An Easy Holiday Treat

My aunt shared this delicious recipe from Martha Stewart earlier in the year, but she has made it several times for us and the white chocolate chip gingerbread blondies were always something to look forward to.  It is easy to make!  The only challenging part is the batter is very thick, so spreading it in the pan can get a little frustrating.  The original recipe calls for a 17-by-12 inch baking dish, but I used a 9-by-13 inch dish which worked great!  The blondies came out thicker and had to cook a little longer, so expect to add another 5-8 minutes onto the cooking time.  The key to getting them out of the pan easily when they’re done is the parchment paper.  Follow Martha Stewart’s advice and line the pans with parchment paper to ensure the come out clean.  It’s the trick to getting a nice shape!  I also chose to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for a really rich gingerbread flavor.  Below is the original recipe from Martha Stewart.  Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape.

NOTES
Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

*recipe is from MarthaStewart.com