Swirled Blondies

These were not the original blondies I planned to make for Madaline and Ernie's rally.  But the test batch of the first version, while good, were very sweet and because the edges caramelized, they were a far more crunchy blondie which I wasn't too thrilled about.  So when Madaline commented that she too thought they were overly sweet, I went back to the plans and swapped in this recipe which is truly a perfect blondie.  It's chewy and has the sweet caramel tones, but plays nicely with a bit of chocolate syrup swirl.  And let's talk about that swirl!  So pretty, even though I had a bit of a dump on one end, the batter was fluid enough to really let me cut in and get the syrup distributed throughout the pan.  Dave even called it professional.  He always knows just the right things to say.

Like the Cakey Brownies and Pretzel Brownies, these bars came from Food Network Magazine's 50 Brownies booklet from the March 2012 issue.  Even though it was only a slight variation to go from the crunchy, super sweet blondies to this chewy version, the end result couldn't be more different.  Plus the recipe has so much going for it: one bowl, a whisk, a spatula, and, of course my very favorite part: booze!  Yup, just a touch of bourbon kicks up the flavor intensity without tasting like a drunken dessert.  The bourbon is optional, so no worries if you want to leave it out.  Although, I do encourage you to live it up a bit and leave it it. 



Swirled Blondies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons bourbon (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Melt butter and whisk together with brown sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then bourbon and vanilla.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until combined.

Spread batter evenly into a well-greased 9 x 13 inch pan. (Note: I lined this pan with foil sprayed with cooking spray because I wanted to be able to remove the whole thing from the pan easily so I could use the pan again right away.)

Distribute chocolate syrup evenly on top of batter.  Then with a knife or spatula, swirl syrup into the bars.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes or until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire rack before cutting into bars.

Makes 24 bars.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Printer Friendly Recipe