One Bowl Baking
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Swirling a few tablespoons of extra maple syrup into the batter give these buttery bars an extra maple kick.

Note: I tested this with both pure maple syrup and "maple flavored" syrup. Pure maple syrup offered subtle maple flavor; the "maple flavored" syrup flavor was much more pronounced. For fudgy texture, avoid over baking.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes 12 blondies
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Special equipment: 9- by 9-inch baking pan

Ingredients

  • 11 tablespoons (5 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, half melted
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided (see note)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 3/4 cups (about 7 ounces) walnuts, chopped, divided

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9- by 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing edges to hang over the sides like a sling. Grease pan.

  2. Stir butter with brown sugar and salt in large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup maple syrup and egg until combined. Add flour and baking soda to bowl and stir until completely combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups walnuts.

  3. Spread into prepared pan and smooth the top. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup over top and swirl into batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts.

  4. Bake until golden and just set in center (but is still jiggly), about 25 minutes. Avoid over baking. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool, about an hour. Grab sling and lift blondies out of pan to cut.