Blondie

I'm not talking Deborah Harry's iconic rock band of the 70's, or the American comic strip featuring Dagwood's wife, but the confection with close ties to the popular brownie. The brownie derives its character from a deep rich cocoa base for the chocolate flavor, a blondie's flavor is butterscotch-like, based on a high quantity of butter and brown sugar in the recipe. 

Know Your Cookie:
A blondie is considered a sheet cookie as it's soft batter spreads across sheet like pan to bake. Other types of sheet cookies would include brownies and rainbow cookies. After sheet cookies are baked they are cooled and can be cut into squares, rectangles or any other shapes. 

Blondie
Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 12-18 Blondies 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
1 1/2 cups semisweet chopped chocolate pieces; or chocolate, or butterscotch chips
Optional: 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease and flour an 8 x 12 x 2 inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt well. Set aside.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and flufly. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, cream on high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. 

On a low speed add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, stopping machine to scrape down the bowl well after each addition. On a low speed add flour  to the butter mixture and mix just until flour is absorbed. Do not over mix. 

By hand, fold the pecans and chocolate in with a rubber spatula.

Optional: if using coconut; mix 3/4 of coconut with pecans and chocolate. 

Using a spatula, spread the batter into baking pan making sure the batter is spread evenly and smooth. If using coconut sprinkle extra on top of the batter. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. caution to not over bake. Blondies are baked when cookie springs back when pressed lightly with your finger or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 2 hours and cut the blondies into rectangle or square pieces.