Almond Blondies

I spotted this recipe in one of my mom’s magazines, and thought it looked so simple but so good. I don’t subscribe to magazines because I work in a library so it seems unnecessary. It sure is nice to have them to look at. I guess we do subscribe to a couple of British food magazines on the iPad, and that is a little different. Of course I ended up taking a photo with my iPhone, so I was following the recipe on a teeny, tiny screen. Again, good thing the recipe was simple.

I love bar cookies, especially when I am pressed for time. Usually the most waiting is for when they need to cool. These you cut when they are warm, so not much waiting there. I just did a couple of chores around the house while I waited for them to cool. The bars come out of the oven very poufy, but once they have cooled then are quite thin. They are delicate and I had to be careful cutting them. The edges were too thick so I just trimmed them off.

I was worried that I hadn’t baked these enough, since they seemed so soft. But I think that the softness is due to having so much brown sugar in the bars. Even when you make the dough, it’s more like a batter because the brown sugar becomes a liquid when heated. These bars have that wonderful gooey, just slightly under baked flavor that is so good. These are simple and just perfect for an afternoon snack.

Almond Blondies

2 cups brown sugar

2/3 cup butter, in pieces

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan.

In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar and the butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixer bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

With the mixer, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until the dough comes together. Spread the dough in the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the chopped almonds.

Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cut into bars while warm.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens