COCONUT BLONDIES - They came out about better than I thought....

Late at night I was wondering what birthday confection to make for someone who loves coconut. I had the thought of Blondies. I looked at several recipes with mostly mediocre reviews. I put together the best ideas and came up with coconut blondies. I never bake with coconut because processed sweetened coconut is so slimy. All that has changed. Last month I discovered that our neighborhood corner store turned into the Rajah Market. The first part of the store is what you would expect - Twinkies, Doritos, Slim Jims, lottery tickets, and cheap whiskey. The last isle is an Indian grocery store with spices, basmati rice, lentils, and my new favorite ingredient, unsweetened coconut. That is the secret to this recipe.

Coconut Blondies

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (I used medium)
1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13 x 9 baking pan with Pam.

Melt butter and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Mixture should be glossy and smooth.

Mix flour, salt, and baking soda. (If you use a sifter or even pour through a sieve you will be sure to get out any baking powder lumps)

Stir the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in coconut and walnuts.

Spread into pan. Bake about 40 - 45 minutes. Check for done-ness at about 35 minutes. The top should be glossy and a toothpick will come out clean. Do not overbake - but do not underbake either or they will be too gooey. Cool and cut into squares.