Season of Sweets

Finally, I have a chance to write a new post. Sorry it's been so long. For those of you who don't know, I'm performing in Peninsula Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker. We've had shows every weekend in December and have one more. Really fun, but really exhausting and time consuming. Therefore, I haven't had any time to post my food or even cook amazing meals. We have found time to make a few killer dishes, and now I have time to share them with you.

We hadn't baked in a while, so we sifted through our pantry and came up with the ingredients for blondies with a bourbon sauce. We made the mistake of not using quick-cooking oats, which made them a little under-done while the rest of the blondie was a bit dry. Although our making of these blondies didn't turn out perfect, I would definitely give them another try. With coffee, these are a fantastic way to end the night (or even start the day, if you have a sweet tooth like we do).


Chocolate Chip Blondies with Caramel-Bourbon Drizzle (Cooking Light, November 2006)

We added more bourbon than they called for, so adjust the drizzle to your preferred bourbon level.

Blondies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 oz.)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cooking spray

Drizzle:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. whipping cream
1 tsp. bourbon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare blondies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Place 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-speed until well blended. Add egg substitute and egg to sugar mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.
4. Spoon batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
5. To prepare drizzle, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbs. butter, whipping cream, and bourbon in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour mixture into a bowl; chill 1 hour. Drizzle bourbon mixture over blondies; cut into 24 bars.