Fatwitch Blondies

My dad left us last Thursday but not before spending some more time shopping for presents for the family back home. My younger sister put in special requests for ANYTHING I COULD THINK OF, which if you know me is quite difficult because I put a lot of thought into buying gifts for people. That translates into me never being able to find just the right thing to suit the person and then no one is satisfied. My dad ended up picking up some cool jewelry but I thought that a good gift would be one that comes from me not from a store. I decided to bake up some cookies and send them back home to my sister. I chose to make the blondies from the Fatwitch book. (Having tested a bunch of recipes from the book, I can safely declare it a solid book with both classic and more fresh recipes that deserves a place on any shelf. My only gripe is that the final products as I make them don't resemble their cookbook counterparts.) The only change I made to this recipe was to substitute golden syrup for the molasses, which added a caramelly dimension to this otherwise homey cookie. I layered the cooled bars in parchment and placed them in a container and tucked them away in my dad's suitcase. My sister sent me an email upon receiving them saying that they were so good and still so fresh! A gift much appreciated, I guess. Like all the other Fatwitch recipes, these are simple to make. You can use the original molasses or you can try the golden syrup version. Either way, someone somewhere will be happy to eat these.

Blondies
adapted from the Fatwitch cookbook

8 tbsp margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment. Grease and set aside.

Place the margarine and eggs in a bowl.

Whisk or beat until combined.

Add the sugar, syrup and vanilla,

and beat until blended. I got a curdled looking mess but it pretty much corrected itself in the oven.

Add all of the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips,

and blend.

Spread evenly in the prepared pan,

and bake for twenty five minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes before removing the parchment from the pan and cooling on a rack. Allow to cool for one hour before cutting. Be sure to send these homey treats to someone you love!