Recipe: Pecan, Coconut, and Chocolate Chip Blondies

Now is the time of year where I want to start baking again. I can’t stand to turn on my oven in the summer so baking (and, let’s be real, any involved cooking) goes right out the window for 3-4 months. But in October, baking feels right again and I’m always on the hunt for a new cookie or brownie recipe. Blondies, to me, combine the best of both of those worlds. I found Smitten Kitchen’s blondie recipe this weekend and happily turned my oven back on.

Smitten Kitchen’s Blondies (original recipe here; slight modifications made by me below)
8 tbsp. butter, softened/melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup AP flour (I use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)
2/3 cup coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1.25 cups chocolate chips

This recipe is insanely easy. In a stand mixer, beat the melted butter with the brown sugar until smooth. Add in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Slow mix in the flour. Once the dough has come together, slowly add the coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Spray down an 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Spoon the dough into the pan – this dough is thick so you may have to press down with your fingers to get an even layer in the pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. They may look gooey but you want these blondies slightly underdone; that’s when they are the best. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting (if you can stand it). These dense and chewy beauties will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a week, though I highly doubt they will last that long!