My husband doesn’t eat much chocolate. But, for some reason he is okay with chocolate if it is in the form of chocolate chip cookies and blondies. Now, the rest of us love chocolate, so we look for desserts where we can sneak it in! 
I was looking through You Made That Dessert? Create Fabulous Treats, Even If You Can Barely Boil Water and I saw this recipe for Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies. I figured adding a hefty amount of espresso powder to the batter could only make blondies better. I was so right. So you get soft and chewy blondies with an added bonus of a nice coffee kick. And, on most days, I so need that. But, if you aren’t a big coffee fan, you can just omit it, creating a great base for a bunch of different mix ins. As you can gather by the title of this book, they are super easy to make. No special equipment required. Nope, just a whisk and spatula. So, if you have a hankering for a blondie, as I do from time to time, but want a change from same old, please give this recipe a try. My kids loved them, so I know you won’t be disappointed.
Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
11/2 cups (6.4 ounces) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
11/4 cups (10.5 oz) packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts I omitted
11/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with foil leaving a 2 inch overhang on both sides; lightly mist the foil with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to mix. In a saucepan, warm the butter and brown sugar on low heat, stirring with flexible spatula until the butter has melted and butter and sugar are well combined.
Pour the butter-sugar mixture into a large bowl and let it cool for about 5 minutes. (test the temperature with your finger- it should feel warm but not hot) Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl with a whisk, just to mix the yolks and whites. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant espresso with vanilla.
When the butter-sugar mixture has cooled; beat in the eggs with the whisk, then beat in the espresso-vanilla mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula or a wooden spoon. Scrape down the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Stir in chopped nuts (if using) and chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the baking pan and spread it evenly with a flexible spatula. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until just golden brown and set in the center. Start checking at 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let to cool. Let it cool completely.
For the neatest cut, place the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before slicing. To slice use the overhang foil to remove the blondies and place on a large cutting board. Use a chef’s knife and cut into 24 pieces, wiping off knife between cuts, then carefully remove foil.
