Malted Blondies

So I kind of have a thing for baked goods. It's really an intense sugar addiction. However, not just any sugar will do. I never crave a Snickers bar or processed cookies in a package. No, I prefer things that require more effort than that. I find that baked items I purchase are usually disappointing. I don't eat sugary foods for the sake of it, processed goods are not worth it. I guess I'm just high maintenance. I usually make various breads like banana bread, zucchini bread and pumpkin bread. But lately I've been interested in various bar type goods like the Toblerone brownies I made a few weeks ago. These are much lighter and not as rich as the Toblerone brownies were. Blondies are a nice alternative to brownies once and a while. These Blondies are malted, they have whoppers and malt powder. I think next time I would add more malt powder to really bring that flavor out more but the recipe below is how I made them.

Malted Brownies

adapted from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking"

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBS malted milk powder ( you could try with a little more if you like malt)

14 TBS unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup malted milk balls, chopped

3/4 cup (9 0z) semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and malted milk powder.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until completely combined. Scrape down bowl, add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.

4. Add the flour mixture in two batches and beat until just combined. Add the malted milk balls, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Beat until just combined. The mixture will be thick. Turn the mixture out into the greased pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly.

5. Bake in the center for about 25-35 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.

6. Let cool completely before cutting. These would be great with some ice cream and are delicious warm.