Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies

There seems to be a pattern to this month's blog postings. Rather than say there is a proliferation of baked good recipes, I would say there is an absence of main dishes, side dishes, appetizers and even cocktails. For those you who regularly read this blog (wishful thinking on my part), bear with me for a few weeks as the postings may still be dominated by more desserts as there have been so many things I have wanted to make with fall arriving that the making of those things appealing more to one's sweet tooth has turned into a sort of obsession (admittedly a narrow one at that). But I promise that by mid-October you will begin to wonder "when is she going to post dessert recipes?".  Finding balance has always been something I have had to work on personally and in the kitchen.

My preference for brownies has always been for the really rich dark chocolate ones which means I have often overlooked the blondee brownies (and you would think that being a blonde myself would have me leaning toward the white chocolate end of the brownie continuum). But making a shift in brownie preferences sometimes comes in the form of a push, one experienced either literally or figuratively. As soon as I opened up the new Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook this week, I felt the proverbial push when I read their recipe for Blondies with White Chocolate and Macadamias. There was just something about the recipe that had me making it the morning after I bought the book. Maybe it is the browning of the butter or the use of dark brown sugar that caught my attention. Or maybe it was just the simplicity of the recipe. Whatever the reason, I am glad I was paying attention!

Because whatever the reason, these blondies were amazing. So much so I thought 'where have they been all my life?' (sort of sounds like a terrible but still makes you laugh pick-up line, doesn't it?). Of course I had to tweak this recipe just a bit. Toasting the macadamia nuts and lightly sprinkling sea salt on the top of the brownies were the only changes I made. The proportions and ingredients remained unchanged.

Don't you love when you find a recipe and you have all of the ingredients in your cabinets and refrigerator? And if you are anything like me, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips are two of the staples in my cabinets.

Dark brown sugar adds just the slightest taste of molasses to cookies and adding to the depth of flavor. The browning of the butter too transforms the taste of these blondies. I used to not think browning the butter mattered when a recipe called for it, but you really can taste the difference between only melted and browned butter in a recipe, especially in these blondies. As soon as the butter is browned, the dark brown sugar is whisked in. Once mixed, the large egg and vanilla are whisked in.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and Kosher salt until blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined. The chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts are stirred in resulting in a very thick batter.

Using a spatula, scrape mixture into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt. I know I am sea salt obsessed lately. But it is such a flavor booster with chocolate, I just can't resist adding it.

The blondies are baked at 350 degrees for at least 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick (in the center), moist crumbs may be attached. Recommend you check for doneness at 20 minutes.

Allow the blondies to cool and then cut into the size bars of your liking. I cut mine into 2x3 inch rectangles. The 7x10 pan yielded 9 blondies. An 8x8 pan will yield up to 12 blondies.

Recipe
Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies (slightly adapted recipe from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook written by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Sandy Gluck)

Ingredients
8 Tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (recommend Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (used Ghiradelli)
Sea salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange macadamia nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool, chop and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking pan (I used a 7x10) by lining with parchment paper and lightly buttering and flouring the paper and sides of pan.
4. In a small pan (skillet), melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter gets foamy, foam subsides leaving the butter brown in spots (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Pour butter into a bowl and immediately add brown sugar. Stir until sugar is melted.
6. Whisk in the large egg and vanilla.
7. After mixing the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, add to the butter/sugar mixture and stir.
8. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
9. Pour batter in prepared pan. Using an offset spatula even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick, there will be some moist crumbs attached.
11. Cool in pan. Cut into 9 to 12 pieces, depending on which sized pan you are using. Or feel free to cut into smaller bites.

Most of us all have celebrations and events that we hold sacred in our lives. Holidays, anniversaries, significant milestone dates and birthdays are just a few of them. Whether these events are significant to us or to those important to us, so many memories come out of these celebrations. Sometimes they are really good memories (the ones you still talk about years, even decades later) and sometimes they aren't (the ones you would like to forget, but still remember years, even decades later). And with all of the social media options available to us today, it makes it so easy these days to give a quick important day shout out to let someone know you are thinking about them. You know how good it feels when you meet someone and they remember your name, well can you imagine how good you make someone feel when you remember an important day or event?

I think no matter how old we get, a card, a phone call, an email, a tweet, an instagram, or a Facebook message from a friend on our birthday always seems to add to the joyfulness and memorableness of the day. There is something about being remembered that just feels really, really good. And whether you are spending the day alone or surrounded by family and friends, being remembered matters. Sometimes its' even better than receiving a tangible gift (and yes those can be nice too). But there is something about being forgotten by a friend (or someone who you thought was a friend) that feels, well, not so good. Not end of the world not so good, but just a simple not so good. We all get just one day a year to celebrate who we are, what we give to others, and what we hope to give in the year ahead. If remembering strengthens connections and friendships (and even trust), what does belated remembering do? Guess it all depends on if the friendship matters.