Sometimes my lack of knowledge in the baking world seems more evident than other times. After all, I'm a new blogger since one month ago. Not too long ago my baking consisted of boxed Pillsbury brownies and Betty Crocker cake mixes. I have since come a long way, having made my first cake by scratch (at one time I thought that day would never come).
The last time I was in Hawaii visiting family, my uncle, well aware of my meager ability in the baking and cooking world, bought 5 of those pre-made, pre-portioned packaged Tollhouse cookie dough. Well, sadly, that was my capability level at the time. I could barely preheat an oven, let alone juggle simple directions to bake cookies and correctly distinguish done cookies from un-done ones. Yes, I have traversed quite a bit of ground since then, but my trail guide (to keep with this analogy) has not yet come to any steep climbs, hence, no scenic views just yet. I did, however, come across a recipe, intriguing to me, but not necessarily to others, (a mere roadside vista point, if you will, seen by many others, but not yet by me). This week's recipes happens to be a recipe for Blondies. Unbeknown to me not too long ago, blondies had an inevitable fate on my list of "must bake these."
A brownie without the chocolate is essentially what it is, and this variation on something so pedestrian, like the brownie, intrigued me. The more I read about it, the more I yearned to put this moist, buttery, complexion-less cousin of the brownie to my lips. Plus, it was easy to find great recipes. I only had to go as far as my favorite baking blogs to find the perfect one. Cookie Baker Lynn takes the recipe to a whole new level with maple cream sandwich cookies added to the batter. I just couldn't pass this one up and had to try it. Only problem was, I didn't have the cookies, but I did have some vanilla creme-filled cookies in my pantry. Sometimes baking calls for substitutions!
I was on one of my rampages late last Monday night. I knew that if I didn't put any baked sweet in my mouth soon, I would go crazy. Thank goodness for my roomate's suggestion to make these because had I not, I would have further delayed the discovery of one heavenly experience for my taste buds!
Baking these blond brownies was a blast. Maybe part of the fun came from the mere anticipation of a sweet thing for my tummy, but I kid you not, making them was at least half of it. I think it's because there are many elements that make up the whole process: the melting and simmering of the butter (the smell made my insides warm and my taste buds dance), the chopping of walnuts and creme-filled cookies and battling the burning desire to eat a few bites.
And that's not to mention the beauty of the batter, which only foreshadows the end result. It's just the perfect shade of tan-the color on a roasted-by-fire marshmallow of the place where the white meets the burnt-a creamy mocha color, perhaps. Anyways, it's beautiful.
I warn you that when you put your pan of blondie batter into the oven, you will not be able to leave the kitchen, because those 15 minutes of bake time that you would normally use to 'get something done' will be spent right there, in front of your oven, waiting. If it's the wafting smell of the batter components working their magic, or the burning anticipation of tasting it, I'm not sure, but regardless, your eyes will be glued to that oven and your feet firmly planted on that linoleum floor. These Blondies will be your destiny, at least for the next 15 minutes of your life, because nothing else but to wait for these blondies could possibly make any better use of your time.
Baking has its lessons, and one that I've learned to embrace, is the lesson of patience. A virtue of life and especially in the life of one who bakes, patience has a lot riding on it. I have learned to wait until a cookie cools, abstaining from a cookie right form the oven that will only crumble in my hand and burn the insides of my mouth. Patience is indeed important and holds true for this recipe. The blondies need to cool almost completely so as to give them adequate time to settle and condense properly. Also, I found the taste is much more present when cooled.
So when you have awaited the allotted time, and if you cannot, I'm sure you'll enjoy what you taste, if you are like me, you will have an oh-my-goodness-this-is-amazing! moment. I have honestly never tasted anything so satisfying by the bite. If baked goods were rated on their quality of taste over the quantity, this hands down would win in my books. I'm telling you, rarely can I taste something so good and be able to eat only a snippet of it. With so much goodness packed into such a small area, I was indeed elated after the first bite. Yum! The crushed cookies added some sort of airiness to the mostly dense texture and the nuts added that wholesome feel. The surrounding areas around those bits of cookies and walnuts were pure heaven. That's the best explanation I can give. It was buttery, soft, chewy-all in one. I enjoyed them and they were the easiest thing to finish I have baked so far. So bake these, whether they are uncharted or much traversed territory to you. I promise, you will like what you taste.
As adapted by Cookie Baker Lynn
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 oz roughly chopped Maple Cream-filled Cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with aluminum foil, leaving foil hanging over all the edges. Butter the foil and dust with flour.
2- In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown. It will bubble and froth up, then subside. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
3- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Attach bowl to mixer and add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture, stirring till combined, then gently stir in the chopped cookie bit and the walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
5- Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake!). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using the foil overlap as handles, take the blondies out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the blondies into squares.
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