Quarantine Baking: Chocolate Cherry Blondies

It feels like we’re on day 649 of quarantine, and I have no idea what day or month it is. Everyday just seems to blend into one reoccurring day. Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, I am living the same day over and over, the only difference is time is passing. While it feels like it should still be March, half the year has passed. How is it July already?

Well now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, how are y’all handling our current predicament? 

Me and my boys, the hubs included, are getting lots of bonding time so there have been lots of board games and a little too much tv. The other day Emmett mentioned that he wanted to take a cooking class and I jumped at the opportunity to take him up on this. We knew we wanted something sweet with basic ingredients that was simple enough that an 8 year old could make it. I searched Pinterest and came across this recipe from Averie Cooks for Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars. Her recipe was easy to throw together and the outcome is delicious. I added pecans and definitely recommend doing so if you have any on hand. This is a great base recipe so you could add any in number of things such as shredded coconut or any nuts you prefer. I used fresh cherries and think they work best as frozen may result in a soggier blondie. Emmett favorite part was shooting the pits out of the cherries using this pitter.

 

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BLONDIES

      Ingredients

• 
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
  • 3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 cup, cherries, pitted and halved (fresh is recommended)
  • Instructions
    Preheat oven to 350F. Prep an 8-by-8-inch pan (or loaf pan, mine is 5-by-8-inch) with nonstick cooking spray. 
    Stir melted butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add egg and vanilla to sugar butter mixture and stir until well combined.  
    Next, add in the flour and salt, stir until just combined. It will be thick like cookie dough. 
    Fold in chocolate chips, cherries, and pecans into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until edges begin to slightly pull away from sides of pan and center.  
  
  
  While it may be very difficult to wait, allow bars to cool before slicing. Store in an airtight container.
•  
  
  
  These blondies are delicious on their own, but serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream a la mode to really take them to the next level. 
  
  
  
  
  Let me know if you make these and what you think. I hope you all stay healthy and enjoy this time with your family. While it may seem stressful, we are building memories with our kids that they will treasure for a lifetime. They won’t care about the shows they watched but they will remember the experiences you created and time spent together.