Thursday, March 19, 2009

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step Recipe

TH and I were due to visit my cousin for lunch. A cousin with two kids. Which meant, we should be getting them something.

Fruits? Naah.. Reminds me of visiting someone at the hospital.

Chocolates? I am a bit careful when I get this for kids 'cuz I know parents who don't introduce chocolates to their kids until they are about 10 or so. Yeah, really. Though I am super glad my parents didn't think of something like this, I respect these parents' decision.

That's when I decided to play it safe and bake something myself. TH may disagree about the 'safe' part but who listens to him anyway, right?

So I decided to bake these lovely butterscotch blondies. Zesty Cook made it look so simple that I wanted to do the same for you guys. That's why this is a step-by-step recipe. Its quite foolproof and really yummy, not to mention a great variation from the usual chocolate brownies!

The best part is, the recipe doesn't involve any kind of whipping, or beating, or creaming, or other complicated baking techniques. This is best suited for baking beginners. So this is for all those of you who requested simple cakes and bakes through my recipe request form.

*The final recipe is at the end of the post, so if you want to skip the yada yada and get to it straightaway, please keep scrolling. Thanks!*

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeThis is before melting, by the way

So now, let's start with butter. 1/2 cup butter, melted. I gave it a turn in the microwave for about 45 seconds on medium-high.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeNext, let's measure 1 cup brown sugar. I am not sure if regular sugar will work too, but I used what was in the recipe. I am nothing if not obedient.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeMix throughly. You don't need any fancy shmancy electric beater or anything for this. Just good old mixing with hands until well blended.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeNext, add an egg.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeMix well, gently, until you get a nice watery batter like this that's ready for the flour that you are going to add in next.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeBut wait! Before we measure out the flour, let's add 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence to this and mix well.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeFinally, its time for the flour. Measure out 1 cup of all purpose flour or maida. I just dunked the whole thing in. Don't forget to follow the flour with a pinch of salt.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeMix well until the flour is well combined with no lumps.

Now, its time for the star ingredient - Butterscotch Chips!

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeI didn't find any in the baking supplies store near my house but they had these really cute caramel drops that were really tiny chips of caramel, so I used these instead. We will need 3/4 cup of chips.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeDunk those in too, and blend gently without mashing the chips too much.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeThere you go. We are done! Well, almost. This is when you call your husband over to help transfer the batter to a greased cake tray so that you can click that as well. Like so.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeOf course, you have to do the spreading and making it look pretty bit.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeTransfer this to an oven pre-heated at 350 F / 175 C.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeYes, that's my oven. Its very old-fashioned but works like a charm.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeThe one my mom owns doesn't have a temperature regulator, yet, she used to make the most amazing cakes, different kinds - not to mention puddings and other stuff too!

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeMine has a regulator and the highest setting is 220 C. I rarely need a hotter oven than that.

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeThe dome-like lid lets you take a peek into what's baking. You see those tiny holes near the edge of the glass disc? That's where I insert my 'toothpick' to check if my cakes are done. Though, when I say toothpick, I actually mean an extra long skewer!

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step RecipeAfter about 30-40 mins of baking, your butterscotch blondies should look like this. If you are anything like me, you would have to resist the temptation to just dig your hands in and remind yourself just in time that you baked these for your cousin and family.

Its quite easy after that..

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step Recipe
Cool, cut into squares.

Pack it in a container...

Butterscotch Blondies - Step By Step Recipe.. and get ready for the compliments :)

Oh, this should easily get you about 18-20 squares if you use an 8 by 8 cake tray so you will have enough for yourselves too!

