Snickerdoodle Blondies

You are forgiven if you have never heard of the snickerdoodle. Until last year I never knew what it was. The name bears no real resemblance to the actual product but that doesn't really matter. The snickerdoodle is a kind of sugar cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar. How does this relate to blondies? Well this particular recipe calls for a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top of the batter before baking. This topping is crunchy and sweet and spicy and gave the blondies an interesting flavour and contrast to the soft and chewy centre.

Blondies to me are the opposite of brownies. They are similar in shape and method but the dominant flavour is not chocolate but rather the rich brown sugar used. There are hundreds of recipes for blondies with some using chocolate chips or chopped nuts but this one is plain and simple and lets the snickerdoodle topping speak for itself.

I used the recipe from Dozen Flours which seems to have a loyal following (via Crepes of Wrath) and made a half batch in an 8x8 pan and they came out beautifully. There are no special ingredients needed and they are really very simple. Below is the recipe as I made it but refer to either of the links above for the full recipe.


Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper with overhanging sides to make it easier to remove the cooked blondies.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended and spread evenly into the pan.

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.