Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies

What's Going on Today: Rainy day fun at Stepping Stones, pluck fresh rosemary from herb pot for pizza dough.

Naptime Goals: Bake Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies, prepare pizza dough.

Tonight's Menu: Whole-Wheat Rosemary Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Carrot Souffle (already in the fridge), Blondies.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: A hearty thank you to the person who invented the concept of Children's Museums.

Rainy Sundays are great for adults, but not for kids. On these wet, gray occasions all my husband and I want is a quiet morning with the paper, while all my daughter wants is to jump on the sofa. I'll admit, at times like these I sometimes wish Mary Poppins would float down from the sky, knock sweetly on my front door and whisk my kid to her nursery for a fun-filled afternoon. But, since she didn't show up this past Sunday, when the exact scene described above was playing out in our living room, I ditched the paper and took my daughter to the local Children's Museum. My husband had just returned from a long week of work and I knew - or at least hoped - that a morning spent in a fortress of toys would be a constructive outlet for her seemingly limitless energy.

The great news is that it worked. One Family Membership later, we gained full access to the museum and I set my daughter free to play as hard and as fast as she could. Then, after two hours on the dot, I whisked her home for a nap. A rest which, to my amazement, lasted almost three (3!) full hours. With time like that on my hands I was able to bake the blondies, prepare pizza dough and take a nap. An unexpected treat which I fully enjoyed.

The pizza for dinner that night, which I've written about before, was fantastic. But what really stood out were the bars. Inspired by one of my favorite flavor pairings of butterscotch and chocolate, these bars were an experiment of sorts that happened to work out beautifully. I started by combining the butter and brown sugar to create the butterscotch base, then added the rest of the ingredients until I had a creamy, dark brown batter. Since I had chocolate chunks at the ready I decided to use those and was pleased with the outcome. The irregularly shaped chocolate melted slightly into the bars as they baked, creating a slight marble effect. I also liked the way the chunks gave substantial chocolate flavor to each bite, standing up nicely to the dense cake-like batter.

It took a certain amount of restraint to hold back from immediately eating half of the pan. In fact, once they cooled to room temperature, I wrapped half of the batch in layers of plastic and aluminum foil and froze it. They will be fantastic to have on hand for a later date when friends unexpectedly swing by or I need a sweet treat to take to a beach picnic. As for the rest of the batch? Well, I'd like to say it lasted for the rest of the week, but you all know me better than that.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies
inspired by SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking soda
2 large eggs
2 T. vanilla extract
2 T. light corn syrup
1 t. Kosher salt
12 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Chunks

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
2. In a double boiler, or glass bowl placed over simmering water, and add the butter and sugar. Allow to melt slowly and whisk until completely blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. While butter mixture is cooling, whisk together flour and baking soda in a small bowl or measuring cup.
4. When the butter mixture has cooled whisk in the eggs, vanilla, corn syrup and salt. Fold in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Then, add the chocolate chunks, but don't overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-42 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean and edges of the blondies are slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely, then cut into bars and serve.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variations and Ideas: The butterscotch base of these blondies would work well with many different kinds of add-ins. If you are up for something different try macadamia nuts, butterscotch chips or even a scoop of sweetened coconut.

Naptime Stopwatch: Preparing the batter takes about 20 minutes, you must take your time melting the butter and sugar. Baking time is 40 minutes.

Naptime Reviews: Is there anyone in this entire world who doesn't like a blondie? Please have them call me and I swear this bar will sway them.