In all honesty I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. Preparing the kids to return to school routines, tackling house projects, keeping weeds at bay, and trying desperately to savor the fleeting moments of summer have me feeling frazzled. With everything that’s been going on, I’ve had less time to dedicate to baking, but that doesn’t mean my sweet tooth is less voracious.

Enter these blondies. When you want the comfort of a good chocolate chipper, and the satisfying thickness of a brownie, a blondie is your best friend. Plus they require less ingredients and less effort than cookies - no spooning out batter, careful spacing, or batch baking involved.

Admittedly there is a lot going on in these blondies. Brown butter. Almonds. Rich chocolate chips. Flaky sea salt. But trust me, not only are these blondies one of the easiest desserts to make, but they are also ridiculously good! And they will make your house smell divine.

Two tips for success. Take extra time to prepare your pan with butter and parchment paper for easy blondie removal. I use two overlapping sheets of paper to completely cover all sides of the pan, and for extra neat edges I cut the papers to the exact width (8in).

My second tip is for the mixing. Beat the eggs, butter, and sugar longer than you expect. There are no other leavening agents in this recipe besides the one beaten egg. So beat the heck out of that egg to get the right consistency.

Otherwise, enjoy the ease and tasty goodness of these blondies! But be warned; they are extremely addictive, especially with a glass of cold milk!

BakeHouse Blondies - makes 16

Equipment:

• 8x8 in. metal, square baking pan

• Handheld electric mixer

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp. almond extract

• 1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare the baking pan by buttering it and lining it with parchment paper. (TIP: for extra neat corners, use two crossed, overlapping sheets of paper cut to fit the width of each of your pan’s sides. Cut the paper longer than your pan so you can easily remove the blondies once they’ve cooled).

2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. I use the convection setting with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

3. Brown the butter. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter completely. Then continue cooking, swirling the butter and occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the butter has turned a golden red and smells amazing. Transfer the browned butter to a heat tolerant dish to cool for 5 minutes.

4. While the butter is cooling, measure out the sugars into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate, small mixing bowl combine the flour and salt, and mix well with a fork.

5. Once the butter has cooled for 5 minutes, add it to the bowl with the sugars. Using the handheld mixer on high speed beat the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes to combine.

6. Add the egg to the sugar-butter mixture, and beat on high speed for five minutes more. The mixture should become slightly puffy, and a little lighter in color. Add the almond extract and beat for one more minute.

7. With the mixer on low speed add the flour to the sugar mixture. Mix only until the flour is fully incorporated. Then fold in the almonds and chocolate chips by hand.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it to an even thickness. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the blondies are lightly golden brown. Remove the blondies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt. Allow them to cool completely in the pan placed on a wire rack. Once cool cut them into 16 equal pieces. Store the blondies in an air tight container at room temperature for several days or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef