HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’m sure I should be focusing on green things and healthy recipes, but I made these gingerbread blondies over the holiday for my Christmas treat boxes and it would just not be fair for me to keep them from you.
I know exactly what some of you are thinking right now: “Gingerbread? Ew!” But, hear me out… I know that you think you don’t like gingerbread. You probably had a bite of a gingerbread house as it was under construction and spit it out in disgust, or ate the legs off of a tiny gingerbread man only to be disappointed by the flavor… or maybe you had a bite of some dry gingerbread cake that fell to pieces in your mouth.
I’m here to tell you that those, my friends, are not what gingerbread is really all about. These blondies, on the other hand, will redeem every negative gingerbread experience you’ve ever had in your life. They are soft and delightfully chewy and filled to the top with molasses and spices that will make your mouth do the happy dance.
I adapted the recipe from Mr. Eats’s favorite blondies. I kept the basic ratios the same, but punched up the spices and added a healthy dose of molasses to make these babies really shine.
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and parchment. Lightly grease the parchment with cooking spray or butter.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. (If you are using a stand mixer, you will want to use the paddle attachment)
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate the egg after each addition.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the molasses, beating until incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and continue beating another 10 or 15 seconds until it is mixed in.
- Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low just until moistened. Add the other half of the mixture and beat on low until just combined, being careful not to overmix. There should be no traces of white flour in the dough.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan - it helps if you moisten your hands and use them to help spread and pat the batter into place (it will be quite thick and sticky). Bake until edges are dry and the center is completely set, about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack and cut into squares.
