Chocolate Chip Blondies

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Sometimes it's a tough sell to get Kip to go for a blondie over a brownie. They are, after all, generally devoid of cocoa products. What, he always wants to know, is the possible culinary advantage of consuming a brownie-esque treat without the, you know, brown?

Well, I'll tell you:

1. They're a sort of wonderful cross between a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie. They combine the contrast of a chocolate chip cookie (not all chocolate; not all white) with the denseness of a brownie.

2. They marry butter with a whole lot of brown sugar and then they refuse to cover or dull those flavors with other things (too much flour or cocoa).

3. They heat that marriage up, which creates a caramel-like flavor and a chewy texture, especially on the edges. I can't resist these edges. In fact, if you look at our pan, you'll see that I have a little issue with cutting off all the corners for myself. Yeah, I'm working on that. (Just kidding; I'm actually not working on it at all.)

4. Everyone in my family loves them. Yup, even Kip (although you did note that a cocoa product was added to these blondies, didn't you). Maybe not quite as much as brownies, but a lot nevertheless.

Chocolate Chip Blondies
adapted from--oh dear, I've lost the source. If these are yours, let me know. At the top of the recipe it says, "Submitted by Elizabeth Cisneros," so thank you Elizabeth.
Makes 9x13 inch pan
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Cost:

1 C butter
2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
12 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (I omitted since I used salted butter)
1 C chocolate chips

Combine butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips if using. Note: You could also add white chocolate chips, nuts, toffee bits, butterscotch chips (ooh, now that sounds right tasty).

Press mixture into 9x13 in baking pan.

Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the middle is set.

PRINTABLE RECIPE