BLONDIES OVER BROWNIES? YES! GIVE THESE A CHANCE!!

“The only think I like better than talking about Food is eating.”
John Walters

I bookmarked an interesting blondie or 'brown sugar brownies' recipe the other day. The source was the ever impressive Epicurean Escapism...she's got a virtual treasure on her blog & never ceases to amaze me with her new posts. These got me the minute I saw them...for 2 reasons. First because they didn't have a chocolate overdose, which is good for a change; & secondly because they used oil instead of butter. Got down to making them pretty soon, & was very impressed with the result. My only change was adding chopped walnuts because I love nuts. & because they add a load of food value. Try these & you won't be disappointed! Finished a batch today & have already got a booking for the daughter's birthday in early Jan! The kids took them in their snack box to school, & their friends loved them!!! Yes, these are the perfect answer for the non-chocolate, non-butter intervals of my busy baking life!!!

Cakespy has an interesting ballad posted here for the brownies albino cousin ! Its a fun read!!

Food historians generally agree that recipes named "brownies" and chocolate brownies [as we know them today] were first introduced in the beginning of the 20th century. This coincides with the mass production [availability & affordability] of chocolate and cocoa. Here are our notes on the history of [chocolate] brownies.
According to old cookbooks, blonde brownies (also known as "Blondies") predated chocolate brownies, though under different names. The primary ingredients of blondies (brown sugar/molasses and butter) compose butterscotch, a candy that was popular in America in the mid-19th century. Some 19th century American cookbooks contain recipes that combined traditional butterscotch ingredients with flour and a leavening agent (baking powder or soda). Presumably, these recipes would have produced something similar to the blonde brownies we enjoy today.BLONDIES or (Brown Sugar Brownies), with walnuts & chocolate chips
from Epicurean Escapism

Ingredients:

2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 2/3 cups plain flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chunks

1 cup chopped walnuts; optional

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan or line the pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together oil and brown sugar. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients and then add them to the brown sugar mixture. Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chunks & walnuts, if using.
Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Batter will be thick!
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into squares as desired.

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