Hey Blondie!

We had a lovely dinner of soup and rice casserole. The dishes are washed and put away. It's nearly time to put on the pajamas and settle in for a little tube time before bed. But there's something missing. I'm craving something a little sweet, but nothing that requires a whole lot of effort (did I mention the dishes were already washed?).

Enter the blondie. It's just like a brownie, hold the cocoa. I actually slightly prefer blondies over brownies. The cocoa sometimes hides the buttery caramely goodness that a blondie offers.

Just like with brownies there are 2 schools of perfection. There are those who like the edge pieces, so you get a little crispiness--hence the As Seen on TV: All edge brownie pans.

I am in the other school, those who like the goopy middle pieces. If not for the whole raw egg thing, I'd actually prefer just to eat the dough straight from the mixing bowl. Since that's not (a good) option, I prefer my blondies rare... for those who are in the crispy edges group, just add some more time to the recipe.

Just as an aside, the flavor of the brown sugar really comes through pretty strong here. This time I used Trader Joe's organic brown sugar and I have to say, it had a much deeper flavor than, say the Giant brand of brown sugar. I don't always buy organic sugars; I just happened to be at TJ's when I remembered that I was out. It was a happy accident.

Blondies (Emily-style)

Time: 1 hour (most of it baking)

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. wheat flour (if you don't have it on hand, just use all AP flour)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)

large pinch salt

handful of dried cherries (optional)

handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix together butter & brown sugar.

3. Add the egg and mix.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

5. Pour batter into a greased square baking pan.

6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the middle is just set*.

Note: This is largely going to depend on how big your pan is. I used an 8X8 pan and 35 minutes was just right for my rare blondie tastebuds. If you're using a bigger pan, start with 20-25 minutes and check as you go.

Bon Appetit!