Makes about 2 dozen bars
COMMUNITY COOKBOOKS ARE JAM-PACKED WITH RECIPES FOR UNADORNED BAR cookies like these, composed solely of pantry staples, with names like Butterscotch Bars or Toffee Bars, or any title indicating the power of the marriage of butter and brown sugar. In the Midwest, no-frills bars like these show up at bake sales, classroom parties, and box lunches, the ultimate in sweet-salty chew.
This recipe fulfills all my bar cookie dreams—blocky outer pieces with crisp edges and softer, denser middle ones to suit any mood, richer than most with sparks of salt throughout, a caramel-like foundation that can, of course, accommodate all matter of chocolate chips, nuts, candy bits, what have you (you’ll want 2 to 3 cups of your chosen morsels, added after the dry ingredients). But truly, they need no add-ins to wow the crowd. I make them every chance I get.
Nonstick cooking spray for pan
3 cups/384 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons/480 g firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, fridge-cold
1 large/20 g egg yolk, fridge-cold
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups/339 g unsalted butter, browned and cooled
2 to 3 cups/about 300 to 450 g chocolate chips, nuts, or other mix-ins (optional)
Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 325°F/170°C. Spray a 9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm light-colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper with a couple of inches of overhang on 2 opposite sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and flaky and fine salt.
In a large bowl, using an energetic arm, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla until lighter in color and texture, about 1 minute.
Whisk in the cooled browned butter. Fold in the flour mixture just until no dry floury streaks remain. If you’re adding mix-ins, stir them in now until just combined.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake until the blondies are fragrant and golden, with a slightly glossy surface and a raised, wrinkled perimeter beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan set over a wire rack. Use the parchment paper to lift the blondie slab out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into portions to suit the crowd you’re serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.