Polka Dot Blondies
What’s more festive than an explosion of colorful polka dots? Chocolate-filled polka dots. You might be tempted to devour these chewy blondies on your own, but make sure to save plenty for your customers!
Makes 16 bars
INGREDIENTS:
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½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
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¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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¼ teaspoon salt
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1 large egg
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces, such as M&M’s
DIRECTIONS:
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Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and keep stirring until the butter is almost fully incorporated into the sugar, with a shiny texture; this might take 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
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Stir in the vanilla and salt.
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Beat in the egg, and do it quickly so that it doesn’t start to cook!
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Stir in the flour, salt, and half of the chocolate candies until the batter is combined, saving the rest of the candies to sprinkle on top before baking.
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With a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and scatter the candies you saved over the top.
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Bake until the blondies are set in the middle, 20 to 25 minutes.* Cool completely before lifting out the parchment and cutting the brownies into bars.
*Don’t overbake the blondies! The middle should no longer be jiggly, but you also don’t want it to be baked completely through, like a cake. The texture is best when soft and brownie-like.
From The Lemonade Stand Cookbook: Step-by-Step Recipes and Crafts for Kids to Make--and Sell!, by Kathy Strahs (Burnt Cheese Press, 2017)