I took a little shortcut with one of my favorite food sections of Target: the trail mix aisle. As I’m sure you know, they have a selection of fancier nuts right next to the regular trail mix. I picked up a bag of their Butter Crunch Cashews for obvious reasons (butter + crunch, of course). Although I’m not the biggest cashew fan in the world, I knew I would find a good use for these.
I have to admit, when I took these out of the oven, my first impression of the blondie on its own was “eh, not as good as a brownie.” HOWEVER, balancing the soft, buttery brown sugar flavor of the blondies with salty cashews and a drizzle of dark chocolate is the key. Its sort of like the blondie is the plain potato chip that is the vehicle for delicious onion dip (the cashews and dark chocolate). I can’t believe I just used onion dip, cashews, dark chocolate, and blondies in the same sentence.
And as you’ve probably noticed, these aren’t just regular blondies; they’re blondie sticks. Advanced, I know. It’s quite the culinary discovery. All I did was bake the batter in a loaf pan instead of a standard square pan. I make an aluminum foil sling to easily lift the blondies out to drizzle and slice them.
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons of a beaten egg or liquid eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
½ cup flour
¼ cup butter crunch cashews, chopped
⅓ cup dark chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cookie spray.
Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg. Add salt and flour, mix until completely combined. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Edges will be golden when done and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Sprinkle cashews over the top of the blondies and melt chocolate at thirty second intervals in a microwave safe bowl (check the melting directions on the back of the chocolate you buy). Drizzle chocolate over blondies and let set up in the fridge. Remove blondies from foil and cut into sticks with a sharp knife. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
If you’re on the fence about blondies, try these! Even Dexter approves.
