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)

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Course Dessert

Servings 16 squares or 32 small squares

Ingredients

1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 cup gluten-free flour see Notes
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

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.

Notes

* For gluten-free flour I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour.
* 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.