in our house, blondes don’t have more fun…

A co-worker asked if I knew how to make blondies, and I said, ’sure.’ I mean, come on, how hard can it be? (Before I continue with this story, you should know I working the Miami unit, though not in Miami itself, and am one of the few non-Hispanic individuals. I’m assuming this is why my sweet little bilingual friend determined that I would be the best to ask for a dish called a ‘blondie.’)

One of my 101 Things is to try new recipes & review them here, so this seemed like a good time to start. So I set about looking for a good blondie recipe. I found one with amazing photos at Smitten Kitten (I go to that particular blog just for the photos. They are amazing.) The photos make me think of smooth, creamy, lush goodness. The recipe was easy to follow, and the batter smelled tantelizing.

Smitten Kitten’s Blondies

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

The result, however, not so swell. While the photos show thick, goowy bars, mine turned out thin and dryish. I was so disturbed, I tried twice. Same result… big pan, small pan. The taste of the baked bars wasn’t like the smell of the batter. I have no idea what I did wrong, but obviously, something went awry.

Now, Mike liked them. Ate both batches. But he’s never had any discretion. That’s how we made it through our first year of marriage when I couldn’t cook at all. The man would eat dirt if you sprinkled it with a little cayenne pepper.

But anyway, I’m on a search for a good blondie recipe. If you’ve got one, send it to me.

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Tagged with: 101 Things in 1001 Days • blondies