Bake Sale Blondies

I had never heard of Blondies until I saw the movie "Nancy Drew" with Emma Roberts. They looked so good on TV that I began a mission to find a recipe. No one my age or younger has really been exposed to this tempting baked confection. Blondies are like a brownie, except that cocoa powder has been left out and it is a little less dense. It's always gooey coming out of the oven but left to cool it's like a cookie-cake. You can add any of your favorite nuts, chocolates, peanut butter chips, and coconut.

Since finding out my Science Olympiad team was without funds this school year, I began raising money by selling my blondies to ravenous teenagers at school. Originally I made these with coconut flakes, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. The students began putting in requests for different ingredients. Hey, supply and demand--give the customers what they want. So I did. My best-selling blondie is the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Blondie. They are rich, extra sweet, addictive, and almost like a meal.

I still get personal requests for my Blondies but I am so busy these days with school work and my husband's relocation that I can't seem to find the time. Give them a try and let me know how you like them.

* Blondie Dough adapted from " Taste of Home's Contest Winning Annual Recipes".

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c fine white sugar
3/4 cu light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Extra Add-Ons

1/3 bag peanut butter chips
1/3 bag chunky semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 bag white chocolate chips
Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips, for topping

Beat butter and sugars until sugar has dissolved into the butter, you can tell because it's not grainy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on slow to medium speed until creamy & bright yellow.
Note: It's better to underbeat than overbeat this dough.
Slowly mix in dry ingredients, spoonful by spoonful. Each time wait until the dry ingredients have mixed in before adding more. The dough will get tough if you don't.
After the dry has been thoroughly mixed with the wet, add the Peanut butter chips, Chunky chocolate chips and white chocolate chips until evenly dispersed.

Scrape dough into a buttered baking dish. I like to use a round gratin casserole dish. Smooth it out until its even. Top with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is light brown. It will be gooey so let it cool in the dish completely before trying to cut it.

Because I can usually only bake at night, I let it sit out until morning then cut it into pie slices.

I have no idea how long they will stay good. They're gone by 3rd period that day.

Where's the Chemistry? Actually its everywhere in this recipe: the baking powder and salt give it volume, texture and flavor, the softened butter is warm enough to get the sugars to dissolve. Undissolved sugar in a recipe, carmelizes and hardens, making it one tough cookie! : )

Give 'em a try!