Recipe: Pantry Blondies

PANTRY BLONDIES

"When I was a kid first learning how to bake, I discovered the blondie recipe in The Joy of Cooking. Even when my mother had run out of chocolate, she always had all the ingredients to make these delicious bars. I still turn to this recipe, slightly adapted, when I'm desperate for something sweet but don't have much to work with."

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure that the foil is tucked into all the corners and that there is at least 1 inch overhanging the top of the pan on all sides.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove it from the heat.

With a wooden spoon, stir in the brown sugar until it is dissolved. Quickly whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake the blondies until they are just set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Grasping the overhanging foil on either side of the pan, lift out the blondies and place them on a cutting board. Cut them into 16 squares.

Pantry Blondies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 16 blondies
Source: Mom's Big Book of Baking by Lauren Chattman