Tree Bark Blondies

Who doesn't love the taste of toffee and chocolate? And everyone knows the classic treat that's always the perfect combination of the two, tree bark. This is a recipe that my mother and I found the other day that gives you a new way to have those great tastes.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it's a pretty simple one, pretty much everything happens in the same bowl. It doesn't have a lot of complicated ingredients and the lovely topping and decoration are some of the easiest parts.

Now let's get started!

Ingredients:

- 2 c. butter softened

- 2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed

- 1 egg

- 4 c. all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1/4 c. pecan bits*

- 2 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

To make the blondies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and move one of the racks to the center position. Lightly grease or butter a 15 x 11** pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk flour and salt until combined and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add in egg and beat well, add in vanilla and mix until combined, scraping down sides as needed.

Gradually stir flour mixture into the batter, mixing until just combined. Fold in the pecans making sure to scrape the sides to combine any leftover flour.

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove from oven and immediately top evenly with chocolate chips. Let the chips stand for 2 - 3 minutes to soften. then spread evenly over the blondies with the back of a spoon or spatula.

While the chocolate is still warm use the spatula or spoon to swirl the chocolate in a design of your choice.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely, cut into squares.

Tips:

* The original recipe called for 2 c. of chopped pecan but that seemed like a lot to me. I found some small bags of pecan bits and they seemed like the perfect size and amount.

** I didn't have a 15 x 11 pan when I made these but a 9 x 13 worked just as well and gave them a little more height.

Bonus Recipe:

One of my favorite things about this dessert is the chocolate. It's the little touch that brings the taste of tree bark out with its slight bitterness and snap.

While these blondies are perfectly fine on their own, there was a recipe for a peanut butter drizzle in the original that I thought should be included.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 c. peanut butter chips

1 tsp. vegetable shortening

Melt the chips in the microwave for 15-second intervals until softened and mix with the shortening. Stir the mixture with a fork until smooth, microwaving as needed.

Pour into a piping bag or small sandwich bag and cut a small hole. Drizzle the mixture randomly over the chocolate or in a design of your choosing.

I would suggest aiming for a 50/50 ratio on the chocolate and peanut butter but you may want to adjust it toyour preference.

This recipe works well with other types of chips so feel free to experiment and see what flavors work!

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like to try my recipe for pumpkin pie squares.

If you'd like to get updates on what's next follow me on Instagram or check out my author page.