A Blondie for My Favorite Blondie

I've been gone in the land of vacation.  While I thought of my dear, sweet blog, I didn't think about it too much because I was enjoying things like this:

And this:

Can you blame me?  Mmm-hmm.  Didn't think so.  I did miss baking.  I missed my kitchen and all the handy things in it.  Mostly I missed my babies.  But I'm home now and back to the land of normal, dirty faces and all.  *happy sigh*

Before I left, I managed to pop these out.  Easy, of course.  Normally I'm not big on Snickerdoodles, but I made them with my mom (the blondie) in mind.  I always make chocolate or something with chocolate and she isn't crazy over the stuff.  If we didn't sound like the same lady, I might question our relation!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

adapted from Recipe Girl

-2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1 tsp. cinnamon

-1/8 tsp. nutmeg

-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, heaping

-1 tsp. salt

-2 c. brown sugar, packed

-1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

-2 large eggs, room temperature

-3/4 Tbsp. vanilla

-1 c. cinnamon chips (optional)

Topping:

-2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

-1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.  Line pan with parchment paper, let paper hang over sides.  Spray parchment paper.

2.  In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream of tartar and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes.  Mix in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.  Beat until mixture is smooth.

4.  Stir in flour mixture until well blended.  Stir in cinnamon chips, if using.  Spread evenly into prepared pan.  With a thick batter, I scoop it out into the pan versus pouring it.  This helps me evenly distribute into the corners better.

5.  Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly on top of the batter.

6.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back to the touch.  Let pan cool completely.

7.  Once cooled, use the ends of the parchment paper to lift out the bars.  Do carefully so as not to crack the bars.  Cut into squares or other desired shape.

My first impression is that these remind me of good cinnamon toast.  Which is exactly what my mom would make me for breakfast.  Look at this full circle.  I made these because I thought my mom would enjoy them, and then they end up whisking me back to childhood memories of her making me toast.  Sweet.

Now, I'm not a fan of nutmeg.  I halved what Recipe Girl called for and still, all I could taste was nutmeg.  Clearly my taste buds are hyper-sensitive to this spice.  Next time I won't add it, but I could see the value of having it in there if you like that extra warmth and spiciness.  These are chewy and a nice traditional spin on a classic cookie.  See Recipe Girl if you want something a little fancier...she has a glaze!