Up until my early 20s the only thing I knew how to do in the kitchen was bake. And most of what I baked came from a box – brownies and angel food cake with Jello pudding frosting (someday I’ll share this recipe). But I do recall making an occasional batch of blondies using a recipe from Joy of Cooking. My mom had a worn version of this cookbook that was a staple in her small cookbook library. When I started cooking it was one of the first books I purchased (1975 edition). It may have even come from a ‘Book of the Month Club’ (all books not just cookbooks) – do you remember those? While I’ve never cooked much from it, I have always had it on hand as a cooking reference, long before the internet took over in that realm.
A few months ago, my childhood friend, Stefanie M, posted a picture of blondies on Instagram that looked so good I knew that I had to make them. In this case Smitten Kitchen inspired these although I made them gluten-free. They’re not too far off from the Joy of Cooking version – there’s no baking powder as that makes them a bit more cake-like. This also means that they are pretty thin (and that’s okay). And, the more modern recipe calls for browning the butter as that lends a more nutty flavor to the blondie. If you look up the Joy of Cooking version, you’ll see them called ‘butterscotch brownies,’ not blondies.
I used a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in this batch as I wanted to make sure that I had a nut-free dessert option when I was hosting my Bunco group. One of the wonderful things about this recipe is that you can add whatever you want – a combination of chocolate (or other) chips, nuts, dried fruits, shredded coconut, chopped up candy bars, etc. that add up to 1-1/2 cups. The other is that they are super easy to make. And, you can substitute regular all purpose flour for gluten-free flour.
These little treats are great for a summer BBQ. They’re small enough to eat standing up while holding your favorite summertime libation.
| Blondies (Gluten-Free) | Print |
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 cup gluten-free flour (see Notes)
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cups white chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 8”x8" glass baking dish with foil, pressing firmly into pan and leaving a 2" overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray; set dish aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until butter becomes toasty and browned at the bottom. It should smell a bit nutty. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
- Pour butter into a large bowl and whisk in sugar until smooth. The mixture should be cooled to lukewarm, but if it’s not, let it rest for a few minutes until it is.
- Whisk in egg, vanilla and sea salt.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour.
- Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth with spatula; the batter is thick.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned at edges but looks a tiny bit underbaked.
- Transfer blondies to cooling rack and Let cool in pan to room temperature.
- Slide blondies onto cutting board from aluminum foil.
- Cut into 16 or more squares.
- Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days or wrap tightly and freeze.
* You could easily substitute all purpose flour for the gluten-free flour (same amount).
* Think of these blondies as a blank canvas – you can add a mixture of nuts, dried fruits, chopped up cady bars, peanut butter chips, etc. that add up to 1-1/2 cups.
* Recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9”x13”x2” baking dish. The blondies will be slightly thicker.
Source: Variation of a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen
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