three C blondies

this past weekend i had planned on toying around in the kitchen. yet again, i wanted to try something new. i've been flipping through new and old issues of bon appetit, cooking light, and gourmet. i had thought i might try and make some type of tart with a fruity filling? it sounded good but once the weekend actually came, i realized i didn't want anything fussy. tarts are fussy. they're pretty and tasty i'm sure but they're fussy. nay to the fussy. i'm sure i will soon take on the tart challenge. just wasn't happening this weekend. this weekend i took on the blondie challege.


sunday morning i got online and hit up up my usual food blog hangouts- tastespotting, 101 cookbooks,smitten kitchen, and our kitchen sink. browsing through smitten kitchen, i came across a recipe that sounded perfect. far from fussy, short on ingredients, and sweet. yay. what was this recipe you ask? blondies.

i had everything i would need for deb's basic recipe and a couple of extras that i thought would go perfectly. those extras would be what makes these three c brownies. c- chocolate chips, c-cherry preserves, c - coconut flakes. all perfectly good on their own, great when combined. now i've made blondies once before but they were very unsatisfactory and originated from a cooking light recipe. they were bland and dense and just not good at all. these however i was happy with. i did make a few modifications with the ingredients to help make this more my own and to help cut back just a smidge on the guilt factor of them. not a huge smidge though, which is why they're cut so small. less guilt, more brownies. smart cookie. or blondie. want to see the original recipe? check it out: Smitten's Blondies. want my recipe? well here you go:

• 4 tbs butter & 3 tbs margarine(smart balance light for me), melted
• 1 tbs apple butter
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 egg - i used an egg substitute
• 1 tsp vanilla extract & 1/2 tsp almond extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbs ea. of coconut flakes & chocolate chips & cherry preserves

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease an 8 x 8 pan.
3. Mix butters with brown sugar and beat until smooth. Once smooth, add in egg and extracts.
4. Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt then stir into sugar mixture.
5. Fold in your 3 c's and pour into your baking pan. Pop it into your heated oven and put a glass to chill in the fridge. At about 20-22 minutes, take the chilled glass out and pour yourself some milk and once done take out your blondies. You can either let them cool or just go ahead and cut a piece to have with your cold milk. if you're like me, patience is not something you possess a great deal of. pass me that milk...