Rolo Walnut Blondies

Everyone loves a good brownie.  And why not?  Chocolatey and decadent, this dessert has it all.  In our chocolate-loving household, we often forget about the brownie's fairer friend, the delicious blondie.  This light, buttery bar is one of my favorites.  Wonderfully chewy, these little bars win over brownies when it comes to their consistency.  Maybe it's all the butter, but I don't really care to find out.  They passed the taste test...that's good enough for me.

The first time I made these bars, the hubs was excited.  Rolos are one of his favorite candies, and he could hardly wait until they cooled to give them a try.  After eating a big piece with a glass of milk, I asked him what he thought.  He politely responded, "They're pretty good, but they need more chocolate."  But apparently he wasn't quite sure, so he went back for a second bar.  After which, he needed a third taste.  Flash forward two hours and 3/4 of the pan is gone.  I managed to squeak out two small bars of my own, but just barely.  Needless to say, the hubs had to amend his decision.  A blondie is not a brownie, and it is not a chocolate dessert.  It's a glorious, buttery, chewy creation all its own.

Now technically, there is a bit of chocolate in these bars.  After all, rolos are chocolate covered caramel pieces.  But the milk chocolate flavor is really negligible in the finished product.  It's the caramel that really comes through.  Floating amidst a sea of blondie deliciousness are little chewy pockets of caramel...how delightful.  The extra chew of the caramel augments the chewy blondies for an ultra chewy dessert that would satisfy Chewbacca.  With all that chewy-ness, the walnuts are a perfect counter point.  Their texture and extra little crunch is wonderful in these.  Toast the nuts and you have an even more decadent dessert.

Just look at all that nutty rolo goodness.  Mmmmmmm.......

Now the center pieces are great, but the edge pieces are my absolute favorites.  If I snag a corner, I'm doubly delighted.  The light crunch of the barely toasted edge is fabulous.  No sad leftover corners here, folks!  All you'll have left is an empty pan, a few lonely crumbs and a sudden urge to make another batch.


Rolo Walnut Blondies
Fabulous one-bowl blondie recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

• 1 stick butter (can use light or regular)
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• scant 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c flour
• 3/4 c Mini Rolos 
• 1/3 - 1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking pan.  Cut the butter into a medium microwave-safe bowl.  Pop in the microwave and heat until butter is just melted, about 1-1 1/2 minutes.  Add the sugar and whisk together until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until completely blended.  Add the flour and salt, then stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Pour in the Rolos and walnuts, the stir batter until evenly distributed.

Transfer batter into prepared baking dish.  Bake for 22-25 minutes until the bars are just barely golden around the edges and the middle is set.  Cool completely before cutting.