Boston Area Blondie Brownies

[food_lubber]

Anyone know where in the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville or anywhere north of Boston to get a true, honest to goodness "blondie brownie"? To me, a perfect blondie is chewy and has almost a slight butterscotch/caramel-like taste to it, and includes chocolate chips. I have a serious hankering for these, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

[jajjguy]

Rosie's in Inman

[food_lubber]

thanks Jajjguy! I am headed there on Saturday to pick up a birthday cake, I didn't notice any blondies on their website, although they have congo bars and other deliciousness...I sure do hope they have blondies when I am there though!

[jajjguy]

Hmm. I may have been thinking of congo bar. It was very good, whatever it was.

[fantundo]

I know just what you mean, but I usually have to make my own to get that essence of butterscotch. It's not a classic blondie, but the decadence bars they sell at Dave's Fresh Pasta come closest to satisfying that craving for me: it has more chocolate and is kind of marbled with very moist caramel as its other part.

[Velda Mae]

I believe Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge has them. I've noticed, both in bakeries and in cookbooks, that the terms blondie and congo bar are used interchangeably. Not sure where you stand on the topic of nuts or coconut but they're frequent add-ins as well.

[food_lubber]

thanks for the suggestions so far...I am nearby to Dave's, I may try theirs...when I think of a blondie, I think of it as chocolate chips only, and I think of a congo bar as including chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts...I am really just searching for a simple, chocolate chip-only blondie.

[djd]

I don't recall Rosie's congo bars having coconut, though maybe I'm misremembering. Coconut, to me, moves into seven-layer territory. I had never heard of a congo bar before moving to New England; came up here and found no blondies, only congo bars; assumed it was just the New England term. Perhaps you'll have luck searching out a "chocolate-chip bar cookie"?

For what it's worth, this is the easiest imaginable dessert to make at home. Bittman yellow cookbook, one-and-a-halved and lightly adapted: melt 1.5 sticks of butter, mix in 1.5 cups brown sugar, add two eggs and a cap of vanilla, stir in 1.5 cups of flour and a dash of salt, add chocolate chips. Bake in a 9" square pan for 20–25 min. (try not to overbake) at 350. I've made them so often my friends now turn them down.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Fwiw, the distinction in the King Arthur cookbook is that congo bars have chocolate chips and blondies don't (both include nuts), although personally, I think it's the addition of coconut that definitively swings a blondie into congo bar territory. I'd still call a blondie with chocolate chips and/or nuts a blondie.

And happily, because this thread's given her a hankering, Allstonian is making blondies/congo bars tonight!

[Joanie]

I always thought they were the same thing and never heard of coconut being a key ingredient for a congo bar. I don't think I've ever seen a congo bar with more than choc. chips and nuts (and of course the 7 layer bar is a completely different thing, not my favorite). I do love a good blonde brownie tho, you're lucky to have a pan laying around.