Coconut Lime Blondies

Some things just don't hit me until much, much later.

For instance, when I used to work as a writing tutor, this guy came in and waited behind four people just to get a conference with me. By the time his turn came along, my brain hurt from checking thesis statements, the clock was pushing 11 at night, and that was it, I had to stop the line somewhere.

"Can you just read a page?" he asked.
"No, I'm really sorry, but I'm not reading any more papers today. Maybe you can get some of your friends to read it for you?"
"Can you just read a paragraph?" he asked.
"No, I'm sorry. I really can't."
Then: "Can you read ONE sentence?"

And that's when I got super annoyed and sent him on his way. I wanted to yell at him, like, hey kid, I'm tired and sleep-deprived. I worked overtime. I have homework, too. What difference does a single sentence make?

A few days later I was complaining to my English professor and he gave me this really amused look and I finally went ohhhh.

Some other things I didn't "get" include Chik-fil-A (Chicken fillet, DUH), a close "friend" who secretly hated me for years, and... the exact deal with Honey Boo Boo.

I didn't get what these blondies reminded me of until a few days afterwards. Let's see...tons of coconut and chocolate that's chewy and sticky and practically addictive...

Coconut macaroons, in bar form. Except made better with tons of lime zest and crunchy walnuts.

PEOPLE. Are we getting this??

Coconut Lime Blondies

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbsp lime zest
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened is up to you)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or spray with cooking spray. Line pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter or spray the paper.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugars and zest until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in 1/2 cup each chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
   
3. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares.
   

 Adapted from Martha Stewart