It's Sunday morning and my family just went to Mass - on FaceBook. While watching Father Michael from the comfort of my couch (in the comfort of my pajamas) was a bit surreal, it also filled my weary soul with a little of the familiar Sunday routine I so desperately need right now. Even if the cat was in my lap, the dog at my side, and the smell of fresh coffee wafting through the air, I was fully present in the sacrament.
So, what do you do on Sunday if your routine looks a bit different this week? You bake something wonderful with your family and enjoy the time together. Elizabeth and I baked these decadent blondies with scraps of leftover candy floating around our cabinets, little treasures just waiting to be discovered. Some of it was from the huge haul the kids brought home on Valentine's Day, some from the fresh supply Sean scored at the store the last time he ventured out, and some we found hiding with our baking supplies, no doubt a bounty I forgot I had when I baked hundreds of cookies at Christmas.
If you know Elizabeth, then you know she despises chocolate. I realize this is hard to understand, because, who doesn't like chocolate??? Because of her disaffection for the cocoa bean, I am always faced with a dilemma when it's time to bake. Do I make something with chocolate that the rest of us like but Elizabeth won't touch, or do we never bake anything chocolate again so we can all enjoy the goodies? I choose not to choose. I choose to do both. There's very little I can do right now to keep my people happy, but I can bake blondies two ways, so that everyone gets what they love.
Elizabeth's Cookies & Cream Bar, Unicorn Chip and Rainbow Sprinkles Blondies
Charlie's Peanut Butter Cup, Milk Chocolate Bar and Mini Semi-Sweet Chip Blondies
Treasure Chest Blondies
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour (I like unbleached best, but use whatever you have)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup salted butter (if using unsalted, add 1/4 tsp salt to recipe)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, whatever you have)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups chopped candy or baking chips (any combo is great - use what you have.)
1/4 cup sprinkles, or mini chips, or extra candy for topping
Method:
Heat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with non-stick spray. Melt butter and set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Add in chopped candy and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 candy, sprinkles or chips. If you add a little more than 1/4 cup, nobody will be mad. Bake 22-27 minutes, until golden brown (9x9 pan will cook quicker than 8x8). Allow to cool before cutting into squares.
Happy Sunday, and happy baking.
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