White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies

.  A weekend recap is a must.  And if you don't want to hear about it, tough ☺

So this last Saturday, two friends of mine and myself ran in the Mud, Sweat, and Beer Run!  Ha, I know, don't laugh.  As you can probably guess, it's a completely fun time!  Thousands of people, loud music, and of course, loads of beer.  

Now, I'm not a beer fan, so that wasn't my incentive.  But a crazy atmosphere and challenging 7K run through the country will get me every time.

And despite our lack of preparation, all three of us did great!  Now, you can probably guess that the Mud, Sweat, and Beer Run isn't full of Boston Marathoner-like people.  But no need to reiterate that point.  Each of us pushed ourselves and I think finished better than any of us were expecting.  So mission accomplished!

So onto these bars.  Which have no connection to our race this last weekend whatsoever, so I won't even try to twist some crazy story.  Maybe I could say the macadamia nuts would give you some needed energy before your next big race...but let's not go there.  Let's just say that these bars are too simple and danggggg tasty!  I mean a seriously chewy blondie filled to the max with white chocolate chunks and toasted macadamia nuts?  Can't.  Go.  Wrong.  The end  .

From Erin's Food Files

Ingredients:

1 c. plus 1 tsp. butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 c. light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

3 c. plus 1 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. white chocolate chips

1 c. macadamia nuts, toasted and rough chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 13x9-inch pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour, or spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Evenly spread macadamia nuts on baking sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until fragrant and slightly browned.  Set aside until ready to use.
3. For bars, place butter and brown sugar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment and cream together on medium speed until smooth batter is formed (about 3 minutes).  While the mixer is running, add eggs and vanilla extract, until incorporated into batter.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour and baking powder.  Slowly add flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until a dough is formed.  Very gently, fold in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts into dough.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set yet still moist.

Yield: 2 dozen bars