New year, new color! Instead of brownies, let’s bake up some blondies today. I am one lucky gal, I must say. I received the Beekman Heirloom Dessert Cookbook for Christmas and could hardly wait to dig into it and get it allllll covered in flour and sugar and vanilla. The first recipe I took a shot at is the “Blondies With White Chocolate and Macadamias”. I modified the recipe ever so slightly, topping the bars with some flaked coconut. The result- an exquisitely warm aroma filling my entire apartment. Mmmm mmmm mmm.

Ingredientology:

These bars boast a large a mount of toasted, salted macadamia nuts as well as some rich white chocolate chips for a sweet&salty contrast. The sugar component is solely brown sugar, for superior warmth. Finally, I topped them with some flaked coconut which browned nicely for a caramelized addition to the bar.

Makes one 9×13 inch pan of bars- you can cut them as large or as small as you’d like!

The Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1&1/2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted and salted

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup sweetened, flaked coconut for topping

The Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray sides with cooking spray
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend softened butter and brown sugar together
Stir in vanilla
Blend in eggs, one at a time
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt
Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until completely combined
Fold in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts
Pour batter into prepared dish, using spatula to make the top smooth
Sprinkle coconut on top until evenly covered
Bake bars for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean (if coconut is getting too toasted before bars are done, you can place a piece of aluminum foil on top of them)
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing