Brewer's Blondies

Chocolate is the national dessert obsession.

I get this. 

It's a superstar. It's a badass. It's sexy and sweet and as cool as it gets. It's both sophisticated as a flourless torte and as down to earth as the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie. I have a whole category devoted to chocolate, and for good reason: chocolate is boss and it's here to stay.

A brownie is one of the best confections you can make with chocolate. Case in point: A while back I baked the most scrumptious marbled cream cheese brownies. I went nuts over them. My friends went nuts over them. It's pretty darn difficult to find someone who frowns at the mention of a brownie.

Everyone knows what a brownie is. This much is obvious.

But how about a blondie?

I myself had never heard of a blondie until my sophomore year of college. I think it absurd, as well. So what exactly is a blondie, you ask? Blondies are dessert bars based on tons of molasses-laden brown sugar. It's like a brownie in both method of baking and texture, but a blondie lacks chocolate in its base (although it can still have chocolate chips in the base batter). Some people use melted butterscotch chips in the batter, which, too, is delicious. All in all, blondies are in their own class of cool. No more shall they be a poor man's brownie.

Especially when they feature malt powder and Whoppers. Woo-hoo!

The malt powder and Whoppers are worth investing in for this recipe. If you're like me, you're going to make these blondies over and over. They're really rich and chewy, which I LOVE in a bar or cookie dessert.

Quick question: does anyone else really like Whoppers? I don't get them often, but they're always gone in a hurry whenever I do buy them.

...Just wondering :P

As you're mixing the batter, you will realize it's really, really thick. I have power pro mixers and even then I was struggling to get a hold of it. It's normal, though, and you have nothing to worry about.

Just think of it as exercise that will ultimately result in a need for... more exercise. And we love exercise.

I type that with absolutely no sarcasm whatsoever. I want to be one of those California girls who has exercise firmly etched into their lifestyles and tan lines.

As with all baked goods recipes, you must be mindful of the time. Once that toothpick comes out clean, that's it- it's baked and done. As I have said before, I baked these blondies many, many times. One time I left it in the oven for about five minutes too long, and the blondies turned out really tough. As in, a knife couldn't pierce the blondies...yeah. I would suggest checking from the 20-min mark and every five minutes afterwards.

They also take forever to cool. Or maybe they cool at a "normal" rate, whatever that is. Maybe I was just impatient.

Blondies rock. 'Nuff said. Set aside a brownie for another day and give these blondies a chance.



Brewer's Blondies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp malted milk powder
• 14 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup malted milk balls, like Whoppers, coarsely chopped in a food processor
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and malted milk powder together.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until completely combined. Scrape down the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture in two batches and beat until just combined. Add the malted milk balls, chocolate chips, and walnuts and beat until just combined, about 10 seconds. The mixture will be thick. Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
5. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondie comes out clean.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. These blondies taste delicious warm. Cut them into squares and serve with ice cream. They also taste great at room temperature. Once thoroughly cooled, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking