Chocolate chip and Heath Blondies

Chocolate chip and Heath Blondies – Submitted by Mara O.

Blondies are one of the most simple, tastiest baked goods you can make. These blondies are perfectly dense with a paper-thin crinkly top and taste like deep, rich buttery caramel.  What You Need to Know: It’s best to use dark brown sugar for these. Light brown sugar will work fine, but the flavor will not be as rich. Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking — add chocolate, nuts, dried fruit or whatever else you adore. We’ve shared suggested amounts in the recipe below.

Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)

1 cup (230 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour (we use unbleached Gold Medal all-purpose flour)

I used …

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips,

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

for my extra.

Optional Extras (Add one or a combination to customize)

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, semi-sweet, dark, etc.)

1/2 to 1 cup chopped and toasted nuts

1/2 to 1 cup chopped dried fruit or shredded/flaked coconut

1/4 cup liquor (bourbon, whisky, rum, etc.) Note: Increase flour by 1 tablespoon to accommodate

1/2 teaspoon favorings or extracts (coconut, mint, rum, raspberry, etc.)

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or line an 8-inch by 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in egg, vanilla, almond extract (optional) and the salt.

Add flour and stir until incorporated then mix in any extras such as chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit (amounts above). Pour batter into baking dish and bake 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out relatively clean. Cool then cut into 16 squares.

Storing

Store blondies covered in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. You can also freeze up to 3 months.

Read more: http://www.inspiredtaste.net/23801/no-fail-blondies-recipe/#ixzz2kMjOETQ5

Tagged: 11/12/13, Mara O.