Blondies

I love it when the postman knocks, as it can only mean one thing, packages! This morning I was greeted with the beautiful sight of that well known brown Amazon packaging containing my latest cookbook fix, The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. After completing my daily chores around the house, I couldn’t wait to sit down with a cuppa and browse through my new book. This is definitely a must have book, it is packed full with so many amazing recipes that makes you want to bake them all, which for me is a “tell tale” sign of a good book. I was spoilt for choice on what to bake but I eventually decided on this Blondie recipe and all the ingredients were to hand in my cupboards. I’ve tried various recipes for Blondies but so far this recipe wins hands down and if the aroma coming out of the oven during baking doesn’t have your taste buds tingling, then wait till you taste them! These have a light melt in your mouth texture that is packed with white chocolate that comes through wonderfully with the dark chocolate and walnuts. If you love Blondies, you won’t want to miss this experience of sheer indulgence!

Blondies

Makes 24 blondies

Ingredients
1½ cups/7½ oz all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons/1 ½ sticks/170g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ cups/10 ½ oz packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup/3 oz semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup/3 oz white chocolate chips
1 cup/4 oz pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 180oC/160oC fan/350oF/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with baking parchment, leaving an overhang for easy lifting. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the blondies until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the blondies cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the blondies from the pan, cut into squares, and serve.