Blondies

These are a whole world of good...chocolate and pecans with butterscotch undertones, baked in muffin pans.

Not only is this one of the best cookie/brownie recipes out there, but it gives me a chance to use my favorite kitchen toy, Mixie the Amazing Stand Mixer.

I'd wanted a stand mixer for years, but was always put off by the price.  Then last fall, a super-duper big bucks Cuisinart model showed up on Woot for a price I couldn't refuse.  Mixie has exceeded all my expectations and dreams.  The stand mixer cuts the labor for a project like this down to practically the level of picking up baked goods from the grocery store...with that magic homemade taste.

Ingredients

 (Recipe from Bon Appetit)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Method

Your butter should be at room temperature...but if like me you didn't plan far enough ahead, try the butter softening tip from Simply Recipes and roll the butter between sheets of wax paper.

Beat butter on medium speed until soft

Add the sugars and beat 3 minutes. (Those of you with hand mixers have to put in actual physical labor while starring at a stop watch...all I have to do is set Mixie's timer and walk away)

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  Wonder why I cracked the egg into a bowl before adding?  Because I'm not a fan of eggshells in food, that's why!  Add the vanilla and beat just a little longer to combine.

Add flour and salt gradually, beating on low until just combined.

Add chocolate, nuts, and coconut.  Mix until combined.

Spray muffin cups with butter spray.  Set the oven to 350°.

Use an ice cream scoop to spoon batter into cups.  This recipe will fill 24 muffin cups.

Press batter down...don't smush it down, just give it a light pat.  I'm using a leftover butter wrapper to accomplish this task.

Bake about 20 minutes, until edges are set but centers are soft.  Take the trays out of the oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Use a knife to loosen edges and slide blondies out of muffin pan.

Notes

Alternate method: bake like a normal brownie/blondie.  I haven't tried this, but for the traditionalists out there, use a 9" x 13" buttered pan, add ¾ teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda to flour, and bake at 325° for 40 minutes...another reason why I've never made it this way, because with a recipe this good, who wants to double the cooking time?