Blondies via the New York Times Cooking

Blondies

I can't believe it's already November! What what!? Here are some yummy blondies I made recently...to celebrate a fixed oven!

My oven died for a few weeks. The repair person cancelled an appointment, then that got rescheduled, only to find out that the problem was electrical. Then we had to ask around for an electrician and that person finally came out to fix the issue. But...YES! The oven is back! Sweet.

I just got the digital subscription to the New York Times. I already get the digital edition of the Los Angeles Times so more often than not, you'll find me reading the news my phone! I'm exploring more of the Food Section in the New York Times and this recipe looked great!

P.S. I've missed blogging. Things got busy in my life and motivation waned. I also post a lot to social media and don't want to write up a post. But as I type this and as I browse older posts, I love the diary format of the blog. It doesn't matter if one person to 100 people read it, it matters to me when I look back through the years. Trips taken, Meals consumed, Bundt cakes made. So, I hope to post more... they'll probably be quicker posts. My blog was never about capturing the best photo (man, there are tons of other blogs out there that are so much prettier) but it's about capturing me trying to bake from scratch and keep some memories. I hope I can write up some posts during my lunch hour or at least be a little more efficient. We'll see! Take care and see you soon! - mary the food librarian



I really like Blondies because they are easy to cut and go. Sometimes scooping dough can take time so spreading it out in a pan makes life easy.

You need to bring this to a meeting a work. I guarantee your co-workers will love you.

Blondies
adapted from the New York Times

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 ⅓ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (recipes called for white chocolate chips but I don't really care for white chocolate, I used Nestle chocolate chips)
¼ cup Heath Bar Toffee Bits (recipe called for coarsely chopped Heath Bar)
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (recipe called for pecans but I didn't have any so I used walnuts)

Instructions
1. Prepare a 8-inch square pan. I make a parchment sling, sprayed with baking spray, for easy removal.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. Melt the butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick) in a saucepan. Remove from head and stir in the sugar and molasses, and transfer the mix to a large bowl to cool.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. When butter mixture is cool, whisk in the egg until slightly fluffy.
6. Fold the flour mixture, then the chocolate chips, Heath bar and nuts.
7. Spread the batter into the pan with an offset spatula.
8. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 27 to 30 minutes.
9. Cool then cut into squares.

Cream Scones with Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

Cream Scones with Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

You know when someone starts using email for the first time and writes everything in ALL CAPS, and you have to politely tell them that is the equivalent of screaming at their grandchild? (Happens all the time in the library)

Well, let me just tell you... MAKE THESE SCONES.

These are fantastic. The scone is a great base for all sorts of goodies. Currants, mini chocolate chips, or, in my case, milk chocolate toffee bits. The scone is tender, light and a perfect treat.

I really love you Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits. Seriously love you.

You can pretty much make these scones in your sleep. That's why I love scones. I throw them together, pop them in the oven, jump in the shower and am rewarded with piping hot deliciousness before 6 am. Win.

I make my scones square because it is easier to shape and cut (and they look better when you are making small scones). You can also form them into a circle and cut into wedges - another very pretty thing. I hardly ever cut them with cookie cutter rounds because then you need to gather up the scraps and shape them again (too much effort and the scrap-made ones are always a bit lesser than the first round scones).

Anyway, however you shape them, make them. By the way, I also brushed some cream on top and topped with raw sugar.

I usually make my scones all by hand (with a pastry cutter), but I used a food processor to cut in the butter...and man, does it make it fast and easy!

My co-worker IM'd me:  Hi Mary. I bet you could sell those scones for $100 dollars a piece. They are that delicious.

Cream Scones with Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Dream Cream Scones) who adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook (they used dried cranberries and currants in their recipe)

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
1 cup heavy cream (I use Trader Joe's heavy cream - it's not ultra-pasteurized)

1 or 2 Tablespoons of cream
Raw sugar or sanding sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. You can cut the butter into the flour by hand or in a food processor. By Hand: Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk together to blend. Food Processor: Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into food processor (steel blade) and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
3. By Hand: Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, your fingers or knives until you have small pieces of butter in the mix. Food Processor: Place butter on top of flour mixture in food processor, and pulse in one second intervals, about 10 times until the butter is cut into small bits. Don't overpulse...you want texture. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Stir in the the toffee bits into the flour mixture.
5. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. It won't all come together and that's okay...you will knead it for a bit in a second.
5. Transfer dough to lightly floured countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds.
6. Form dough into a square about 3/4 inch thick and cut into 16 or 25 scones. Or you can form into a round and cut into wedges.
7. With a pastry brush, brush each scone with some heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar in the raw or sanding sugar.
8. Place scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment (for easier clean up, but if you don't have parchment, it can be ungreased) and bake in the oven until the bottoms are golden and the tops light brown, about 12-15 minutes, depending on size of the scones and your oven. Remove from oven and cool on rack.
9. Best eaten the day (or morning) they are made.

Heath Oatmeal Toffee Cookies & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Heath Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Half a bag of the Heath Toffee Bits remained after making the Caramel Crunch Bars with Tuesdays with Dorie...so I turned the package over and found the recipe for Oatmeal Toffee Cookies!

Half the batch were Oatmeal Toffee Cookies (click for recipe) with Heath Toffee Bits, and the other half used mini-chocolate chips.

I cut the sugar from 2 cups to 1 3/4, used old fashioned oatmeal instead of quick cook oatmeal, and (of course) did not include the optional coconut flakes. The package says you should get 4 dozen cookies but I got 5 dozen because I made them a bit smaller.

My toffee cookies came out a lot flatter than the chocolate chip ones...I wonder why? Same dough, just different "bits" added in. Oh well, they were gobbled up at the library.

Here is the recipe for Heath Oatmeal Toffee Cookies on the Hershey's Kitchen website!