Vintage Kitchen
Art Print
Longo, Michael
Buy at AllPosters.com

La Belle Cuisine - More Cookie Recipes

Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

"To cook is to create. And to create well...
is an act of integrity, and faith."

"Cookies are made of butter and love."
~ Norwegian Proverb

Recipe of the Day Categories:

   Recipe Home

   Recipe Index

   Appetizers

   Beef

   Beverage

   Bread

   Breakfast

   Cake

   Chocolate

   Cookies

   Fish

   Fruit

   Main Dish

   Pasta

   Pies

   Pork

   Poultry

   Salad

   Seafood

   Side Dish

   Soup

   Vegetable

   Surprise!

Caramel Mou a La
Creme Klaus
Bonfatti
Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com

Cookies Family Style
Linda Carter Holman
Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com

Baking by Flavor

Your patronage of our affiliate partners supports this web site.
We thank you! In other words, please shop at LBC Gift Galerie!

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.”

Coconut and Caramel Blondies

Yield: 16 blondies
Preparation: About 25 minutes, plus baking and cooling times

Blondie batter:
1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and cooled to tepid
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Caramel topping:
16 vanilla-flavored caramels (5.2 ounces total weight)
2 tablespoons light cream
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the blondies:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of an 8-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 soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Blend together the melted butter and dark brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all the particles of flour are absorbed. Stir in the coconut and walnuts. The batter will be thick and
slightly glossy.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until set. Let the blondies stand in the pan on a cooling rack while you prepare the topping.

Make the caramel topping:
6. Place the caramels, cream and nutmeg in a small heavy saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron). Set over moderately low heat and cook slowly to dissolve the caramels, stirring from time to time. When the
caramels are completely dissolved (in about 8 minutes), and the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. The caramel mixture will be thick.
7. Immediately spoon the warm caramel topping over the surface of the
uncut blondies in wide, patchy drizzles. 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 container.

Toffee Almond Blondies

Yield 16 blondies
Preparation: About 15 minutes, plus baking and cooling times

1 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and cooled to tepid
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
5 bars (1.4 ounces each) milk chocolate toffee, (such as Heath® Milk Chocolate English Toffee or Skor®), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, 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 powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Blend together the melted butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar
in a medium bowl. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all particles of flour are absorbed. Stir in the chopped toffee and slivered almonds.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until softly set. Let the blondies stand in
the pan on a cooling rack. Cool thoroughly. The blondies are buttery rich
and must cool completely 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.

Miniature Chocolate Chip and Walnut 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 powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, such as Land O’Lakes,
melted and cooled to tepid
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnut halves and pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of an 8-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 powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Blend together the melted butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar
in a medium-size mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Stir in the sifted mixture, blending until all the particles of flour are absorbed. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until softly set. The edges of the blondies will be a pale golden color. 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 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".
 

Life with Blondies, Part 2!
 

Featured Archive Recipes:
Maida Heatter's Blondies
Coconut Blondies
Sweet Cherry Blondies
Brownie Bonanza!
Magic Cookie Bar Collection

Index - Cookie Recipe Archives
Daily Recipe Index
Recipe Archives Index