Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Dorie Greenspan strikes again! Man does that woman have skills. I made these wonderful Blondies last night to share this evening with friends. The recipe comes from the fabulous 'Baking' cookbook that my foodie pal Pat gave me for my 40th birthday last year. This book is like a portable cooking class right at your fingertips. She gives great tips and tricks of the trade and explains in detail the 'how to' in baking. If you like to bake or want to learn how, this is a great investment. Thank you Pat for this fabulous treasure. I hope you get a chance to make them, and if you do, leave a comment and share your thoughts. You could even get creative and put your own goodies inside. I did use the walnuts and coconut, but I used mini chocolate chips b/c it is what I had on hand. I promise you won't be disappointed and it's a nice alternative to the chocolate brownie if you are looking for something different.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or heath toffee bits (I omitted b/c I didn't have any, but that's ok)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until they just disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top best as you can.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies shouldd pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 20 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. (warning, if bottom is still too hot, transfer will not go well) Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temp right side up.

5. Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches.

Scoop out your favorite ice cream in a bowl on top of a blondie -- Delicious!!