Pecan Butterscotch Blondies

Baseball season has begun!!! ( albeit a little rocky for us Cleveland fans…)  I have been waiting for this time of year since last October…it has been a long 5 or so months.  One thing you should know about me….I LOVE baseball.  Wanna play a game of pitch and catch, let me grab my glove.  Got an extra ticket to tonight’s game…I’ll meet ya infront of the Bob Feller statue.

Summers were spent in the backyard playing pitch and catch with my brothers.  Remember the game ‘five dollars’….I do, it was my favorite.  Hours were spent at the ballpark…from endless games of pickle to mom hitting us ground balls and line drives.  Summer evenings were spent actually playing the game.  And if we weren’t playing or practicing…we were probably watching a Cleveland Indians game on TV.

I just love the game.  I love that it takes forever to play.  I love that it is played outside in the warm summer air.  I love the simple rules.  I love how there is no time limit.  I love the anticipation behind each pitch.  I love the sound of the baseball entering a  glove.  I love the crack of the bat.  Oh and the field…well, that is a beautiful sight.    The green grass and straight white lines…I even love the history of the game.  I recommend watching Ken Burns ‘Baseball’ if you haven’t already.  It is a must see for any baseball fan.

Did you know that the game of baseball actually makes hotdogs taste better?  And beer colder?  (and more expensive).  Truth.

If I can’t be at a game – which now that I live a mere twenty minutes from Jacob’s Progressive Field, I am able to  go  more frequently than when I was a kid – I like to listen to the games on the radio.  A good thing since I don’t have cable.

That is what I am doing right now.  I have the radio tuned to 1100 AM, Tom Hamilton’s voice is booming through my house, and I am baking.   Life is grand.

This is my second go around with these blondie brownies.  The first batch I tested out on my guinea pigs family and they were gone by the end of the regularly scheduled Saturday gathering.  Figured they were good.  Good enough to post here.  But since they were eaten before I could snap a few pics (because that is what I do now, take pictures of everything I eat – I am pretty sure my neighbors think I am a weirdo)…I was forced to make them again.  Just in time for a visit from my family.  A good thing, seeing how I can’t seem to stay out of them!  Pecans, butterscotch chips, and brown sugar…do you blame me?

Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young. – Roger Angell 

 Pecan ButterScotch Blondies

Makes a 9 x 13 Pan

Ingredients

• 9 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 + 3/4 Cups Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
• 3 Large Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 + 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 + 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup Butterscotch Chips
• 1 Cup Pecans Halves + extra handful for topping
• handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spread pecan halves out on a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes ( they will be quite fragrant).  Remove from oven, set aside, and let cool. Once cool, roughly chop and set aside.  If they burn, toss and start over with new pecans.  Burnt nuts will taste bitter.

Butter a 9 x 13in. pan.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Remove from heat and with a hand mixer (or using a stand mixer) beat in brown sugar until mixture has cooled.  Stir in vanilla.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Beat until well mixed.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just incorporated.  Fold in pecan halves and butterscotch chips.  The batter will be rather thick.  Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out evenly.  Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips and any extra pecans remaining over the top of the batter.  Place in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.  The center will be set as well.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Or cut while still warm and serve with a scoop of ice cream.  Yeah I know…