Snickerdoodle Blondies

Back in August, the school's insurance company offered a free health risk assessment for the faculty. Basically, they take our blood, blood pressure, weight and height, etc to determine any health issues we need to watch out for. My results were pretty good. My risk of heart disease and diabetes are very low and my cholesterol levels were green, which is good. The only thing that really got me was my stress level, which was orange meaning caution.

The thing is, I found out that morning that we weren't supposed to eat 8 hours before this assessment so I was really worried that my results would be screwed. I had already eaten oatmeal and a banana by that time. But I am aware that I get stressed pretty easily so it's probably half-true. As much as I try not to appear so, I am inside and I tend to bottle it up. So how do I vent out a majority of this stress?



By baking, of course. It's my outlet. Trying new recipes and sharing the delicious results with others just makes me so happy for at least that one moment. I end up stress baking. I knew that someone was allergic to chocolate (unfortunately!) and another was allergic to peanuts, so I just went with cinnamon. Everybody loves cinnamon and so everybody enjoyed these. I realized too late into making the batter that I actually don't have vanilla extract in my pantry, but they still turned out good. I think with the vanilla, it would have been excellent. I don't have a 9x13 baking pan in my apartment, so I baked the whole thing in a 9-inch circle pan and cut it into wedges. I would bake it for 30 minutes just to make sure the middle is cooked.

I don't know how much baking can balance out the stress that my job is giving me, but I'll keep it going just to make myself feel like it is!



Snickerdoodle Blondies
From Budding Baketress

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fittted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread in an even layer. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the surface of the blondies spring back when gently pressed. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the blondies cool completely before cutting.