the Best Drunken Blondies
I gave you guys a little tease with these last week. Since they were in-sanely good, I made them again for an Oscars party I attended. So naturally, I took notes and pictures to share with you lovely readers. It’s been a couple of weeks since you’ve probably had an overindulgence of sweets from Valentine’s day, so you deserve these.
Warning: they are so easy to make and so good, you may become addicted.
photo credit: blahblahbirds
I know I am!
The original recipe calls for toasted shredded coconut. Since I am not a fan of coconut, I simply omitted it and added extra pecans and chocolate chips. I didn’t miss the coconut at all but I can see how it would pair well with the bourbon. So, if you are a coconut fan, I say go for it. But I simply started with toasting the chopped pecans in the toaster oven.
photo credit: blahblahbirds
Next, I melted the butter in a saucepan. I took this step a little further and browned the butter. Brown butter adds another whole dimension of flavor and richness to dishes. Here, I think the nutty flavor really elevated these blondies to the next level.
photo credit: blahblahbirds
Be patient when you are browning the butter on a medium-high heat. But make sure you keep and eye on it because your butter can go from brown to burnt very quickly and you don’t want that.
photo credit: blahblahbirds
The aroma that comes when you are combining the butter with the brown sugar is simply intoxicating. Of course, the addition of the bourbon only magnifies it. I was tempted to just call it quits and eat the batter by itself, but I exercised self-control. I was proud of myself for that.
photo credit: blahblahbirds
The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the blondies to cool before you cut into them. It makes them much easier to cut and your patience is rewarded when the blondies have set and maintain the chewy texture.
I found this recipe on the Amateur Gourmet’s blog and he got it from the Back in the Day Bakery cookbook. Needless to say, this cookbook is now on my Amazon wishlist. If these blondies are any indication of the other recipes in the book, it will surely be a classic.
So, when are you making them? Let me know what you think!
How To: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and line it with parchment paper. Leave enough parchment paper to hang over the edges of the pan and this will help lift the out of the pan later. Grease the parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside. Melt and brown ½ pound (or 2 sticks) of butter in a saucepan. Add 2 cups of light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. When butter had browned, at it to the brown sugar and stir until smooth. Add in two eggs at room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of Bourbon. Mix together until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until incorporated. When done, add the 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup chopped pecans and 1/4 cup shredded coconut (if using). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula (the mixture will be somewhat thick). Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top has browned and a tester comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. When cooled, cut the blondies into bars and serve. If you have any left, keep in an airtight container.
Chat ya’ later
Ladybird D
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Im definitely trying these and hope I can exercise as much self-control as you, Ladybird D.! Great post!
They are super yummy!! Made them last Sat for my Oscar party and they were a HIT! Gone in less than an hour! Making them again this week! Great post!