Chocolate Coffee Almond Blondies with a glass of milk!

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"The future, seems to me no unified dream but a mince pie, long in the baking, never quite done." 

~ Edward Young

Chocolate Coffee Almond Blondies served with a glass of milk!

When I published my last post, it was blistering hot outside and I was devouring greedily on juicy, pulpy mangoes, making all kinds of desserts with them. As I write this post, it is raining cats & dogs, a weather perfect for spicy pakoras with ketchup in one hand and hot chocolate in the other. Never thought this would be month-long break. As I said on my facebook page, I was just stuck in a cobweb of mundane activities which needed my attention, took most of my time and energy. Hence the lull in my blogging. Thanks for inquiring and writing to me. :-)

"Chocolate is not cheating! After a salty meal, you need a little bit of sweet. This is living, not cheating" ~ Ali Landry

...but I was reading a lot. It first started with breathtaking story of Mariam & Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns, then got to know about workholic lawyer Samantha Sweeting as The Undomestic Goddess, then read how Lord Shiva took a human form and set out to destroy evil, uncovering deadly secrets along the way in very popular Shiva Triology (both The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of Nagas), next came Day of Honey, a memoir of food, love and war - which opened up a whole new world of people, their cuisine, their culture in Middle East and most recently The Thirteen Tale, a tale of twins, Adeline and Emmeline. Till date, I never enjoyed reading such diverse set of authors who in their own right and might weaved magic through words portraying sublime emotions which will stay with you - forever!.

Chocolate, Coffee, Almonds, Brown Sugar - a divine combination of flavors!

Honestly, Baking is not something that appeals to me greatly. I am no Rachel Ray, mind you who can't bake at all. It's just that baking asks for exact measurements, which puts me off, personally speaking. I bake only when I crave for something that's not available in the bakeries around me (sadly after moving to Hyderabad, I hardly get any delicious baked goodies I want, so don't be surprised if I start to bake regularly from on. ;-)).

I bake out of absolute necessity, with simple, not involving any fancy, hard-to-get ingredients. Like today's "Chocolate Coffee Almond Blondies", a one bowl recipe which is super easy to put together.

just out of the oven...

{Recipe} Chocolate Coffee Almond Blondies

Adapted from Seattle Times

Makes ~ 10 servings

Ingredients:


1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon instant coffee (I used Sunrise brand)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (If you are using salted butter like Amul, omit adding salt below)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped milk chocolate bits (chop chocolate bar into small bits using a sharp knife)
1 cup almond bits (optionally use chopped/slivered almonds if desired)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (for topping - optional)


Preparation:

1. Heat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Grease a 9 inch round or square baking pan with cooking spray or butter.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the water, instant coffee and vanilla extract. Stir until the coffee granules dissolve. Add the softened butter, brown sugar and salt (if using unsalted butter). Using an electric mixer or whisk (+ a lot of muscle power), beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the flour, then the chocolate and almond bits.

 3. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula. Top with some chopped almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (check after 25 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Cool and Cut into 10 pieces. Serve as-is or with glass of milk on the side.!

Notes -

1. To make almond bits, just pulse them in a grinder for 3-4 seconds. Any kind of nuts - cashews, peanuts or walnuts work well with this recipe. May be you would like to add a bit of each.

2. Every oven works differently. So, I would suggest to check for doneness after 25 minute-mark.

3. If the batter is too dry, add few tablespoons of milk.

4. Sprinkle flaked sea salt, if desired before popping into the oven for a salty note.

5. These blondies taste great the next day as well. Cut and store in an air tight container.

infinitely adaptable, blondies are so easy to make. tastes best even the next day. perfect for potlucks, picnics etc.

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...and here is a photograph I clicked while we were at Big Dosa here in Hyderabad. Sending it to Aparna for  Black and White Wednesday # 37, originally conceptualized by Susan. Click here to view my other B&W submissions.

taken at Big Dosa, Hyderabad

Have a splendid week ahead folks.

until next time, Bon Appetit,