Platinum Blondies (and do-it-yourself brown sugar)

These are the bombshells of the blondie world.  I love them.  You will too.

Chunks of white chocolate, macadamia nuts, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds…it doesn’t get any blonder or more luscious than that.

Platinum Blondies are a pale symphony of whites, buttery creams, toffees, and butterscotch tones.  Very simple and refined, like a beige cashmere throw; it’s part of their charm.

All by itself white chocolate doesn’t do that much for me, it’s one of those ingredients that blossoms when you combine it with certain other ingredients, like macadamias and all that vanilla and brown sugar.

What is it about brown sugar?  Of all the boxes, bags and packets in my baking arsenal, it’s the one thing I’m most likely to be out of at any given moment.  Or, if I’m not completely out, the remaining bit has gone rock solid.  And when that moment comes right in the middle of making blondies, it becomes a crisis.

So I decided to try an old trick—make it myself.  Brown sugar is really just white sugar before the molasses has been refined out of it.  So put a bit of molasses back in and—voila—you have brown sugar.  And I have to say, from the feel and scent of it, it’s better brown sugar than you can buy.  I couldn’t stop sniffing it!

Just put a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of molasses together and mix well.  You can do it in the mini processor or you can have at it with a spoon.  Either way it’s very satisfying.  The sugar will fluff up in the processor, but it will still be equivalent to 1 cup, be sure to pack it down as you measure it.

(White Chocolate and Macadamia) Platinum Blondies

oven to 350F
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
the seeds of 1 vanilla bean
heaping 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 
heaping 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

• Line an 8×8 pan with parchment, this will make the blondies easy to remove and to cut cleanly.  If you don’t use parchment, lightly grease the pan.
• Measure out your flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.
• Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds, and mix well.
• Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
• Fold in the nuts and white chocolate.
• Spread evenly in your pan and bake for 35 minutes— a toothpick inserted near the center should come out moist with a few crumbs and the blondies will be light golden.
• Cool before cutting.