Hey Joe

All I can smell is coffee. I made a moka pot this morning before starting my first day at work and spilt it all over the kitchen counter, the floor, and myself, had to change, didn’t have time to clean it up and arrived at the new place sweating coffee. So back home and the kitchen is dripping a bit.

I’m reading The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1896) on Google Books because it’s supposed to contain the first recorded recipe for blondies. The book has everything from Yorkshire Puddings, and Macaroni Cheese to Frogs Hind Legs, Stringbean Soup, Boiled Cucumbers, and Heart (ha!). As well as all the characteristics of a dated cookbook (lots of Fruit Punch and a section on How to make Tea), recipes like the Emergency Biscuit pop up as reminders that some things never change. I’m thinking of Nigella’s Emergency Brownies from 2017.   

Fannie Merritt Framer carefully dedicated her book to the president of the Boston Cooking School, Mrs. William B. Sewall. It reads, In Appreciation of her helpful encouragement and untiring efforts in promoting the work of scientific cookery, which means the elevation of the human race. Like that dedication, Fannie’s preface to the book is backing food with real importance. She opens it with what I’m assuming is a quote – But for life the universe were nothing; and all that has life requires nourishment.

That wasn’t what I was expecting to find when searching for the OG Blondie recipe. I was expecting more 100g butter, 200g sugar andless life, universe and nourishment. It’s nice.

The recipe I’m after in the book is titled Brownies. Only it has no chocolate in it so it’s similar to what we now call a Blondie. Fannie uses a lot of molasses in her recipe, which would give it the brownish colouring and fudgy texture of Blondies and Brownies we all know.

To honour Fannie from 1896, I’ve added some black treacle to my blondies. It’s not quite molasses but in the same vein. The black treacle, combined with the dates is what gives these blondies the smell and taste of a sticky toffee pudding, your kitchen really will smell like the sponge dessert. With a generous amount of salt, and served fridge cold, these blondies are like crack.

This recipe comes with thanks to Jess and all the people in her office for the sticky toffee brownie inspiration xoxoxox

Ingredients

• 150g dates – roughly chopped, kept chunky
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 280g white chocolate
• 100g butter
• 40g black treacel
• 175g light brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 medium eggs
• 225g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Flaked sea salt – if you have it

Method

Preheat the oven to 180/160 fan. Grease and line a 7 inch square tin.

Add the dates and bicarbonate of soda to a small bowl. Pour enough just boiled water (from the kettle) to submerge the dates. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside.

Chop the chocolate roughly, set 100g aside to add at the end. Melt the rest of the chocolate together with the butter and black treacle over a bain marie. Do this slowly, and keep an eye on it – white chocolate burns quickly.

Once the chocolate is melted, take it off the Bain-marie and stir through the sugar, salt and vanilla. Don’t worry if the mix is split here. Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the flour and baking powder.

Drain the dates and shake well to remove excess water. Add them to the batter followed by the 100g chopped white chocolate. Taste the batter and see if it needs more salt – it probably will, so add flaked sea salt or regular table salt.

Pour in the tin and bake for 27 – 28 mins or until the outside edge is browned and set but there is still a wobble in the centre. Let these cool completely before cutting.

Caitlin x