I love brownies, no doubt, but I certainly wouldn't kick a blondie out of bed for leaving a mess of crumbs!
Because they are bar cookies, they require a little less effort than your standard drop chocolate chip cookie. But don't be fooled, a blondie is not merely a chocolate chip cookie batter spread into a pan.
They are stickier, chewier, and something about using melted butter gives blondies an almost caramel-like texture in the center. For Valentine's Day, I cut out heart shapes after they were baked and cooled, which left me with lots of little pieces to tide me over until Tuesday.
Blondies
Preheat oven to 350.
Generously butter and flour a 9" square baking pan. There's nothing wrong with using an 8", which will increase the bake time by a few minutes and result in thicker blondies.
Sift together 1 c. all-purpose flour, ½ tsp. baking powder, 1/8 tsp. baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the butter to a boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes, until the butter turns a light golden brown, while stirring.
Add ½ c. brown sugar and ½ c. white sugar to the melted, browned butter, stir to combine, remove from heat, and let cool.
When the butter and sugar mixture has cooled to warm, stir in 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture, 1 c. chopped toasted nuts (I used walnuts), and 1 c. chocolate chips that have been tossed with flour.
Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely, then cut into bars. Or hearts, or whatever you feel like.
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