It's getting very close to the big day. By the big day I mean Christmas. Like most people, my calender has been chock full of parties, meeting, book club and trying to find some time to exercise in there as well so I don't have to wear stretchy pants by the time the 28th of December rolls around.
This week, one of the events was our book club meeting, but we didn't just talk about books, we sort of had a Christmas social as well. So our hostess T, suggested that if you could bring a treat that would be great. Now if someone "suggests" I bring a treat to share, you know I'm on it. Any excuse I get to bake something to share with my friends (or to bake at all), I jump on.
Of course I resort to my abnormally large bookmarks folder in Safari, the what-to-bake section for inspiration. I've had this recipe in there forever, literally eons, so I had to make it.
Blondies.
They're like brownies without the chocolate batter. Plus you can add pretty much anything you have in the house. I tried to make mine Christmas-y, but I don't think it's all the way Christmas, just half way.
I added some chocolate chips, which is sort of a pre-requisite and toasted hazelnuts. I find the hazelnuts get overlooked alot in baking, I don't know why they are delicious. So I threw some of those in.
I have to say, the book club ladies enjoyed them and so did the husband. He kept breaking into the container to eat them, even though I told him they were not for him. He has selective hearing.
Chocolate & hazelnut blondies
[ adapted for Smitten Kitchen ]
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8x8 pan.
Mix together brown sugar and melted butter. Mix in egg, the vanilla. Once completely incorporated, add salt and flour. Mix until no dry spots are left. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-20 minutes or until set in the middle. I took mine out at 23 minutes, they were cooked all the way through but they did not brown on the top, just along the edges. This is the type of cookie where under-baked would still be amazing.
Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Feed to hungry book ladies or husbands.
