Dried lavender — the kind that can be added to baked goods to give it a distinctive flowery taste — is becoming more and more readily available across the country. But once you’ve got your hands on a jar of these little purple buds, what do you do with it? A little bit of lavender goes a long way; the flavour is strong and you have to make sure it complements your other ingredients. That said, if the flavour appeals to you, a pinch of lavender can take an otherwise ordinary dessert from plain to special occasion-worthy.
We’re big fans of blondies. Like brownies, they’re chewy and delicious, but without the fudgey-ness there’s more room to play with different flavours and add-ins. These blondies combine lavender with good ol’ butterscotch chips for an easy, but slightly fancier treat.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tbsp dried lavender
- 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Lower the heat, add lavender and let steep for five minutes.
- Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter/lavender mixture and, using a stand mixer or handheld beaters, mix until well blended. Mix in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and slowly mix into the egg/sugar/butter mixture. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
- Scrape the mixture into a greased 8"×8" baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the blondies are golden. Cool, cut into squares, and enjoy.
