Blondies

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted, barely, from a recipe in the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook and on the Food52 blog)

Makes 36 bars

(I haven’t tried it, but I’m confident that this recipe could be cut in half and baked in an 8-inch square pan if you wanted fewer Blondies.)

About 1 tablespoon of softened butter to grease the pan

1 cup pecans

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups packed (10 ½ ounces) light brown sugar (Tip: if you have a kitchen scale, measure the brown sugar by weight in a small bowl.)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup (3 ounces) white chocolate chips (For best results, Cook’s Illustrated recommends Guittard Choc-au-Lait or Ghirardelli Classic White Chocolate Chips. I found Ghirardelli at Safeway and that’s what I used.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Use 2 long sheets of heavy-duty foil to make a sling in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Gently press the foil into the corners and along the edges, leaving the extra foil to hang over the edges. Grease the foil.

3. Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, until they’re lightly toasted and aromatic. Watch closely because they can quickly burn. Coarsely chop the pecans and set them aside.

4. Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool slightly.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

6. Put the light brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the butter until it’s well-combined with the sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

7. Use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into the brown sugar mixture. Do not overmix; fold just until it’s combined.

8. Fold in the pecans and the semisweet and white chocolate chips.

9. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

10. Bake until the top is shiny and a bit cracked and the surface feels firm, 22 – 25 minutes. (In my oven 24 minutes was perfect.)

11. Put the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.

12. Use the foil sling to lift the Blondies to a cutting board.

13. Cut into 2 x 1½-inch bars.