RECIPE: Blondies are a must-bake dessert for fall
As I sit down to write this piece, I’ve got coffee in one hand and a warm triple chocolate chunk blondie in the other wondering why on earth I don’t make this recipe more often.
The blondie, with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and warming vanilla, transports me back to a simpler time: fall Friday nights with my friends, eating pizza and watching movies, bowls of snacks and cookies, and then the quintessential delectable blondie brownie with all the add-ins — chocolate, nuts, crushed pretzels, even dried fruit. Blondies are warming, fun, satisfying — and simple to bake!
Blondies are essentially the inverse stepsister to brownies. Since they don’t utilize the time-consuming melted chocolate method that brownies do, this recipe is far easier to pull together and bake in a moment’s notice. And it’s a good one for including kids in the baking process.
Although my recipe calls for three different kinds of chocolate, feel free to choose your own add-ins. Fold in some M&M’s, crush some pretzels, swirl in a little gooey caramel — blondies are a good canvas for getting creative.
A couple of side notes on this recipe. First, check your baking powder. As we move into the fall and holiday season, ‘tis the time of year to get baking again, and there is nothing worse than a recipe coming out flat due to old leavening ingredients. Both baking powder and baking soda have a shelf life of about four to six months once opened so I highly recommend just getting a fresh container of each. Second, some of my favorite tools in the kitchen are my baking sheets and reusable silicone nonstick mats used as liners. I utilize a quarter sheet pan (9 1/2-inch-by-13-inch) and mat for this recipe, and I think it makes all the difference for ease of baking and cleanup.
- 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted, divided
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 1/2-by-13-inch baking sheet with a nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper and brush with a little bit of the melted butter. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining melted butter and light and dark brown sugars. Whisk well until texture is lighter in color and the consistency of caramel. Allow to cool slightly, then add egg and vanilla mixture and whisk well for 30 seconds. Gently fold in flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate chunks and gently fold again, ensuring that they are well dispersed in the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter until evenly distributed. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and slightly darker along the edges. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 12 blondies.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per blondie: 516 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 6 grams protein, 67 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 27 grams total fat (16 grams saturated), 94 milligrams cholesterol, 179 milligrams sodium.Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
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