YES I am blonde and YES I love to bake. I have been baking from the very beginning. My grandmother instilled her gift of baking within my mother, and then my mother instilled that same passion and gift in me. As a young girl, I would spend almost all of my time in the kitchen, watching my mother and learning all of the special tricks and recipes to baking. This is my very first column for HCLMU, and what would be more fitting than my blondie recipe? I came across this recipe from my dear friend who is from South Carolina. She is truly a doll, and has taught me the secrets to Southern hospitality. I will mention her frequently, as well as all of her delicious, buttery recipes.
A blondie is also known as a blonde brownie. They are a sweet confection made of brown sugar, and, most importantly, butter. I sweeten my blondies with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, two musts in blondies. The chips add tremendous flavor and contribute to their richness. I have tried every recipe, and this one is by far the best, even though it is technically defined as a “semi-homemade” recipe. The yellow cake mix is the kicker in these blondies. The cake mix not only makes the blondies chewy and moist, but also makes this recipe easy as pie. Who cares if it’s technically semi-homemade? No one will ever need to know. Your guests will be thoroughly impressed. They are perfect for a dinner party, an after dinner treat with your honey, or just because you’re in the mood for something sweet. Anyone can make these blondies – I am sure of it!
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker is my favorite)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 package butterscotch chips (Toll House)
1/2 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Eggs
½ cup butter melted (1 stick)
Baking Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend the cake mix, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer until all ingredients are combined. If you do not have an electric mixer, that is okay! Just use a spatula to blend everything together. The last step is to mix in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.
Press the sticky dough into a greased 9-inch pie pan or 9-inch square pan. I like to make them somewhat thick, but if you prefer a thinner blondie, use a 13 x 9-inch pan.
For the smaller pans, the blondies will take longer to bake. Bakes anywhere from 30-40 minutes or until the blondies are golden brown. Be careful on over-baking, or else you will end up with a hockey puck. You want the center of the blondies to have barely set; this will make them chewy and gooey.
For the larger 13 x 9-inch pan, the blondies will bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
These blondies are fantastic on their own, or when served warm with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauce. Top it off with whipped cream, of course! Everyone will LOVE these. Good luck baking, and enjoy! :)