As my younger daughter would say, I am in another land. A far away land – but with technology, fortunately I am never completely absent. I woke up this morning to Skype my family, and it really made me homesick. The girls were in the middle of baking cookies for their lunches this week – what fun. This has become more and more of a Sunday afternoon ritual where my older daughter finds a recipe and goes at it. They want to make sure they have fresh-baked goods for their lunches – and who wouldn’t?
The other weekend there was too much homework going on, so I actually got to orchestrate the weekend baking project for lunches. My daughter picked out the recipe, and came back and forth from the kitchen to her homework – checking how things were going, helping here and there when she could. I loved the recipe that she picked out, even before we made it. Another Cooking Light special, and I knew it would be great. The unique aspect of this recipe was the fact that it was a butterscotch batter…instead of just adding butterscotch chips once the batter is made. The cake part was so moist and delicious with a strong butterscotch flavor, which was nicely offset by the dark chocolate chips. I had to sneak a few myself – once for this lunch sac, one for me, one for the other lunch sac, another for me…
As I sit here typing this, I wonder what the school lunches look like here. My daughter asked me last week what kids in France took for lunch at school, and I was reminded that they actually come and eat at home. If they do take a lunch, one of the favorites I remember was the hot dog stuffed into a baguette. I can pretty much guarantee that is not the case here. Now off to what I hope is an authentic meal in this far away land. No Butterscotch Blondies in this land!
Ingredients
- 4.5 ounces whole-wheat pastry flour (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butterscotch morsels
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined.
Combine butterscotch morsels and half-and-half in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Add brown sugar, canola oil, butter, vanilla, and eggs, and beat with a mixer at high speed for 2 minutes. Add flour mixture to butterscotch mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into an 8-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Butterscotch Blondies
First Look, Then Cook 
they look yummy!