Caramel Blondies

“Can we make brownies, but not the brown kind?” Half-Pint eagerly asked.

“I like the brown kind. Let’s make the brown kind!” Pickle-in-the-Middle countered.

And so I ended up with two sets of eyes looking up at me, waiting for me to pick a favorite (dessert or child… I’m not entirely sure which!).  Think fast, Mom, think fast…

Enter Caramel Blondies. Blonde “brownies,” lacking cocoa, would surely meet one child’s request for “not the brown kind” of brownies. Rich caramel swirls would be delicious, I imagined – and brown. We gave it a go, and the results were spot-on wonderful the very first try. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients (Makes a 9 inch round pan)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon milk

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup melted caramel or Dulce de Leche

Directions

Step 1) Melt butter and brown sugar together in a medium (not small) saucepan, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Step 2) Add egg and milk to the cooled saucepan; blend well.

Step 3) Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the saucepan and stir to combine all ingredients. Batter will be stiff.

Step 4) Use a rubber spatula to transfer the batter to a greased, 9 inch round tart pan or pie dish.

Step 5) Use a teaspoon to drop dots of melted caramel or Dulce de Leche onto the batter. Use a butter knife to “draw lines” through the caramel in several directions.

Step 6) Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the blonde batter (NOT the caramel) comes out clean. Small wedges of this dessert are wonderful served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.