Blondies, FTW.
My holiday baking this year consisted of gingersnaps (my first time!) and blondies.
I used the Cooks Illustrated recipe from my first post on this very blog and due to time and ingredient constraints, I cut some corners.
Turns out cutting corners paid off, big time! The simplified version of this recipe made for a focused baked treat… you’re really able to taste the caramel-y flavor and enjoy the buttery texture without the add-ins.
Simple, No-Fail Blondies (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional: 1 teaspoon of molasses
- Adjust oven rack to the middle and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium to large bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix.
- Pour batter into greased 8×8 or 9×9 pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
- Bake until top is a light golden brown and edges start to brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Cool on wire rack to room temperature.
This is a very forgiving recipe: You can cut the sugar, include a little more or less of the butter and vanilla, and it should still turn out. I dare you not to love the results.
If you’ve tried this recipe or another blondie recipe, let me know in the comments!
baking and barre in LA 