line & lee blondies
adapted from THE VIOLET BAKERY COOKBOOK, BY CLAIRE PTAK via Orangette
makes 20ish small blondies or 12 large
recipe note: Easy

1 cup plus 1 TBS butter
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6ish oz semisweet chocolate chopped
1/2 recipe of caramel “glass” (recipe follows)

preheat the oven to 325 F. line a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

in a small pan, melt the butter over low heat, set aside and let cool.

in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until frothy. then, whisk in the melted butter.

in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. then add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and then the chocolate. mix until just combined.

scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. dot the caramel glass over the top of the batter. bake for 35 minutes, or until the center is puffed and looks set.

let cool completely in the pan. lift the sides of the parchment paper with the blondies out onto a cutting board. trim the edges and cut into squares. store in an airtight container at room temperature. best served within three days.

caramel “glass”
makes enough for two Blondie recipes
recipe note: Easy/Moderate

2 TBS water
¾ cup sugar

line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

add the water into a small, light-colored saucepan (we use stainless steel…you want something that you can tell when the sugar starts to change color). add the sugar, and place over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to dissolve. watch closely as the sugar starts to change color. take the pan off the burner once the dissolved sugar is a nice mellow amber color.

pour the caramel immediately onto the parchment paper, creating a thin, even layer. lift and tilt the pan to get the caramel to spread out evenly. cool completely.

lift the parchment from the sheet pan, and place on a cutting board. smash the caramel into small pieces. be careful, because the caramel is hard and the pieces are very sharp.

use right away, or store leftovers in the freezer (in a ziplock bag).