Battle of the Blondies

For those who don't already know, I've been trying to open my own bakery for a few years now. For a while it seemed like a dream in my far away future. But lately, it's looking like my dream may be part of my not-so-far away future. As a result, I've been paying a lot more attention to the recipes I make at home. I'm looking for things I like, as well as ruling out things I don't like. I was thinking about blondies today, and I realized I had no idea what my ideal blondie was! Did I want a thick and chewy blondie? Or did I want a soft and cakey blondie? Did I want it to be rich in butterscotch/caramel flavor? Or did I want it to be mild in flavor, similar to that of a sugar cookie? I didn't know! So what's the best way to find out??? Pit two popular recipes against each other and have yourself a good 'ole taste test! I present to you:

The Battle of the Blondies

The challengers: Smitten Kitchen vs. Cooks Illustrated
The recipes: Very similar ingredient proportions; the major difference being SK's does not contain a leavening agent and CI's does. Nearly identical mixing/baking methods, re-worded to reflect the fact.

Let's take a look at the recipes side-by-side:

As I pointed out before, the recipes and baking methods are almost the same. Nearly all of the ingredient proportions are the same, with CI going slightly heavier on the salt, egg, vanilla, and walnuts, but not enough to make a tremendous difference. The major difference is SK's not having any chemical leavening and CI's containing a bit of baking powder for some lift. The real question seems to be, to leaven or not to leaven? Ahahaha, oh yeah, that's comedy, people! Take notes!The results: As I bite into SK's blondie, the first thing I notice is how moist and "fudgy" it is. I liken it to really delicious cookie dough, without all that pesky graininess from undissolved sugar. This blondie would definitely be a suitable non-chocolate choice for lovers of fudgy brownies.

Cooks Illustrated on the left; Smitten Kitchen on the right

My second bite is into CI's blondie. The flavor is almost identical to SK's blondie, but the texture seems more like that of a baked good, no cookie dough texture here. The texture is pretty close to a cakey brownie, but it doesn't resemble cake at all. It's very dense and chewy, just like a blondie should be.

Neither of these have the hard, sugary chew of a chocolate chip cookie. Let it be known that these blondies are in a class of their own. I've seen some recipes for so-called "blondies" that are nothing more than chocolate chip cookies baked in bar form. These are NOT those!

As I said before, the flavors of these two blondie competitors are nearly identical. And the textures are noticeably different, but not enough to make me want to choose one over the other. I would call it a tie, but then what kind of battle would this be?? Before I give my final verdict, I just want to make it clear that both of these contenders played a fair game. They gave it their all, and when it comes down to it, I'd eat a barrel full of either if someone invented an "everything-you-swallow-after-this-will-be-fat-free" pill.

And now for the winner of this epic battle of Blondie vs. Blondie... only because I seemed to be more in the mood for something fudgy and squishy today:

Smitten Kitchen

UPDATE: After getting feedback from the peanut gallery, no one could really tell a difference between the two! Everyone loved them both. I have to call this one a tie!

Fruit & Nut Granola Bars

It's no secret I'm a major hippie when it comes to my overwhelming love for granola. I used to swear by Bear Naked Fit vanilla almond crunch, as well as their fruit and nut granola. If it came down to me being able to put $5 worth of gas in my car or buying a bag of granola, let's just say I'd be sitting at home with a spoon and a big grin on my face! Don't worry about me ever running out of gas though, because I will never buy store-bought granola again. For my first homemade granola adventure I used a recipe by Ina Garten, but I followed Smitten Kitchen's wise adaptations. I omitted the butter and left out the brown sugar. Because after that King Cake, I thought it best to cut calories wherever possible. Instead of chopping dried fruit, I used 1 1/2 cups of a mix of Archer Farms Raisin Nut trail mix and Sunny Cranberry trail mix. Altogether I had raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and a few hazelnuts and pistachios (I picked out the whole almonds from both trail mixes). I also omitted the salt from the recipe, because the nuts in the cranberry trail mix were salted. And for the coconut I used shaved coconut instead of shredded because it was prettier! ;D On the day the granola is made, it's of the chewier variety. But as time passes, it becomes suitable for crunchy granola lovers. Either way, it tastes phenomenal! PS: It's also delicious crumbled over fresh fruit and yogurt! Another checkmark on my Top 100!
Granola Bars
Makes 12 to 16 granola bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds (I used slivered almonds)
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed (I used shaved)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups diced dried fruit (I used fruit and nut trail mix)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

While the mixture is still warm, stir in the honey, vanilla and salt until the mixture is well coated, then the dried fruit. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and press, press, press it in (wet fingers and/or a silicon spatula work great for this) until the mixture is packed as tightly as possible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.

Store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper.