Ultimate Chewy Blondie

Random Rachel's Note:

It's like a chewy fudge brownie, minus the chocolate. I tried several blonde recipes, but none of them came close to what I want. So I found a wonderful brownie recipe, and played around with substitutions until I think I found the perfect combination of ingredients. I usually make these for guys, and cut a 10" pan into 9 --3" square blondies- you could of course cut them smaller. A note about the baking time- my oven is old and unreliable, I bake it at 350* for 19 minutes and they turn out perfectly - I think it actually heats to 375-400*, but I am not sure, so you may want to check your blondes early so they don't over bake.

• Total Time: 29 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 19 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 9

• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 cup toffee pieces or 1/2 cup miniature M&M baking bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (see note about baking time/ temp).
2. Grease a 10" baking pan.
3. Melt butter. (I usually microwave it in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute from the fridge, or 2 minutes from the freezer.).
4. Mix sugar, eggs, molasses, vanilla, and almond extract with butter.
5. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. (I leave out the salt if I am using salted butter.).
6. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Scrape batter into prepared pan, and smooth. Sprinkle top with toffee bits or candies.
7. Bake for 19 minutes - you want the blondes to be set but not too firm - a toothpick will be slightly sticky when they are done.
8. Cover with foil and allow to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour.) They really need to be almost completely cooled to be sliced and moved (although they are great hot, just a bit messy,) and the foil helps seal in the moisture.