Today, my friends, is a truly wonderful day… it’s national Butterscotch Brownie day! How are you planning to celebrate? Personally, I’m going to commemorate this day by whipping up a batch of Cleveland Avenue Blondies, one of my all-time favorite desserts.
Cleveland Avenue Blondies came into being back in 1985, when my friend Paige and I were in college, living in a little ramshackle shotgun duplex located at 827 N. Cleveland Avenue in Sherman, Texas. I don’t think Paige has every really gotten over that year and I think she’s still a little bitter because it was my brilliant idea to rent that hovel. The rent for our side of the duplex was a whopping $100 per month, not including utilities, and the duplex came “fully furnished”. Of course, “fully furnished” meant all the random things that the long line of student renters who came before us couldn’t be bothered to take with them when they moved on. The front door didn’t really lock or shut all that well, the foundation was shot so every room was crooked, there was a claw foot tub in the bathroom but no shower and the kitchen (which I think used to be the back porch) came complete with a family of mice. It was the kind of living situation that would make your mama cry.
All that being said, we did have some good times in that little clapboard death trap, we walked away with a bunch of great stories (some of which my husband incorporated into his play The Happy Couple) and it was in that weird, slanted kitchen that threated to fall off the house at any minute where I first began to cook. These blondies were in heavy rotation back then, as they are now, as we usually had all the ingredients on hand and they are fast and easy to put together.
If you decide to make a batch of Cleveland Avenue Blondies, let me know what you think!
Cleveland Avenue Blondies (adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook)
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Heat oven to 350. Prepare an 8x8x2 pan by buttering or spraying with cooking spray (but really, don’t use cooking spray. It’s kind of gross…). Set pan aside.
In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove the pan from heat when the butter is completely melted. Mix in the brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in the remaining ingredients and spread in the prepared pan.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes and cut into 2” squares while still warm.
* With many thanks to Lewis Carroll for the title of today’s post! You should read “Jabberwocky” while you’re eating your blondies.
The House on Kirkwood 