baking blondies

after having been well acquainted with brownies in the united states, i finally got to watch how blondies are made -- the lighter colored equivalent without a ton of cocoa or chocolate but plenty of nuts.

maybe because my mom occasionally calls me blondie due to my hair color, i've felt a special curiosity toward this dessert. i had heard of them before, saw them in stores, and probably also ate one or two unknowingly. now i witnessed how they are made. here's how to bake a blondie a la sharon (with a little help from martha stewart).

















already prepared: all the good blondie stuff. [ich habe da schon mal was vorbereitet..] and don't forget your u.s. style measuring cups. as j. always reminds me, not ANY cup will do. it's got to be a proper store-bought measuring cup. i'd say taking an old-fashioned coffee cup -- not one of these giant mugs which are fashionable these days -- will do the job. (but maybe my lenience in this issue contributed to the two cookie failures i've already suffered through).

















melting the butter is crucial, says sharon. do not microwave it but liquify and brown it in a pot. you need half a stick -- that should be 60g for german measurements. by the way, u.s. americans love their salty butter. i think you can take either one. if you go for the salty butter, just leave away the additional pinch of salt from the recipe. (i'm not even sure if salty butter even exists in germany.)

















another common ingredient in the united states of america is brown sugar. it comes in all shades of brown, has a more moist feel to it and is more flavorful than white sugar. for this recipe you need both colors.














after beating the eggs (two small or one large), add some vanilla extract to it. it's yet another very common ingredient found in u.s. "baking needs" aisles in every well-stocked supermarket. if you can't find it easily in germany, a little package of vanilla sugar will do just fine.














now whisk, whisk, whisk both kinds of sugar, the egg-vanilla mixture, and the liquid butter together. carefully fold it the flour (and salt if your butter is salt-free).















ode to its brownie cousin: some chocolate chips whoosh from the bag into mix to land on walnuts that go in as well.

















put some parchment paper into the baking pan so that the dough won't stick. in addition, smear some butter on the paper. you need a glass casserole about the size above.











into the oven the blondie goes: 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit or 180 degrees celsius.
















hot & yummy: the ready-made blondie. now you just need to cut them into small squares. thanks, sharon!

they whole recipe:

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 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugars 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 and walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and walnuts.
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. Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Makes 16 Blondies.