Here is the recipe again without the annoying pictures meddling with it:
ButterScotch Blondies Recipe

What I Used:

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1 pinch salt

How I Made It:

1. Cream the melted butter and sugar until well blended.

2. Add the egg and mix well. Then add the vanilla extract.

3. Dunk the flour and salt in. Mix well until combined, with no lumps.

4. Add the chips and mix gently.

5. Transfer to a greased cake tray to a pre-heated oven at 350 F / 174 C and bake for about 30 mins or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

6. Cool, cut into squares and enjoy!
This is my entry to Monthly Mingle - Kids Lunches, conceptualized by Meeta and hosted by Srivalli this month. Though the kids would love to have just this for lunch, I would strongly recommend reserving it for dessert ;)

59 People Said..:

arundati said...

wowie!! never tried blondies...this looks great...and simple too...

Sharmilee! :) said...

Thanks for the step by step procedure, it takes lot of patience to do that. Texture of the blondies is soo gud & yummmy!
It wud be of great help if u suggest any alt ingredient for butterscotch chips...dont think its available easily everywhere :(

Rupa said...

Wow, they look so yum...any egg replacement you suggest since am vegertarian....and hey, I have been looking to buy an oven.....whats this....Dont we need an OTG to bake? Sorry, am an amateur....where do you get this from? and can we bake muffins, vegetables, brownies and all other stuff in this machine.....Can we get this in Hyderabad? It will be really nice if you can help me out with this info?
Rupa.

Divya Kudua said...

Annoying pictures..??Yada yada..??Those are more awaited than the recipes;-).Loved the step by step pictures..would love to try it out too,but I'll have to go on a treasure hunt to see if Caramel chips/Butterscotch are available in Chennai..;-)

pix said...

this is super duper useful thanks so much! will definitely try this, they look really tasty. I have a quick question about your equipment though... Where in Singapore can you get a cup-measuring device? We had one at home in London and forgot to pack it and haven't been able to find one here yet! Tried NTUC and Cold Storage but haven't seen them and am getting tired of converting everything to weight measurements :)

Nags said...

In India, butterscotch chips may be hard to find, I understand. In Hyderabad, its available in Q-Mart, according to a friend :)

As for the oven, I have only seen this in Kerala. This one is from Kottayam, and I brought this in my suitcase, all the way to Singapore. You can bake everything in this.

Pix - You do get cup measurements in Cold Storage. Check near the kitchen utentils section. Otherwise, you can find it in the kitchenware section of stores like Takashimaya, Metro, Isetan, etc. Pirex has a glass bowl that measures and is also microwaveable. Go for that :)

Nags said...

Divya - Glad u like the step by step :) thanks a ton!!

SJ said...

It takes a lot of work to take step by step pics and you have done such a good of it! I love your oven, my mom had one just like that when she first started to bake!

renuka said...

Excellent recipe will try it and post it soon

RAKS KITCHEN said...

Wow!great post! I would love to try this! My hubby is a great fan of butterscotch,but I have never bought egg home,but too tempting,so have to try:) Thanks for step wise picture,its really helpful here:)

Aparna said...

Nice to see you baking, Nags. Beautiful butterscotch blondies. My daughter loves them and I prefer the brownies so we're both happy. My husband who likes both is probably the happiest!! :)

Asha said...

OMG!! That's what I had when I was a teenager and used to bake in it. I didn't think they still exist! So wonderful, glad they still work so efficiently. I prefer Blondies for Brownies any day. Looks perfect Nagu, good job! :)

Nandini Vishwanath said...

Wow, for some weird reason, I thought butterscotch blondies were cookies. You know? Snickerdoodle types or mebbe I thought they were that. Sigh.

They look great. However, I'm not a caramel fan. A is. So, I will show this recipe appropriately. :P I will divide the batter and add chocolate to my half *hmph*

Shivapriya said...

Looks yummy, love the step by step instructions pictures. I was searching or your blog for quite sometime. I din't know that you moved to your new home. :) Finally I got it!! thanks for dropping by.

Jo said...

Blondies are as equally delicious as brownies. Great step-by-step instructions with pictures.

The Koshy Mostafas said...

Nags - they look delicious!!! I can just imagine their goodness -drool
Thanks a ton for all the lovely comments - it's encouraging !!!

Kitchen Flavours said...

Oh luscious and deslih....Love the pictorial view...

