Chocolate Chip Blondies

Wow! I'm really getting behind on this thing. Here's a refresher as to why. I am now going to post about what I baked for my softball team LAST WEEK! I've already played in this week's game and baked something else, but let's not get ahead of ourselves and just focus on the one-week-old recipe for now.

I've gotten in the habit of trying to find recipes where I don't need to buy any extra ingredients. Times are tough, money is tight, this baking habit is breaking the bank. Fortunately, I had everything I needed for these blondies. (I've started buying butter, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips in bulk at Costco) They were very good. I was afraid that I had over-baked them because they were difficult to cut. But once I got a decent sized square out of the pan, they were chewy and addicting. I took the left-overs with me to work and they were gone before lunch.

Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

from MarthaStewart.com

8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until smooth. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in 1/2 cup each chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and walnuts.

Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares.