Recipes & Tips Blog

I hear the word blondies and I can’t help but think blandies; pale bar cookies that don’t offer much flavor beyond simply being sweet.

Let’s just say I cranked out this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe with very low expectations. In true Dorie Greenspan form, this bar cookie is packed with goodies that make it anything but bland. Chocolate, toffee bits, walnuts, and coconut are Dorie’s suggestions. In addition to the mix-ins, brown sugar adds a tremendous amount of flavor to these bars. I will go so far as to say I loved these, David too.

I kept half of the batch “pure” for David, only mixing in the chocolate. My half had all the goodies except for the toffee bits (only because I didn’t have any). I also used large flake unsweetened coconut rather than the sweetened shredded variety. How do I know David was a fan of these? The regular inventory updates I was getting.

“I only have three blondies left.”
“I’m almost out of blondies.”
“ I’m having the last blondie with lunch.”
“All the blondies are gone.”

A big thanks to Nicole of Cookies on Friday for picking such a winner of a recipe. Now I know good blondies do exist. She has the recipe posted on her blog if you would like to prove it to yourself (link at the end of this post).

I’m a big fan of finding the best way to do something (just look at SpiceCare!). In a recent blog post, the ever-clever and talented CakeSpy, Jessie, has put some serious thought into the best way to cut bar cookies. For the times when the cookies get plated rather than eaten straight from the pan while standing in the kitchen, a perfect cut is important.

She’s way ahead of the game with her tool of choice, a New West Knife Works knife. These knives have become my latest obsession after reading about them for the first time on Bren Herrera’s blog post, “El Cubano!” The Amazing Cuban Sandwich & an Amazing Knife. The Fusionwood Super Bread Knife makes my heart race. I have already vowed that when I own one someday I won’t use it to chop chocolate, an abuse my current bread knife suffers on a regular basis. A serrated knife is terrific for chopping big blocks of chocolate, but then it’s not so good for slicing bread anymore. If you are in the market for a high quality knife, take a look at the New West Knife Works lines. They are made by bona fide food and knife geeks in Jackson Hole, WY. They think of each knife as a work of art and that’s the kind of knife I’d spend money on.

Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 131 recipes completed 89 to go!

Recipe Link

• Chewy, Chunky Blondies,  by Dorie Greenspan

Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 136 recipes completed 85 to go!