BLONDIES: NATIONAL BLONDE BROWNIE DAY

Tomorrow is Blond Brownie Day. That's a misnomer. Blondies are not brownies! They get their flavor from brown sugar and not cocoa or chocolate, but they're wonderful for exactly what they are--a great butterscotch 'brownie'.

Over the years, I've added macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips or a combination of these ingredients to the following basic recipe. The variety of additions is huge, and the basic batter is a delicious brown sugar concoction.

Blondies are simple to make, and I highly recommend them. I use dark brown sugar because I think it has more flavor. As in any recipe, the quality of the ingredients makes a difference in your final product.

BLONDIES

Ingredients
1/2 cup sweet butter, melted
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of chocolate chips or any other addition (walnuts, macadamia nuts, butterscotch chips, etc.. you can pack more in, but the consistency will be different...but more gooey and delicious)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F
1. Butter and lightly flour 8×8 pan.
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla and whisk.
4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix together. Stir in chips and/or nuts --or whatever 'extras' you're using this time around :-)
5. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 20-25 minutes (350), or until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overcook.
6. Cool on rack. Cut into squares or bars.