BY
So my son went back to school today. For all my talk about being ready for them to go back, I’ve gotta admit I’m sad (especially for my little monkey that starts kindergarten next week…I kind of blinked and she wasn’t a baby anymore.)
Will. Not. Cry. (Already am.)
So anyway, for whatever reason, it was really important to me that I pack him an extra-special lunch for his first day back at school. And that meant making one of his favorite treats to pack in his lunchbox.
I don’t know where this recipes comes from–it’s been scribbled and shared and filed and copied for as long as I’ve been baking. I love it because I almost always have the basic ingredients and the ones I don’t usually have (the different flavored chips) are easy to switch out for what I do have. They’re rich and sweet and gooey and perfect for a first day of school. For excited kids and sad moms. Yeah, I totally just admitted to eating my feelings.
You’ll need salted butter, light brown sugar, 2 eggs, all-purpose flour, and vanilla. Nope, you don’t need baking soda or baking powder.
You’ll also need 3 different types of baking chips; I usually use chocolate, white chocolate, and peanut butter, but I’ve used butterscotch chips in place of peanut butter chips in a pinch.
Spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350. Place the measured brown sugar into a large mixing bowl (sidenote: have I ever mentioned how one of my favorite simple pleasures is measuring out brown sugar?)
Melt the butter and add it to the brown sugar.
Mix until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and combine.
Place the batter in the prepared pan
and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Allow to cool completely. When they’re cool, combine some chocolate chips and coconut oil or shortening in a Ziploc freezer bag and seal. Heat in 15 second increments, mashing the bag each time to combine the chocolate and oil, until the chocolate is melted and smooth and combined with the oil. Cut a small corner from the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Allow the chocolate to harden and cut into squares.
Triple Chip Blondies
Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with the back of a knife
2/3 cup chocolate chips, plus 1/3 cup for drizzling on top
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil or shortening
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt the butter. Combine in a large mixing bowl with the brown sugar. Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips (excluding the 1/3 cup reserved chips), white chocolate chips, and peanut butter or butterscotch chips and mix until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely. When cool, combine the reserved chips and the coconut oil or shortening in a small freezer zip-top bag, seal it, and heat it in the microwave in 15-second increments, mashing the bag with your hands until the chocolate and oil are smooth (repeat as long as necessary). Cut a small corner out of the bag and squeeze the melted chocolate over the baked blondies. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Would these work with unsalted butter instead?—-> clearly not a baker. Thanks!
Yep, just add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the flour. 🙂
Thanks! But does it need the salt? I’d prefer to leave it out, if that’s an option. Thanks again!
It doesn’t NEED it, but it will help balance out the flavors.
Blondies, of the triple chip variety…are my kriptonite. And those look like the perfect balance of moist and chewy…yum!
No kiddos for me and hubby yet. But when the little ones do come these will most definitely be in their first day of school lunchboxes. What a lovely tradition to start! I’ll have to put these in my husband’s lunch bag for now… mine won’t make it into the lunch box.
My five year old just started Kindergarten and I was so prepared to be sad and cry, but I ended up having to “be strong” for my three year old. She cried every time we had to drop him off for school, saying “brother’s never coming back”, over and over again. I wish they loved each other that much all the time!
I need these in my life. Love the ziplock trick for the drizzle 🙂
Oh, I’m so excited to try these. My sister-in-law makes a 3-chip blondie that was awesome when she made it but I have never had very much luck gauging “cook until they are gooey but not too gooey, which you will know after they cool for two hours.” So I’ll be making these for the first day of school, for sure.
Yum! I was feeling pretty good about myself for getting a dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter, but these will definitely make an appearance in my son’s lunch next week! I think by the time my girls go to preschool next month I’ll be needing a few as well!
Those look so yummy!! My 1st grader, Thomas, was looking over my shoulder as we scrolled down through the recipe. When we saw the final product, Thomas said, “Oh yah!!” We will have to make these as soon as I get some more vanilla!! 🙂 Good luck with the start of school! Our sweet kiddos grow up so fast!! My oldest is a senior this year!! I’m not sure where all that time went!!! 🙂
Curious as to what else you put in your sons lunch for the first day. And, where does one find coconut oil?
Either in the baking aisle or the health food aisle (and sometimes both).
Oh, and I packed him a turkey and cheese sandwich on a Hawaiian roll, one of these bars, grapes, one of those watered-down Capri Sun things, and a handful of chips.
Because my kids were soooooo excited, I was excited for them! That made it so much easier. I didn’t make them feel like they were ruining my life because they grew up. I had a friend who did that and her daughter was a total mess when she got older. That said, I am going to make these decadent yummies to celebrate all y’all’s kids’ first days of school!
Your little girl is totally adorable! I’m already sad thinking about kindergarten and my baby is only 2! lol Those bars look so delicious!