Blondies!
Once upon a time, a woman named Blondies was walking along a deserted beach, and suddenly spotted a shiny object that was partially hidden in the sand. She picked it up and realized that it was a beautiful bottle. It looked very much like the one she had seen on the television show “I Dream of Jeannie.”
When she removed the top of this bottle, a genie popped out. The genie said, “I have been living in this bottle for over 5,000 years, waiting for someone to set me free. In return for helping me, I am granting you one wish.”
“One wish? Don’t I get three?”
“My magic is very powerful. You only need one.”
Without hesitation, Blondies said, “I do very much want peace on Earth, especially among these countries.” She showed the genie a map that she happened to have with her. “I especially want these countries to stop fighting against one another; stop harboring hatred and vendetta toward one another; stop letting greed, ill-will, anger, envy dictate their actions.”
Looking at her map, the genie shook his head, “I’m good, but not that good. Make another wish.”
Blondies thought for a moment and said, “I’d like to meet and capture the heart of a perfect man.”
“What is your definition of a perfect man?”
“He is intellectual, affectionate, faithful, generous, compassionate, athletic, drug free, a social drinker, a nonsmoker, a great cook; has a high-paying job; loves kids; enjoys traveling; and can make me feel as if I am the only woman in the world.”
The genie let out a huge sigh and said, “Let me see the map again.” 🙂
As you’re wondering about the relevancy of this story1 in a cookie recipe, bake a batch of these sweet and delicious blondies.
| All purpose flour | 1 cup |
| Salt | ¼ tsp |
| Unsalted butter | ½ cup or 1 stick |
| Light brown sugar, firmly packed | 1 cup |
| Whole Egg, room T. | 1 large |
| Vanilla extract | 1½ tsp |
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 7 or 8-inch square baking pan. Then sift flour and salt together and set aside for use later.
- Heat butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly to dissolve as much sugar as possible. The mixture will bubble but do not let it boil. This step should take no more than 2 or 3 minutes. Otherwise, the butter will burn and the sugar will caramelize and harden.
Set the mixture aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to the cool sugar mixture and stir to combine. Then add the sifted flour and salt and stir until just blended.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until the center is springy to touch. Do not overbake.
- Place blondies in its baking pan on a wire rack until it is cool enough to handle. Then remove the baking pan and let cookies cool completely on racks before cutting into squares.
1 Frankel, Valerie. 1st Edition. The Not-So-Perfect Man. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 2004.
260-page eBook packed with delicious cookie recipes