Simply ... Blondies

Apparently I was wrong when I said I'd be blogging more. I don't know where the crazy idea I would have time came into my head. The act of touring a play to prisons, homeless shelters, etc. is actually quite a time-consuming and exhausting process. Add on-to that the terrible illness that laid me out for the count this week, and I'm slowly refinding my kitchen (and various parts of my apartment that are buried).

But, in exchange for a lovely hoodie I promised a butterscotch treat for a friend. So, I found this (delicious) recipe for blondies. Don't you love the barter system?

Blondies can be dressed up a number of ways ... this is just a very simple, straight-forward recipe.

Simply Blondies

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 - 25 minutes

Yields: 1 - 8x8 pan

Ingredients

• 8 TBS butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8x8 pan.
2. Mix melted butter w/brown sugar - beat until smooth (I used a whisk)
3. Beat in egg. Then the vanilla.
4. Add salt, then stir in the flour. Mix in butterscotch chips.
5. Pour into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until set in the middle.

Be sure not to overcook!!

Enjoy with a glass of milk or cup of coffee.

Herbal Dynasty Chai Scottish Shortbread

The time has come. I've infused my butter, and now I get to make tea treats!! First up: shortbread cookies. These seemed like the perfect first foray into tea-infused treats. (Don't worry, I have big plans for cupcakes too!) So, I went through my tea selection and pulled out my Herbal Dynasty Chai from Sereneteaz . This is a really delicious, light chai made with roobios tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon & vanilla. It's almost floral, and a good introduction for the non-chai drinkers out there.

I'm pleasantly surprised how these turned out since I've never fully adapted a recipe for myself before. But, they have an excellent, delicate texture with a sweet, tea flavor. I'm thinking over the next couple days the tea flavor will become slightly more pronounced, but it unfolds nicely in your mouth as you eat the cookie. I would like to try this with some other tea varieties.

Tea-Infused Scottish Shortbread
recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus time to infuse the butter with tea)
Total Time: About 1 hour
Yields: 24 - 2" x 1" bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup (1 1/2 sticks) tea-infused butter, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (plus 1 to 2 tsp, reserved for later)
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• splash of good-quality vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt & vanilla.
3. Gently stir-in the all purpose flour.
4. Lightly knead the mixture until it is well blended.
5. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Pierce the dough deeply with a fork all over in a decorative pattern. Then sprinkle with 1 to 2 tsp of sugar.
6. Bake until the shortbread is lightly browned and darker at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes.
7. Immediately cut into bars while still warm, then cool in the pan or on a rack.

Enjoy!!

The always classic brownie

Another one of my deep dark baking secrets, for many years, was my lack of desire to make brownies from scratch. It seemed like no matter what recipe I tried, the box mix was always better. A lot of the recipes I tried would be too cake-like, and when I want a brownie I want a nice, chewy brownie. Not a version of chocolate cake...if I wanted chocolate cake, then I'd make a cake, you know? Anyway...I finally stumbled onto this brownie recipe. Since I like almost anything in the Chocolate Bar cookbook, I knew that this would be a good one to try.

It's an easy recipe to throw together when you are just wanting something nice and chocolaty...holds up well if you warm it up and throw a dollop of ice cream on-top, or if you need something for the bake sale.

Deep Dark Brownies
courtesy of The Chocolate Bar Cookbook

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 TBS cocoa powder
• 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 tsp instant espresso powder
• 5 oz semisweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (4 1/2 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (optional - though it should really only be option if you don't have them. They are a definite asset to the brownie!!)

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (If you are using a dark-colored baking pan reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.) Butter the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa powder together into a bowl; set aside.
3. In a medium-large, heavy saucepan, combine the butter and espresso powder and stir over low heat until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate, stirring constantly until the mixture appears completely smooth, approx. 2 minutes.
4. Take the chocolate mixture off of the heat and add the sugars, mixing until combined.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue stirring until they are evenly incorporated and the mixture does not appear grainy.
6. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in chips if using. Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top. Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool completely on a wire.

Enjoy!!

Brown Sugar Squares

This is a new find for me...but when going through my cookbooks for my big holiday bake-up this seemed quite tasty and easy....and I was right on both accounts!! This creates a chewy, sweet bar. I was a bit surprised at how few ingredients were necessary!!

Brown Sugar Bars
courtesy of Paula Deen / The Lady & Sons Just Desserts cookbook

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 18 - 20 minutes
Yields: 16 2-inch squares


Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup light brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. Stir together egg, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl.
3. Sift together flour, soda, and salt in another bowl. Quickly stir into egg mixture. Add nuts and spread in pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cookies should be soft in center. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!