Coconut Blondies

I had a telephone call from my daughter away at college the other day. She is working part-time in the dining hall. She heard they were serving Blondies and was eagerly anticipating the meal. She was disappointed that they weren’t the same ones Mom made. So she called me for the recipe. I looked it up in my computer recipe file and noticed that I collected this one in 1999. It was originally from Gourmet, March 1992. I emailed the file to her.

I used to make these quite a bit, especially for pot-lucks. They are quite a favorite. I often made a double batch. Two 13 x 9 inch pans fit nicely in the oven. Sometimes, I use some butterscotch chips. Funny, I never noticed that I was supposed toast the coconut. I never did that.

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly coat a 13x 9 inch baking pan with canola oil spray.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

In a small bowl whisk together salt, baking powder and flour.

Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and the coconut.

Spread the batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and crumbs stick to a toothpick stuck in the center.

Let the mixture cool completely in the pan on a rack, then, cut it into squares. (4 x 8)

Yield: 32

Original recipe from: Gourmet | March 1992