Blondies

Making Blondies was definitely a learning experience for me. The recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook said to use a 13x9" pan but I thought they would be better if they were thicker so I made them in an 8x8" pan. Lesson learned: don't do that. The sides got very tall and the middle stayed normal. They still taste good, but it is a little awkward to cut and eat them because of their strange shape. I am going to make them again with a few changes, which I am quite confident will improve the recipe.

2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt*
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (or in our case, plain M&Ms)

Grease a 13x9" pan: set aside. In a medium saucepan heat brown sugar and butter ove medium heat till sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Spread in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts. Bake at 350° 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut into bars while warm.

*Next time I make these blondies I plan on adding salt (the original recipe didn't call for it, but it was noticeably lacking) and stirring in 1 cup butterscotch chips rather than sprinkling regular chips on top. I think that will make them taste more like the blondies that I remember.