Mrs. Jauma's Blonde Brownies

By Addie

I love to bake but am not a cookie fan. Cookies take to much time and when I am in the mood for something to much on, give me a good brownie. Blondies were introduced to my family in the 1960s by a former neighbor, Vivian Jauma. Mrs. Jauma could make anything. At Christmas we would receive a suitbox full of homemade cookies and your your typical. Mrs. Jauma's cookies were works of art. For my birthday, she made me a Madis Gras cake. It was a wonderful honey confection with buttercream icing; grated coconut graced the sides and finely chopped pecans were the topper for this handmade delight. Another treat that Mrs. Jauma shared with our mom, was her Blondies. These are not your typical brownies but rather a blonde color masterpiece. I would like to share that recipe with you as I crave Blondies today.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sweetened coconut

Preparation

Step 1

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan and put on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs 1 by 1, beating for 1 minutes after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best as you can.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies come out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.