Bourbon Blondies
This is what you make when you’re in charge of taking something sweet to a summer picnic, potluck, or party. The flirty flavour of the bourbon perfectly infuses the brown-sugar sweetened blondie, which also happens to be lightly laced with chocolate or butterscotch and chopped pecans. The result can only be described as a celebration in your mouth.
While pie and berries may be the ‘it’ dessert of the season, bars are a popular choice for me for three reasons:
1) They require no plates or utensils.
2) They can be eaten with ease while standing and mingling, which is always a good thing at a party.
3) The leftovers freeze really well, which is what you want, because these are so good you just might be tempted to eat what your guests don’t.
Speaking of bars and squares, I also happen to LOVE these blackberry crumb bars and serve them all the time in the summer months. Instead of cutting them into a bar size piece, you can make each cut slightly larger and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for plated dessert you’ll crave all season.
Makes 24 bars
You’ll Need
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp bourbon (or whiskey)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup chocolate or butterscotch chips
Prep and Cook
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, and line it with parchment paper allowing the ends to hang over the sides of the dish.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and bourbon, and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the pecans and chocolate/butterscotch chips.
- Pour the batter into the pan and shake it ever so slightly to smooth the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle of the bars comes out clean. Allow the pan to cool completely, then cut the blondies into bars. Store in an airtight container for 3 days or in the freezer for up to six months.
