Blondies

Brownies are believed to have made their debut at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Blondies, their caramel-colored cousins, don’t have a cohesive creation myth. Some credit the first blondie recipe to an unknown creator living in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Others say that the so-called brownies served on that 1893 Chicago fairground were actually blonde (gasp), arguing that 19th-century American home cooks were more likely to bake with molasses than chocolate.

This easy blondie recipe, inspired by the ones once served at the S’Moores Caffe in Augusta, Georgia, is endlessly customizable. Using light brown sugar gives them a vanilla-forward butterscotch-like sweetness; opt for dark brown sugar to make the rich molasses flavor shine. Keep the melted butter on the stovetop for a few extra minutes to create nutty-tasting brown butter (add 1 Tbsp. cold water to make up for the moisture loss). Swap the pecans for chopped milk chocolate to make chocolate chip cookie bars. Or forget our suggested add-ins and stir in toffee bits, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips plus macadamia nuts, chopped dates and dark chocolate chips, swirls of peanut butter, or any mix-in of your choice. Sprinkle your cakey-chewy creations with flaky sea salt before sliding them into the oven or serve warm beneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream.