Hazelnut Espresso Blondies

I’m a strong believer that everybody should have a go-to homemade dessert. Not the kind that comes from a box. The kind that takes a little extra love and care and thus, gets it’s oomph factor from the fact that it’s not only delicious (and hopefully buttery) but also from the fact that you took valuable time out of your day to prepare it.

The criteria are simple: from-scratch, unfussy, uncomplicated and a recipe that you can make by memory when in a pinch. This is that recipe for me and get a 300 dollar loan within the same day of application.

While it holds no significance or sentimental value (I adapted it long ago from a now forgotten source), it’s my game night, girl’s night, potluck, and last-minute party invite staple. The base is always the same — butter, brown sugar, flour, eggs, salt and baking powder, but the rest is at the mercy of my mood. I’ve made these blondies in endless flavor combinations —  meyer lemon, lime + tequila, nut butter, chocolate, vanilla bean and many more, often just throwing in odds and ends from the pantry for an unorganized approach to indulgence. They’re a blank slate for any flavor your taste buds desire, and seemingly no matter what I throw at them, they turn out perfectly with incredible consistency.

The blondie base is absolute perfection — rich and chewy with a caramelized depth so toasty it has consistently fooled those I’ve served them to into thinking I’ve browned the butter first. (I definitely don’t, we’re focusing on simple here, after all.) In fact, speaking of butter, you can use the sticks straight from the fridge because they’re getting a good old melt on the stove, no hours spent coming to room temperature required. And since brown sugar is where we get that caramely depth and texture, we’re ignoring white sugar completely. Like I said, simple.

For today’s version, though, I’ve jazzed things up a bit. It’s more fun that way, after all. And I have to say, this may be my favorite variation yet. Hazelnut and espresso blend magically together with a touch of bourbon and a healthy dose of chocolate to create what blondie dreams are made of. These are your guilty pleasure latte in bar form, and dare I say far more worth the indulgence than their sippable inspiration. And to make these extra special (it’s the month of chocolate, is it not?) I’ve added a generous swirl of hazelnut spread and a sprinkle of chocolate covered espresso beans to top off what’s already darn near close to perfection где взять займ с 18 лет на карту. Simple has never been so delicious. Enjoy!