No unicorns were harmed in the baking of these blondies. When we visited Washington DC a few years ago, we went to this great bakery in Georgetown called Baked & Wired. There they sell the prettiest (and yummiest) cupcake called Unicorns and Rainbows with blue frosting and rainbow sprinkles.
That cupcake must have been in my mind when making these.
My other inspiration is prom! I'm on the prom planning committee at Jack's school (it's a new school and this is the first prom ever), how could I not?!? We had a lunch meeting with the student prom committee this week. There was no way I could show up empty-handed, right?
I mixed up some sprinkles ala Sweetapolia (who makes the coolest sprinkle combos ever) in a way that said "prom" to me. Pink and white hearts, yellow stars, small and large pastel sequins, white and pink sugar pearls...you get the picture. Just the sprinkles alone made my heart sing.
(If you're curious about sprinkles, check out this post all about them.)
Then, I made some cake batter blondies. These are based on these that I've made before from Dorothy Kern's book, Dessert Mash-Ups.
Unicorn Blondies
{adapted from Dessert Mash-Ups, makes 9x13" pan}
bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk
Sky Blue gel paste food coloring
sprinkles assortment
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" pan with foil and grease.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, butter, and almond extracts, and beat until combined. On low speed, add in the flour, mixing just until combined.
Use an offset spatula to smooth the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 22-24 minutes until slightly golden. Place on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before frosting.
make the frosting:
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until combined. Add in the salt, vanilla, and milk, and beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the food coloring. Use an offset spatula to frost the bars. Top with the sprinkles. Use a piece of waxed paper to lightly press the sprinkles into the frosting. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Unicorn Blondies. Prom planning blondies. Call them what you want...you need them.
