Celebrate- Chocolate Goodness!

Celebrations don’t have to be marked by holidays on a calendar.  Growing up ,  simple moments just “felt” festive : homemade meals prepared by my grandfather and mother with great pride at a big white stove in the cavernous kitchen with the efficiency of  chefs; our Aunt Rose’s famous meatballs, golf size morsels gracing bowls of sauce laden ziti;  and my Aunt Marlene’s chocolate cake,  made with 3 boys under the age of 6 fighting over who was going to lick the beaters first—just like being the first to open a birthday present.

So that brings me to Chocolate ! And Fresh out of the oven : a version of Barefoot Contessa’s  Chocolate Chunk Blondies !

These remind me a lot of my mom’s favorite chocolate chip bar cookie. That recipe is somehow long gone , but Barefoot Contessa’s Blondies are almost the same , except I added some coconut and I use pecans instead of the walnuts in the original. And you use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips  So it packs more of a chocolate punch… and what’s not to celebrate about that ?!

Chocolate Chunk Blondies- 

Ingredients

1/2 lb (2 sticks ) unsalted butter , at room temp.

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks   ( but I have also  used 12 oz semi sweet  chocolate chips)

1/2 c or a more of Coconut.

Directions :

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13 pan

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and with the mixer still on low, slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold the pecans, chocolate chunks or chips and coconut.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 30 minutes exactly. Don’t overbake!

Cool completely in the pan and cut into bars

© 2020 – 2024 Every Day is a Holiday. All rights reserved.