Blondies Are Nothing to Joke About

By Colleen Walsh Fong

I admit it. I’m cheating on my true love. No! Not my husband, my chocolate. If you read our blog you know I am devoted to that substance—maybe even addicted to it. But today is Butterscotch Brownie Day and I can’t wait for dessert so I can savor a richly delicious square. I’m not even going to top it off with chocolate ice cream. Butterscotch Brownies are so good I would never drown out their taste that way.

The typical ingredients in Butterscotch Brownies are flour, brown sugar, baking powder, butter, and eggs. Some people assume that the flavor originated in Scotland, but Doncaster, Great Britain is considered by many to be the home of butterscotch. The flavor’s primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter. Some sort of syrup, either treacle or corn syrup was traditionally used in addition to the brown sugar. There are a few theories about how butterscotch got its name. I favor the one that emphasizes the word “scotch” which refers to the “scotching” or cutting of butterscotch candies before they set.

If you’d like to make your own Butterscotch Brownies, an internet search will bring up scads of recipes you can use. Most are pretty similar. But if you’re in a hurry or on the run most bakeries carry them as stock items, and I can always find one at my local Starbucks.

Sometimes called Blondie Brownies, the butterscotch variety of brownies can contain flavored chips or chopped nuts, but may never contain chocolate. And you know what? That’s okay with me, because their distinctive flavor stands on its own.

Photo Courtesy of cdkitchen