Readers may have noted a penchant for browned butter in several of my cookies and won’t be surprised that my ears perked up a few days ago when watching America’s Test Kitchen and heard “browned butter” in a recipe for blondies. While the addition of toasted pecans and milk chocolate chips was unsurprising, adding two tablespoons of pure vanilla extract certainly was surprising. That is a whole ounce of vanilla! Those little bottles of vanilla only hold an ounce and vanilla is expensive. Nevermind, the bakers said it’s essential for the recipe and I have a large bottle (which wasn’t cheap either).
So, with a visit to the medical center Thursday morning, I made a trial batch so there’s a gift for the Hyde Shuttle driver who picks me up at 8:05 AM. Usually there’s two gratitude gifts because the driver who takes me to my destination and the driver who brings me home may be a different person. Tomorrow it’s only a one-way trip on the shuttle.
I didn’t book a ride home because I don’t know how long I’ll be there as lab work is first come, first serve and yada yada. What I didn’t know when the appointed time was set was that I’d also have jury voir dire on the same day, so I was a bit frantic when the bailiff’s email said 8:45 AM check-in for 9:00 Zoom. Quick phone calls and emails rescheduled me to the afternoon Zoom meeting with the lawyers for both sides who’d read my filled-out questionaire before selecting me for the meeting. I checked “Prefer not to answer” about my education just for fun!
While these blondies are tasty, I will alter the recipe next time that I make them as there are two things which don’t comport with my recipes for blondies, which are essentially brownies without being chocolate. First, the recipe included leavening and I followed the recipe. Brownies should not have leavening. Second, the recipe has too much flour in it to my taste. Next time: no leavening and less flour. I will keep the teeny, tiny sprinkle of Fleur de Sel atop.
Ms Chef in Seattle 