Hey Blondie!

Yep, I was a blond for years, not anymore (partly because I'm allergic to formaldehyde), but that’s not what I’m talking about today.  No, today the focus is on blondie brownies, made completely chocolate free (as I am not yet allowed to have chocolate).  But, for anyone who is resourceful, there are ways to be found around this, and in the end, you’ll find a very versatile recipe, with any number of options for tweaking.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we have. 

Oh, I forgot to mention, this is extraordinarily easy, and you’ll probably have everything you need to make these blondies in your fridge and pantry already.  If you are feeling lazy/pressed for time/don’t have powdered sugar or for whatever reason you don’t want a frosting, simply increase the brown sugar by 1/4 cup and you’ll be satisfied with the level of sweetness. 

Tweaking options:

Use chocolate extract in the mix.  And maybe peppermint extract in the frosting for chocolate/mint!

Nuts!! Add 1/4 cup chopped for some crunch.

Baking chips, although you might want to toothpick test for doneness, and may extend the baking time to 35 minutes.  Not sure, haven’t tried this one.  Same with peanut butter.

OK, here is the base recipe I’ve been working off of…for an 8 x 8 pan, I used glass

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1 C flour

To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 8 x 8 pan bottom and 1” up sides

Mix margarine and sugar until well blended (~30 second w/ hand mixer) in a med. bowl

Add vanilla and egg, mix until dispersed

Add baking soda, salt and flour and mix until incorporated evenly (~1 min.)

Scrape bowl contents into pan

Bake for 30 minutes on the center rack

Top should be a lovely golden brown and slightly raised in the center if not evenly raised

Cool in pan

Pretty nice and blond, eh?  But wait!  There’s more…

Fake Chocolate Frosting

(For spreading or piping)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp. light margarine, melted and cooled

1/2 t. imitation chocolate extract

1 t. milk (I use 2%)

1/2 C powdered sugar

Add extract and milk to melted margarine, stir, add powdered sugar (thin with milk if desired)

Today I felt industrious, and decided upon the good ole plastic bag method of piping.  I had a bit left over, though.  It makes about 1/2 cup of frosting.

And here is the finished product.  Simple, easy, quick, and no extravagant ingredients (yes, the imitation chocolate extract may be more difficult to find, I got some in Wal-Mart recently though), and most importantly...tasty results!

Another great thing about making this portion size, after we've had this for 3 desserts, we'll be tired of it, and ready for something else.  Enjoy!  Let me know of your creative alterations/combinations.

Mocha Swirl Brownies

Love brownies?  Oh, yeah, I think we both know you do.  Well here is a great little add-in to jazz up the pan and impress co-workers and loved ones, and it's so simple, fast and easy, it will become your new standard.  I sold these at a local farmers market years ago, and gained more loyal customers every week!

What you'll need:
A brownie mix (I prefer family sized, so they are thick in my cake pan), and eggs/oil that it calls for.
3-4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 t instant coffee
1/4 C sugar
1/2  beaten large egg (crack, whip with a fork, and remove half of the goo)

To Make:

• Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the box, and pour/spread into pan (remember to grease if required)
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg and instant coffee
• Mix with a hand mixer until well blended, it will turn a bit peanut buttery in color
• With a spoon, distribute the mixture by drizzling over the brownie wet mix in long lines up and down the pan (try not to go side to side too, except maybe along the edges, for better swirls in the end)
• Take a metal butter knife and gently drag across lines (bisecting them) and creating nice swirl patterns in the brownie portion.
• Bake as directed per the mix.

That's it!  We really enjoy the dark chocolate brownies with this variation.  However, you could vary the flavor of the swirl by using caramel, peanut butter, or make it plain with vanilla extract (use about 1/2 t).