, in the
end, designs and shapes the baked bars.
Here are recipes for sweetly rich and substantial blondies. They’ll fill up
the
cookie tin nicely.”
Double-Chip Butter Pecan Blondies
Yield: 16
blondies
Preparation: About 15 minutes, plus baking and cooling times
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and
cooled to tepid
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch-flavored chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans,
lightly toasted and cooled
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. The pan should be thoroughly
coated, as the blondie batter tends to stick. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Blend together the melted butter and light brown sugar in a medium
bowl.
Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all particles of flour are
ab-
sorbed. Stir in the chocolate chips, butterscotch-flavored chips
and chopped
pecans.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread the batter even-
ly in
the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set. Let the blondies stand
in the pan on
a cooling rack. Cool completely. With a small, sharp
knife, cut the entire
“cake” into 4 quarters, then cut each quarter
into 4 pieces. Store the blondies
in an airtight tin.
Peanut Butter
Passion
Blondies
Yield 16
blondies
Preparation: About 15 minutes, plus baking and cooling times
1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and
cooled to tepid
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Four 2.1-ounce chocolate-covered crisp
peanut butter candy bars
(such as
Nestle® Butterfinger®), cut into chunks
1/2 cup whole roasted peanuts
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a
9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. The pan should be
thoroughly coated, as the blondie batter tends to stick. Set aside.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and allspice onto
a
sheet of waxed paper.
3. Whisk the melted butter and peanut butter in a medium-size mixing
bowl. Blend
in the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in
the eggs and vanilla
extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all particles of flour are
absorbed. Stir in the peanut butter candy chunks and peanuts. The
batter will be
thick.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread the batter
evenly in
the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. The baked
“cake” of blondies
will pull away slightly from the sides of the baking
pan. Let the blondies
stand
in the pan on a cooling rack. Cool com-
pletely. As the “cake” of blondies cools,
the edges will be slightly
higher than the middle. With a
small, sharp knife,
cut the entire
“cake” into 4 quarters, then cut each
quarter into 4 pieces.
Store
the blondies in an airtight tin.
Coconut Candy Chunk
Blondies
Yield: 16
blondies
Preparation: About 15 minutes, plus baking and cooling times
3/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons bleached cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and
cooled to tepid
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Two 3-ounce bars bittersweet chocolate,
such as Lindt Excellence or
Tobler
Tradition, cut into chunks
9 snack-size (.68 ounces each) chocolate-
covered coconut candy bars
(Peter
Paul® Mounds®, cut into thirds
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a
9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. The pan should be
thoroughly coated, as the blondie batter tends to stick. Set aside.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt onto a
sheet
of waxed paper.
3. Blend together the melted butter, dark brown sugar and granulated
sugar
in a
medium bowl. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and
coconut extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all particles of flour are
ab-
sorbed. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or paddle, work in the flaked
coconut,
walnuts, bittersweet chocolate chunks and coconut candy
pieces. The
blondie
mixture will be thick.
5. Scrape the blondie mixture into the prepared baking pan and, with a
rubber
spatula, spread it into an even layer and into the corners of
the pan. Bake
the
sweet for 22 to 25 minutes, or until just set. The
edges will be a pale golden
color. Let the blondies stand in the pan
on a cooling rack. Cool completely. The blondies are dense-rich and
must cool thoroughly to cut neatly. With a small,
sharp knife, cut
the entire “cake” into 4 quarters,
then cut each quarter into 4 pieces
and remove with a small, offset metal spatula. Store the blondies in
an
airtight container.
Lisa Yockelson
is a baking journalist and the author
of 'Country Baking Treasury: Pies, Cakes, Cookies,
'Layer Cakes and Sheet Cakes' and the IACP
Award-winning 'Baking by Flavor
'.
 
Featured Archive Recipes:
Chocolatier's Life with Blondies, Part 1:
Coconut and Caramel Blondies
Toffee Almond Blondies
Miniature Chocolate Chip and
Walnut Blondies
Maida Heatter's Blondies
Brownie Bonanza!
Magic Cookie Bar Collection
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