Cook's Illustrated's Blondies: A Variation with Milk Chocolate & Caramel

I don’t have anything savory to share with you for 2 reasons. One, as I said, my mom is here and cooking for us. But second, I have not been the grocery store in over a month! This is not as bad as it sounds—I was out of town for the better part of 2 weeks and my husband has made lots of little trips since we got back (and I was sick). But it has really hampered my cooking, especially living where we do (since I usually make the occasional big trip "to the city" for more "exotic" goods). My meals have gotten progressively less creative until finally I am now just relying on my mom. I actually ran out of onions—twice. But that is about to change, as I am hitting the stores the next 2 days.

But baking is different. As long as you have a good supply of butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, chocolate and different chocolate chips—and citrus oils really help also—you can be almost endlessly creative in the kitchen with baked goods. That is why that is all you have seen on my blog for almost 3 weeks now. And that is why you’re getting another one now, Milk Chocolate and Caramel Blondies.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but respiratory illnesses really mess with my appetite. I stop wanting chocolate (!), dairy sounds awful as do fresh veggies, and all I seem to want is starch. And I don’t want it to be very rich—but I do want bland and so I am afraid I stop experiementing with whole grains. Sometimes when I have been sick, I snap instantly out of it it and my diet reverts to normal. But sometimes, when I have been really sick for a long time (like now), I seem to need to ease back into eating like a normal person. For meals that means more vegetables and protein and less carbs. But for desserts, it means more chocolate and diary. And whole grains when I remember (I forgot today but I would try this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour next time). And so today I decided to make very rich butterscotch and caramel cookies with some chocolate. My mom LOVES caramel, so the addition of milk chocolate and caramel swirled chocolate chips to my favorite blondie recipe seemed inspired. This blondie recipe is my favorite not just because it is terrific, but also because it is SO easy—no mixer required. For the original variation, try it some time with ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips and ½ cup white chocolate chips in place of the chips used here.

Milk Chocolate & Caramel Blondies

Adapted from Baking Illustrated (America’s Test Kitchen)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (7.5 oz) AP flour

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

12 T (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 ½ cups packed (10.5 oz) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ t vanilla extract

¾ cup swirled milk chocolate and caramel chips (made by Nestle)

¼ cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional—I left out since I dislike nuts in my baked goods)

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line with foil or parchment paper and grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the melted butter and borwn sugar together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients just until combined—do not overmix. Add the chips and nuts, if using, and fold in. Pour/scoop the dough into the prepared pan and spread out with the rubber spatula.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until the top is shiny and cracked and golden brown. Remove pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Remove the entire “bar” of cookies, using the parchment paper or foil, and place on a cutting board. Slice the cookies into bar size of choice.