Boozy Bourbon Blondies

Boozy blondies...could be the name of a great old rock band, a group of friends from college, or one of the greatest simple desserts of all time. What's your thought?

Do you ever want something sweet, but not something chocolate? Something that has depth and feels grown up?  Something that’s not a cookie, not a brownie and not a cake? If you answered YES to any of these questions I have found the dessert for you.  

These little bites of yum, boozy bourbon blondies!

I’m normally a chocolate girl, but then I found the simple infinitely adaptable blondie recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I changed my mind...for a bit anyway.

The recipe I want to share with you is great for the last minute invite to a summer BBQ or when you are asked to bring dessert to a holiday party.  It’s geared more for the adults, but the kids will like them too (just don’t let them have too many).

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Now, before we dig into what makes these boozy blondies so great, let’s rewind for a minute.

We need to talk about the bourbon.  You may or may not know that the husband is born and bred in Louisville, KY and they happen to have a thing down there for bourbon. Not just run of the mill bourbon, although they will drink that when necessary, but they really like good bourbon.  

Luckily (or unlikely depending on how you look at it) my husband has really found his passion in searching out hard to find bourbons. This means I get to play with the less expensive, but still delicious ones and incorporate those flavors into my baking.  

Interested in learning more about bourbon? Check out @ratebourbon on Instagram and ask him anything you want!

What flavor does bourbon bring to these blondies?

Flavors of brown sugar, vanilla and oakiness standout in every bourbon. And it's these very flavors that make these boozy bourbon blondies so special.

Normally, bourbon’s warm flavors would play into the fall and winter holiday baking category, but this blondie recipe is just too good to only pull out a couple times a year. And since it's so easy, it's a great quick dessert to throw together when friends invite themselves over for a mid-week BBQ.

How do you make boozy bourbon blondies?

This is another one-bowl recipe. That’s right, everything you need to make this deliciously boozy dessert goes in one bowl.  

You'll start by melting the butter either in the microwave (in 30 second increments) or on the stove top, whatever works for you. While the melted butter cools just a bit (we don't want the eggs to scramble), gather the rest of the ingredients and preheat the oven

Then in a mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar into the melted butter until smooth and totally combined.

Add in the egg, vanilla, salt and bourbon and mix until you have a smooth batter.

Then, carefully and slowly add in the flour and mix until it is just combined. Stir in any mix-ins you want to add and then pour into an 8x8 baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake.

Please note:  You will taste the bourbon in these.  If you want to leave it out, you can, but I would reduce the flour a bit and cook for less time.  For just a hint of bourbon flavor, substitute bourbon for the vanilla and leave out the rest of the bourbon.

A bit about the mix-ins.

While I think these are good as is, you can also jazz them up with a variety of mix-ins. I wouldn't add more than a cup of mix-ins in total. Here are a few that I have tried successfully.

• chocolate chips (I like 60% cacao, but you can use any dark or semi-sweet chip here)
• walnuts
• butterscotch chips (can get a little sweet, so go light on these)
• white chocolate chips
• caramel swirl (use a thick salted caramel and swirl in before baking)

Looking for more one bowl recipes? Check these out:

• One Bowl Brownies
• Blueberry Muffins (with a hint of lemon)

Want to make these now? Are you missing some ingredients? Amazon Now can get them to you in a few hours, Instacart can get them to you today. Or add them to your Peapod grocery list and don't be stuck with out them again!