Chocolate chip cookie bars (Blondies)

What with all of the wedding planning obligations, I've scarcely had any time to bake, and I'm not terribly optimistic about that changing until after the wedding. But I did make time for one project recently, after a lovely bridal shower thrown for me by some wonderful friends. I wanted to do something for them to thank them for all of the work they did to make my shower amazing, so I found this recipe for "chocolate chip cookie bars."

Honestly, what's the difference between a chocolate chip cookie bar and a blondie? Pretty much nothing, really. They both have the same cookie base, generally speaking -- the major differences come with the shape (bars instead of drop cookies) and the mix-ins (sometimes blondies use white chips instead, or butterscotch chips). But the one thing this recipe doesn't share with any blondie recipe I've tried is that this recipe actually came out. The resulting bars looked and smelled awesome, and I had all I could do not to eat any (they were all for gifts, after all). ...Alright, I confess, I may not have eaten any that day, but I did make another batch a few days later, so I could eat one. And yes, they were damn tasty.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars/Blondies
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 c and 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp butter, melted and cooled a bit
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts or different chips (I used walnuts for one batch, peanut butter chips for another)

1. Line a 9-by-13 pan with foil, then spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
3. Whisk together the butter and sugars, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (or other chips, etc.).
4. Dump the dough into the pan and press evenly into pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.
6. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Using the foil as a sling, remove from the pan to a cutting board, peel back the foil and cut into bars.

Snickerdoodle blondies

Y'know, I never seem to have good luck with blondies. Perhaps it's because I haven't eaten enough of them -- I know what brownies are supposed to be like, in all of their iterations, but somehow, what might be called "fudgy" or "chewy" in a brownie strikes me as "soft" or "squishy" in a blondie. I made these, and they came out like that. And now, I've made snickerdoodle ones, for which I've been eyeing recipes for weeks now, and they came out about the same way -- "fudgy," I guess, though they're not chocolate, so, well, I don't know. What I do know is that people raved about them and gobbled them up when I put a dish of them out at work. And I know that they made the house smell awesome when they were baking. So if blondies are your thing, maybe give them a try.

Snickerdoodle Blondies
From Crepes of Wrath

2 2/3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 c butter, softened
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla

1. Whisk together the top five ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Beat together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture.
4. Spread in a greased 9-by-13 pan. Sprinkle the sugar topping evenly over the dough.
5. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until the center springs back when gently pressed. Cool before cutting.

Hazelnut blondies

Usually, I make it a policy not to make things that require me to buy ingredients I'll have a hard time using up. This goes double for recipes involving alcohol, 'cause I hardly ever drink -- bottles of liquor will just sit around in the back of a closet or in the fridge, collecting dust. But this recipe made me break the rule, 'cause it's a hazelnut recipe, and I freakin' love hazelnuts. Plus, it looked easy, and the last time I tried to make blondies, they failed pretty hard, so I was looking for blondie redemption.

I've never bought Frangelico before, and what struck me about it, aside from the cute bottle that looks sort of like a friar, is that when you smell it, it actually smells pretty good, like hazelnuts with a hint of alcohol, but also, if you smell it a second time, a little bit like artificial chocolate flavoring. I guess that's why the chocolate cake shot was invented. I suppose that might be a way to help me use up the rest of the bottle. :)

If you don't like hazelnuts, by the way, I don't think it would be a problem. I bet this base would be good without the liqueur and nuts and white chocolate and with, say, walnuts and chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires.

Hazelnut Blondies
From "Family Circle" magazine

3/4 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico)
2 c flour
1 c chopped hazelnuts (save your sanity and buy them pre-chopped in a bag)
1/4 c white chocolate chips

1. Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla, liqueur and salt.
2. Stir in the flour, then the nuts until incorporated.
3. Spread in an 8-by-8 pan (I line mine with foil for easy blondie/brownie removal) and bake at 325 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, until the top is nicely golden. Let cool.
4. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the blondies.