Day 75 - Arthur's Amazing, Very First Cake

   3 miles in less than 20 minutes.  If that's no reason for chocolate cake, what on earth might be?  A true Renaissance man, Arthur sings, dances, acts, plays piano, plays trumpet and runs like the wind.  He's even faster than that now, but when he first broke the 20 minute barrier, he consulted me and made a celebratory cake with his running friend.  After examining a plethora of options,  he chose devil's food cake with buttercream frosting.  Arthur and his buddy baked, frosted, and finally decorated their beautiful project so it read "Under 20 Club" -  delicious by all accounts.  Here's the picture Arthur sent after icing but before decoration.

Salted Cowboy Blondies for Day 74

     Still working that Food Network Magazine from last March, a gift from the ever-awesome Ashley, I started with the beloved Salted Blondies and moved into the Margie Lapanja realm of Cowboy Cookies.  Result is a quicker, smaller batch than the original cookie.  Quicker because you're making them as bars, not forming the individual cookies.  Cowboy ingredients make a chewier, richer blondie, and the salt - well, does anything beat sweets with salt?  Another advantage here is packability.  A blondie travels better in a suitcase than a cookie does - a reason right there to check a bag when you fly out to visit that son in a damp, coastal, far away city.
     Here's my recipe:

Salted Cowboy Blondies

1 stick unsalted butter - melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs + 1 yolk

2 Tbs Southern Comfort

4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt (for batter) 

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup old fashioned (not quick) rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans - roughly chopped & lightly toasted

1 cup Ghirradelli milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup Angel Flake coconut 

Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment.  Butter the parchment.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  

Mix melted butter with sugars.  Beat in eggs, Southern Comfort and vanilla.  

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.  Then add to the butter mixture, and mix well.  

finally, throw in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Pour this batter into the pan, smooth with a spatula and bake.

Check every 10 minutes or so - you may have to tent these with aluminum foil to prevent burning on top.  Took 40 min. in my antique oven.  

Cool, slice and serve.   

Great gratitude to Ashley, Nancy and Sara 

for this lovely new baker's apron!

 

73 Ashley's Symphony Brownies head west once more.

Decadent, quick, easy to mail -
Ashley's brownies never fail
to please.

Same recipe as day 43 and as ever because they are pretty much perfect!