Brownies are believed to have made their debut at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Blondies, their caramel-colored cousins, don't have a cohesive creation myth. Some credit the first blondie recipe to an unknown creator living in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Others say that the so-called brownies served on that 1893 Chicago fairground were actually blonde (gasp), arguing that 19th-century American home cooks were more likely to bake with molasses than chocolate.
This easy blondie recipe is endlessly customizable. Using light brown sugar gives them a vanilla-forward butterscotch-like sweetness; opt for dark brown sugar to make the rich molasses flavor shine. Keep the melted butter on the stovetop for a few extra minutes to create nutty-tasting brown butter (add 1 Tbsp. cold water to make up for the moisture loss). Swap the pecans for chopped milk chocolate to make chocolate chip cookie bars. Or forget our suggested add-ins and stir in toffee bits, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips plus macadamia nuts, chopped dates and dark chocolate chips, swirls of peanut butter, or any mix-in of your choice. Sprinkle your cakey-chewy creations with flaky sea salt before sliding them into the oven or serve warm beneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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