Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Chewy Chunky Blondies



This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was selected by me! It was my turn to pick this week and I think I picked a great recipe. I couldn’t believe it was my turn to pick and I was ecstatic when I got the email asking for my pick. What to pick? I knew right away that I wanted to pick cookies, because they are my favorite. I poured over the book and came up with these. I love bar cookies. I love quick recipes. I love cookies with lots of add-ins. This recipe was winner on all levels.


All the add-ins, ready to go!

When I first started baking, bar cookies were my favorite to make. You can really do a lot with a bar cookie: multiple layers, interesting combinations, the limits are really endless. I baked a lot and often took what I made to work (that hasn’t changed!) and my boss at the time asked me to bake for an upcoming company meeting. I was really excited since it was my first paying gig. For that meeting I made three different types of bar cookies. I’ve made a couple of those cookies for this blog (here and here), since they remain sentimental favorites.

These blondies are great since you can adapt them to your taste. I used chocolate chips, toffee chips, pecans (since I don’t really like walnuts), and coconut. You could use different chips if you wanted, and I know many of the other Tuesdays with Dorie bloggers made some really interesting variations. I took these to several different people and everyone loved them. The complexity and the different layers of flavor were really wonderful. I think I made a great pick and thanks to everyone for baking with me this week!

2 cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chips or 1 cup store bought chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9” x 13” baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best as you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, roughly 2-1/4” x 1-1/2”

Recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, page 109

38 comments:

Hindy said...

Great choice, Nicole. Thanks!

Cakelaw said...

I enjoyed these very much - thanks for hosting us this week!

Pamela said...

Nicole, I love this recipe! It's one of my favorites and I was so happy to have a reason to bake them and eat a few. Loved these! Great choice.

Kayte said...

These were a big hit around here, and no doubt they will be made again and again...thanks for picking them! Yours look wonderful.

scrambledhenfruit said...

These look so tempting! I'm not a TWD Baker but I have the book and love it and the recipes I've made from it so far. I hope these freeze well, because I'm making them and don't dare leave the whole pan around! Thanks for sharing :)

Di said...

These ended up being a huge hit around here, too. Lots of fun and easy to adapt to different tastes. Great pick!

Valerie Gamine said...

Your bars look perfect! Thank you so much for the delicious pick. :)

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

These were a great choice Nicole! :)I took them to class with me last night and they were devoured.

dharmagirl said...

a delicious choice. i made mine for the fourth of july holiday weekend:)

Nickki said...

Nicole, thank you for choosing my favourite recipe! I am so glad they were finally chosen because I have been patiently waiting for an excuse to make them again! I LOVE these blondies.

Cristine said...

Great pick! Thanks for hosting!

angrybaker said...

This was the very first Dorie recipe I ever baked, over 2 years ago, and it's still one of my favorites! The only strange thing is that lately I've been having problems where the blondies rise too fast, then create a crisp outer shell that looks nice... until you cut it, and it seems like some of the middle is underbaked (and there's a huge gap between the underbaked part and the top crispy crust). This didn't use to happen so I wonder if my oven is going crazy...

Unknown said...

thanks for the pick--these were wonderful!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

Thanks for the best choice. This is a fantastic bar cookie. It brings blondies to a new dimension. Yours look fantastic.

AmyRuth said...

Oh congratulations on your pick! Its like a big blog party, huh? How fun and I loved your pick! I was pleased and surprised. They are wonderful! Love it.
Okay, keep up the good work and enjoy visiting all your friends and making new ones. YIPPEE
AmyRuth

Judy said...

Thanks for a great choice. I've never been a fan of blondies, but this recipe changed my mind. If you hadn't chosen it, I would never have tried it on my own.

Amber Marie said...

This was a great choice! I was excited when I saw it. These were great! My were a little on the crispy side but your blondies look nice and chewy.

Susan said...

Thanks for picking these! They are so good! We loved them here and I know I will make them again and again!

Bella Baker said...

GREAT GREAT GREAT pick!! These are my favorite! They are the best ever! I love these blondies! Yours look gorgeous!!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

You DID make a great pick! And your picture is better than in the book. Loved this recipe, thanks.

Criollobylisa said...

Thanks for such an awesome selection! What a treat!

Gourmified said...

These were an absolute HIT! I will definitely make them again! Great choice!

Lisa
http://gourmified.blogspot.com

Rachel said...

i LOVED this recipe! thanks for such a great pick!

margot said...

Your blondies look awesome! I didn't love how mine turned out, but am willing to give this recipe another try.

Shandy said...

Great choice this week and thank you for hosting! Loved the blonde brownies =).

Madam Chow said...

Yes, these were good, even with the coconut! Thanks for a great pick!

Katy said...

This was a great choice -- thank you!! :)

bakingtherapist said...

I really enjoyed making these!I omitted the walnuts and coconut and added more chocolate chips and chopped up heath bars. Really, really good. thanks!

Beth said...

Great pick -- these are delicious!

dorie said...

I'm always so glad when the person who picks the recipe for the week loves what she picks. These brownis -- okay blondies -- are favorites of mine as well. You did a really nice job with them.

Piggy said...

Thanks for picking this recipe, I love it!

Katrina said...

Fantastic recipe, great pick, awesome photos. Everytime I looked at someone elses, I kept meaning to click over and see yours and kept forgetting. Thanks for stopping by my blog and for reminding me that these are great and needed to be made again!

Judy said...

I see you're in Issaquah. I grew up in Bellevue. We used to go to Issaquah for chocolate candy! And a dear friend used to live there as well.

TeaLady said...

Fantastic Pick, Nicole. These were sooooo good. Sweet. gooey. good.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

you picked a good one-- these were a crowd-pleaser!!

Pei-Lin said...

Thank you so much for dropping by my blog! I feel honored! Thanks a million for hosting this week's TWD, too! Well, great minds think alike! Glad yours and my brain chose to bake blondies. LOL! I love your blog, too! Will link you up. So, you've gotten VERY well acquainted with Mr. Dentist, huh? Me, sorta. She could tell: "You haven't visited me for 10 years!? You've grown a lot!" LOL! I made my first visit in 10 years last September. LOL! Hope your appointment turned out fine. Nothing horrendous happened. I'm sure he'd not mistreat you. LOL!

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

I'm a week behind the game, but just posted the blondies, which I loved! Thanks for picking these. Never a big fan of blondies I would likely never have gotten around to making them on my own. Now I know blondies can be great! Thanks.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

I was thrilled with your pick and happy to bake along with you! Enjoyed visiting your blog too!

Kindly, ldh