Blondie Brownie Heaven

Good news: You don't have to die to go to the Blondie Brownie heaven

Bad news: You won't be able to stop at just one.

The long and the short of this post is that believe you me, this combination of the blondie and the brownie is just fantabulously am-ah-zing and you have to try them!!!

For those who are not familiar with a Blondie, its is simply a brownie with no chocolate added to it and the flavour in it comes from brown sugar instead of plain white sugar. Dense, rich, fudge-like, they absolutely will melt sinfully in your mouth. Because it is a light golden colour when ready, its known as a blondie. 

Get it? Blonde- blondie. 

And as for the brownie, me thinks that it has the ability to bring about world peace!

                              

The heavenly combination of both these, caramalised blondies with dark chocolatey brownies tastes even better when you add some nuts to it. I added walnuts to mine and the contrast of the texture and the slight bitterness of the walnuts goes really well with the sweetness of the B-Bs. I ate one when it was a little warm and couldn't stop myself from eating another one right then. I was in bliss-land. I was brought back to reality when my mom  chided me when I was stealthily going in for the 3rd helping. I pouted like a petulant child but of course she was right. But I'm waiting for tomorrow morning and you know why....

I really tend to ramble, don't I? And I can't even make a claim that I won't do it again because I know I probably will. But thank you readers, for bearing with me patiently and keeping my company in my ramblings and experiences. Now on to the recipe.

For the Blondie you'll need

1 cup flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp white sugar

1 egg + 1 egg white (save the yolk for the brownie)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter or 2/3 cup cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts

Pinch of love

For the Brownies you'll need

1 cup flour

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted butter or 2/3 cup cream

2 tbsp of espresso (secret ingredient to give it a kick)

100 gms dark chocolate (60%)

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

less than a pinch of salt

1 cup of chopped walnuts

Pinch of love

 Serves : 20 2" squares

Complexity: ***

Time taken: 1 hour

Method

The secret to fudge-y brownies is NOT TO OVER-MIX. Remember this please.

The recipe is divided into 2 parts. We will make the Blondie first and when it is barely set, we will add the brownie batter to it so it gives us two distinct layers of delicious gooey B-Bs.

Preheat oven to 150C or 300F. Line your baking tray with foil that has an over hang of about 2" on all four sides. Makes it easier to handle. Brush it with oil as a precaution. Set aside.

Take your brown sugar and white sugar and powder it well. Put that in the mixing bowl. We are going to mix this batter manually so minimum amount of air is incorporated in the mix. Add the eggs to it. Combine it well with a whisk but don't whisk it too much. Add all ingredients except flour and baking powder. Mix again. Don't sift in the flour but just add the whole amount to the batter and add the baking powder last and mix again just to the point when everything is incorporated  well. The batter should be quite smooth. Pour this into the baking tray, even it out and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature of the oven to 180C or 350F.

                              

Meanwhile get your walnuts chopped. You need 2 cups, one for the middle and one for the top.

Prepare your brownie batter after 12-13 minutes of your blondies being in the oven. You don't want the brownie batter to sit out for long.

For the brownie batter, take the eggs and whisk them with sugar. Add cream, vanilla extract, espresso, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, salt and mix well. Remember- do not overmix. Add the flour and baking powder to it lastly. Combine well till smooth. 

I used the folding technique to mix the batter evenly without incorporating air. With a flat metal spoon or a spatula, bring the batter from the side of the bowl to the middle, cutting it in half and folding it again (does this make sense?). This whole process should take a couple minutes or so.

Take it the tray out of the oven. The top should be almost done but if you move the tray, the batter should jiggle. Layer one cup of walnuts over this.

Now pour your brownie mixture over it. Pop it back into the oven and let it bake for 15-17 minutes. Take it out to check. If the top looks set, add the second cup of walnuts to it and let it bake again for 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick after 20 minutes or so and the toothpick should come out with a few crumbs attached to it. If not, give it a few more minutes and check again. Mine took around 30 minutes but thats because I had kept my oven temperature a little low.

Take it out of the oven and rest it for 10 minutes to cool down. Remove the foil and cut into desired size squares.

The crust of the brownie should be brittle, the inside rich, soft and fudgy and dense. Yummalicious! Blondie Brownie Heaven indeed! Be ready to eat and share with love! Indulge! :))