blondies are THE most underrated dessert. bars in general, actually. people tend to go for cupcakes because of their aesthetic, but i would much rather indulge in a massive, dense slab of brown sugar and butter. the combination of salty pretzels and cloyingly sweet caramel feels both gourmet and nostalgic.
these can easily be made gluten-free by substituting a gluten-free flour!!
makes 16 bars
ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
- `1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped, plus some whole ones to put on top
- caramel sauce
- 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
preheat oven to 350º. grease an 8×8 pan, and line with parchment paper. whisk together the butter and sugar. add the egg and the vanilla and keep whisking. whisk in the flour and fold in the pretzels. spread the batter evenly into the pan, then drizzle generously with caramel sauce. top with whole pretzels, and sprinkle on the sea salt. bake for about 20 minutes, or until slightly underdone. let cool in the pan for 10 minutes to set, and then remove and cool completely. or dump some vanilla ice cream on top right after they come out of the oven and eat with a spoon, no judgment !!!
LENA'S LUNCHBOX 