I do remember my first visit to the Museum of Modern Art. Decades ago. Before two, or is it three, massive expansions. Now, the Museum is as big as a cruise ship. Then, it was smaller, more intimate. There were fewer people and it was quieter. And the paintings seemed to have more impact. There was an intimate privacy of viewing that is now lost to the crowds.

I loved my first Jackson Pollock that day. I could not understand it. I could only feel it.

This blondie, surprisingly, really, truly reminds me of that first stunning Pollock. You could not touch, let alone eat, that painting. These blondies you can. There are beautiful to behold but when you cut into them, as the second picture reveals, you find an incredibly dense and flavor filled texture. If you’ve never become enamored with blondies, if you think brownies are supreme, then I invite you try this recipe. You might think you’ve discovered another piece of art.

Bombin’ Blondies

Yield: 12 large or 24 smaller bars

Ingredients:

For the batter:

• Vegetable shortening for pan
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shelled walnuts
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups and 2 tablespoons, firmly packed (1 pound 5 ounces) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 ⅓ cups and 2 tablespoons (15.5 ounces) bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 ¾ cups (10 ounces) large semisweet chocolate baking chips (Hershey's Baking Melts), or 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ teaspoon very hot water

Preparation:

To make the blondies, adjust an oven rack to the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil in the pan.

Sprinkle the walnuts out onto a quarter-sheet pan. Toast in the oven just until fragrant, about 7 minutes, then transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Maintain the oven temperature at 350°F.

Cut the butter sticks into 1-inch slices. Place the butter slices and brown sugar in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over the lowest setting until the sugar and butter dissolve, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula. Pour the sugar mixture into a large mixing bowl. Using the spatula, stir the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Stir in the extracts; scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl; whisk together to combine. Sift through a medium strainer directly onto the batter; stir in with the spatula until just combined.

Sprinkle the coconut, chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts over the batter; fold in until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 325°F and bake an additional 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

To make the chocolate drizzle, melt the butter and corn syrup over low heat in a small, heavy saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips; stir with a small silicone spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the hot water to thin it out. Using the spatula, drizzle thin, random stripes over the top of the blondie slab. Let the drizzle cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate the pan for 7 to 8 hours, or overnight. Remove the pan, invert and gracefully extract the blondies. Or, you can just start eating them hot from the pan. I did.

Source: Extreme Brownies by Connie Weis [Andrews McMeel, 2014]

Photo Information [First]: Canon T2i, 18-55mm Macro Lens, f/2.8, 1/100^th second, ISO-500

Photo Information [Second]: Canon T2i, 18-55mm Macro Lens, f/2.8, 1/30^th second, ISO-3200