Back in the Day Bakery’s Drunk Blondies

Hands down, my favorite recipe so far from the Back in The Day Bakery Cookbook has been the one for drunk blondies. I’ve made them maybe 4 times already; when Drew’s birthday came around I offered to bake him anything he wanted, and even though I thought he’d pick a cheesecake or something fancier he ended up going with drunk blondies (with ice cream). And a few days ago when I was getting ready to go see my family in Tennessee I made up another batch of them. They’re that good–old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie bars, loaded with bourbon and butter (a lot of it).

Drunk Blondies (Recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day).

“Makes 12 large or 24 small bars

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (*see tip)

1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan and line with parchment, allowing the ends of the paper to hang over two opposite edges of the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Put the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir with a spoon until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and bourbon, and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut the blondies into bars. The blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*Tip: The easiest way to toast coconut is in the oven. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the coconut in a baking pan and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes with a heat-resistant spoon to ensure even browning. Keep a close eye on the coconut, because it can burn easily.”

PS: Because they’re already really unhealthy I go all the way and double the bourbon and chocolate. (why not). I also love Cheryl and Griffith’s idea of sprinkling fleur de sel salt on top of their chocolate chip cookies, so I go ahead and do the same with these, and they turn out so much better.