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3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 / 2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (1 / 2 pound), softened
1 stick margarine, softened
3 eggs
3 cups dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 / 2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 / 4 cup walnuts, whole
3 / 4 cup chocolate chips

1. Oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat with an electric beater on medium speed, butter, margarine, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs. In a different smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt together. Gradually add half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture bowl until everything is blended well. Add the other half of the flour mixture but remove the electric beater and use a wooden spoon to mix. Add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips last. Stir to mix all together evenly.
4. Spoon batter into baking pan. Top with whole walnuts
5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 to 30 minutes in pan. After cooled, cut into 24 squares and lift gently from pan and placing on wax paper to cool for another 30 minutes.
6. ENJOY! – Blondies really do taster better than Brownies!

What do you call a brownie that has no chocolate fudge? What else….a blondie! I do love a good brownie or blondie that’s loaded with walnuts, both inside and out. However, let me clarify that my preference is to put chopped pieces on the inside and whole walnuts on the outside. Not only do I love that nutty flavor, I just think it makes them look more stylish – like they floated off the shelf of a first class bake shop.

Whether I am baking brownies or blondies I tend to lean towards a cake like texture. The very undercooked fudgie brownie just doesn’t cut it for me. I personally find them too mushy and raw. However, there are lots of folks who enjoy raw cookie dough – hey, to each his own as they say!

Food textures are very important to certain people. I am definitely a quirky food person. I love the crunch of certain foods, and this applies to candies for me as well. I dislike chewy candies like caramels, licorice and fruity rolls. The feel of the chewy candy stuck to my teeth drives me crazy. I actually believe that this little idiosyncrasy saved me from getting my fair share of cavities over the years. Who knows?

This texture thing can also pertain to other parts of our bodies and not just our mouths. Most people hate the feel of lace on their skin, or elastic on any part of their clothing. I personally suffer from a real phobia of sand. I can’t stand sand on me anywhere. I don’t mind taking walks on the beach with socks and sneakers, but I hate the feel of sand on my body. OK, you get the drift!

Whether you’re a crunchy lover or a creamy lover, I’m sure you will love these blondies. After all, who could hate anything with a name like blondie?