Cookie Recipes
Blondies with Orange, Mint and Apricots
Yield: 32 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1/2 cup orange mint leaves, loosely packed
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 extra large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.
- When melted, add the brown sugar and stir. Cook over medium low heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the granulated sugar and stir until it's dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat to cool.
- Thinly slice the apricots crosswise.
- Wash, dry and coarsely chop the orange mint; there should be about 3 tablespoons.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir to blend. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture over the apricots and toss to coat them lightly.
- Beat the eggs into the warm brown sugar and butter mixture (it should not be hot) and blend thoroughly.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir well.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and stir until just blended.
- Add the apricots and mint and stir until just mixed in.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely on a baking rack before cutting into bars.
Attribution
Kitchen Gardener - Aug/Sept 1999