A friend asked if I had a good blondie recipe. His mom used to make them, but he didn't have a recipe. I had one...for toffee blondies...and they were good, but he wanted the classic chocolate chip, just like mom used to make. That made my heart happy.
It just so happened that this friend had an upcoming birthday so you can imagine that I was on the case to make the perfect blondies for his birthday.
I tried a few variations and they were good...I mean, you really can't go completely wrong with flour, sugar, butter, and chocolate chips...but not outstanding. Then, I remembered a cookbook I had called Extreme Brownies. I took the recipe in the book for "loaded blondies" with walnuts and coconut and stripped it down for a classic version.
The result? The perfect classic chocolate chip blondie. Here are some things I love about this recipe:
- the blondies are thick,
- the shiny brownie-like top,
- they're not crumbly or crunchy,
- no mixer required,
- the sides/edges don't rise unevenly,
- they're DELICIOUS.
The ratio of chocolate chips to blondie is spot-on. There's just enough chocolate, but the brown sugar and butter base really shines.
Of course, I asked Mr. E to taste test for me. He was on the way out of the door to work and grabbed one as he left. He called an hour or so later to RAVE about the blondie. I think he was a little sorry they were a gift for someone else. Ha.
Classic Chocolate Chip Blondies
{makes 24, adapted from Extreme Brownies}
3 1/3 cups + 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
for the drizzle
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" pan with foil. Grease the foil.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Place the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and combined evenly with the brown sugar. Pour into a bowl. Let cool for several minutes to avoid cooking the eggs.
Add the eggs, one at a time, into the butter/sugar mixture, stirring well until completely combined. Stir in the extracts.
Sift the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 and bake for 18 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the drizzle. Place all of the drizzle ingredients in a small bowl. Heat on low power in the microwave in 30-second increments, until melted. Use a spoon to drizzle randomly over the blondies.
Place the blondies in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting. Use a bench scraper for straight edges.
You need this recipe in your life. It's perfect for parties, care packages, gift giving, just about anything!
