Claudia's Blondies

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease the baking pan with butter or solid vegetable shortening. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the paddle attachment at medium-high speed. When the butter is soft and smooth add the sugars and beat well until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
4. Turn the mixer back on to low (“stir”) and add the egg and vanilla. Then add the flour mixture, about ½ cup at a time, mixing only long enough to produce a smooth, homogenous dough.
5. Transfer the dough to the greased baking pan and spread it out with an offset spatula to make an even, level layer. Don’t worry if it looks like there isn’t enough dough in the pan; it will rise as it bakes. Distribute the chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the upper third of the oven, until the top has turned a nice butterscotch color and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
7. Place the pan on a rack to cool completely before cutting.
8. Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper for up to 5 days (they never last that long!), or double-wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap, wrap again in foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, wrapped, at room temperature for a few hours before cutting.
9. Note: I rarely make only one 9-inch pan of these. For a large batch, double the recipe and use a half sheet pan. Unless you have a convection oven, I recommend baking in the upper third of the oven.