Pavani said...

Those blondies look yummy. I'm sure the kids (and the adults) loved them. Great step-by-step instructions. My mom has the same oven that your mom has without any regulators, but it still works wonders.

Sakshi said...

Never ever put up a recipe without pics ok? I am one of those ppl who likes to see the outcome before attempting to try it and ur pics really tempt me to work my @&# off!! By the way was too happy to see the first pic till I read what u have written beneath it - I thought I could get away this time without actually shaping the thing...hmmpff
Nags any suggestion abt making the blondies without eggs? my husband has been complaining a lot lately abt me making things just for myself and my son; ma husband is allergic to egg and he sulks when we dig into things which he can't even smell.

Shreya said...

Simply amazing!:-) Naga, where can i buy an oven like that? I would love to start baking...

Sandeepa said...

This is a wonderful step by step recipe am sure will work like a charm when i use it

Priya said...

Love ur oven..really very amazing work Nags, love the step by step procedure, really helpful for us to try in future..

Happy cook said...

Wow i want to have few of these delicous blondies. Lucky kids who got these.
If you ever visit me, you can alwways vake and bring these for me.
I gave my daughter sweets and chocolate from a very young age.
There is nothing wrong with a old fashioned oven my mom had these from the time when i was little and she used to make delicious cakes in them, nothing fancy but the vanilla , chocolate and the christmas ones.
Even my sis have this one in her place back in B'lore.

MR said...

that is simple and easy nags!!!
now all I have to do is buy butterscotch chips
happy happy

Zesty Cook said...

Oh WOW they look so yummy! Thanks for mentioning me and using the recipe. i am so glad they turned out!

zesty

TBC said...

My mom has one of these ovens! She used to make us some fabulous cakes and pizzas. I think she still has it somewhere in storage now.:D

I have thought of making blondies so many times but have always ended up adding chocolate to it, making it brownies.
The kids must have been so pleased! :)

Subhie Arun said...

woww...so nice of u ...i like the way u show ur love to kids ..thru spending times and enegry baking urself...blondies look grt..will give a try!!!!!

Sonu said...

Easy and quick recipe Nags. Wow... you've made a special cake for those kids that so sweet of you!!! :) I really wonder to your cute oven as I have seen this first time ever.
BTW, thanks for sharing.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

oh my god... how many pics... very detailed steps.. that is good for beginners like me. the cake looks delicious...last couple of pics r very very tempting. i like ur oven. it's cute.

Sonal said...

Hi nags!!
lovely blondies..and very suitable for a worst baker llike me..
hey even my mom uses the same kind of oven..pretty and handy :)
Sonal

Gayathri said...

OMG, thats a excellent explanation, great pics

Ma Udaysree said...

interesting oven. where can i get one like that?

Nags said...

This is to everyone who asked me about the oven :) I have seen this only in Kottayam but since a lot of you commented saying you have seen it or your mom has a similar one, I am guessing its available throughout Kerala if not outside. I have searched for this in Chennai but its not available.

If you are in or around Kottayam, you can get it in Shah Enterprises on TB Road. The price is about 1000rs or so and the company is called OK as you can see :)

Good luck!!

Jayashree said...

Looks yum.....I like the look of the oven too.

Prathibha said...

The recipe and the Oven looks very interesting...

Seena said...

Nags, I was in search of an oven like this! Don't know this is available here, if didn't get here, hope I can search in your place. looks so lovely! :)

Miri said...

God - its been years since I saw this oven - I am pretty sure I saw these ovens in Kodambakkam but may be wrong because it was when I lived in Chennai some years back.

Love the caramel chips - the blondies look just delicious!

Tina. said...

Nags...bs blondies look gr8 - cud u tell me where i can find those chips in india? i am in bangalore. thanks!

Sia said...

errr, have u got any leftovers by any chance?

Nags said...

Tina - I don't know Blore well enough to give you exact store names but I would try places that have cooking chocolate and chocolate chips and bakeware and stuff. Slightly high end and specialised, probably :)

Ranjani said...

Dangg girl, you must have a LOT of patience to be so methodical and so detailed in your pics and instructions:) nice post...LOVE blondies...it's been so long since I've had one!

Crafty Shines said...

me loves!!!! do you think i can try this with choco chips??? :)

ricecakeconfessional said...

finally the oven! totally NOT what i was picturing but i feel educated nonetheless.

the blondies look delicious!

Sudha said...

step by step pictures and detailed explanation,
really grrrrrrr8!!!!!thank u so much!!!!!!!!!!
sudha

Rajitha said...

nags i have to say ur blogging style has evolved so much! i mean the pics went from good to great...now ur blog is just not recipes..but there is so much info in it...i am surely going to look into ur photo tips..

Nags said...

Crafty Shines - You can definitely try with chocc chips but the flavour would change significantly, of course :)

Nags said...

A bunch of you asked for an egg substitute. I am really not sure if egg substitutes like silken tofu, or vegetable oil or things like that would work for this recipe. Its worth a shot, but try at your own risk.. Sorry about that.

Sushma said...

A splendid job. I felt as if I baked butterscotch blondies. Have bookmarked it, will try & let you know :)

Poornima Nair said...

Looks super delicious Nags...great texture...bet the kids loved every bit...

Srivalli said...

Lovey cake, am sure your cousins loved it!

passionforlife said...

Hi Nags,

I had to ask you abt the oven! Actually I do have a similar kind of oven which mom bought some 13-14 years ago but stopped using it. Now that I have started my experiments with baking, and as in microwave oven baking the texture suffers, I was reminded of this old oven. It is working even after all this years. But what I wanted to ask you was if I can use a non stick cake dish in it, as mom tells I can use only aluminium, as per her memory of the manual which we lost. It would be of great help if you can enlighten me on that.

passionforlife said...

and how about setting the temperature. The knob moves all around! Pardon my ignorance!

Nags said...

passionforlife - i have used a non-stick muffin tray in this oven and it comes out fine. so it should be totally fine. the oven comes with aluminium trays so that's why your mom said that's what you should use. She is right in a way, aluminium works best but non stick is fine to use too.

As for the temp knob, mine doesn't go around all the way but if yours does, try to look for the arrow or some mark that indicates where you need to align the temp number to. That should set the temp but really, in this oven, it doesn't matter if your temp is not accurate. I sometimes don't even check the recipe and just set what I feel like :D You can refer the above pic to see how the arrow indicator looks like.

Hope this helps!! :)

passionforlife said...

Nags., Thanks a lot.. it was of great help. Now I know where the indicator is! The indicator light wasn't working, so I've given it in the shop for repairing. Thanks a lot once again.:)

Anonymous said...

sorry to add to the slew of questions/comments on the oven, but i have another question for you. :) one of these ovens was just given to me, but it's old and there's no manual with it. i'm wondering if you simply place the cake pan on the base of the oven or do you use some of the other metal contraptions that came with it to hold it up and not touch the botton?

Nags said...

No problem! I will answer whatever I can :) So, in my oven, there is a small perforated disc that I am supposed to place at the bottom for even heating and baking. My mom lost hers years back and puts it directly on the base of the oven. Either should work just fine.

RV said...

Butterscotch blondies are not really blonde...They look beautiful and delicious and your oven looks super cool...

mittu said...

Wow this must be telepathy I just made good ol brownies day before. Yesterday another blogger put up brownies and today you are putting up blondies! they look really nice and soft...
And about the oven. My mum has this too its so old that the temparature knob doesnt work nymore! We tried looking for this type but dint find any in chennai.

Someone was asking about butterscotch chips and caramel chips being available in chennai... its available in Nuts n Spices.( That store made me familiar with stuff available in US)

Nags said...

mittu, that's awesome!! thanks for the tip on the store in Chennai :)

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your thoughts and points of view.

All spam and mean comments will be deleted promptly.