Brown Sugar Blondies: Chips, Chips, and more Chips

At the time I made them this recipes was for Almond Brown Sugar Blondies. For some reason WS (Wiliam-Sonoma) decided to change the recipe to an Easter version containing pastel pink, yellow, and green faux chocolate chips. I'm gonna pass on that version. Frankly, I don't believe chips of any sort belong in any dessert (except chocolate chip cookies and cannolis) unless the dessert is warm from the oven and the enormity will be eaten immediately. Chocolate chips, bittersweet chips, butterschotch chips, peabut butter chips, cinnamon chips, mint chips, toffee chips, and whatever other dark chocolate, raspberry hinted, bittersweet chips there may be taste best semi-melted or warm and oozing! In other words, if I'm eating a piece of chilled chocolate cake I do not want to bite into a chunky piece of chocolate while enjoing the light and airy texture of the cake and milky smoothness of a ganache filling or buttercream frosting!! That woul just ruin it for me!! Anyway...even though the picture does include rainbow-colored chips, DON'T ADD THEM!! The blanched almond slivers are much tastier.
Ingredients:
-1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1 3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-3 eggs
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
-3/4 tsp. salt
-1 cup slivered almonds, preferably blanched (in other words, no skin!)

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. (The spraying or buttering is imperative!! These things stick like one's fingers to super glue! I've found that it is easier to lay two pieces of parchment paper in the desired dish. Just make sure to lay one piece running top to bottom and the other left to right so that the batter does not touch the pan.)

In a food processor, combine the butter, brown sugar and vanilla and process until well combined, about 1 minute, stopping the processor occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and pulse for 2 seconds after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt directly onto the butter mixture and pulse 10 times, 2 seconds per pulse. (OK, this is just fancy WS lingo. Truth be told, you don't need a food processor. Stand mixer works great. Electric mixer is fine. And if you have arms like mine, then by all means use a spatula or wooden spoon).

Transfer the batter to a bowl and fold in the almonds. (If you like almonds but not THAT much you can cut down the cup to a quarter cup and just sprinkle them on top.) Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. (I've found that the best way to spread these out is by wetting your hand and pressing the batter evenly. You use a dry hand then you're in trouble! Bake until the blondies are golden brown and the edges are firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour, then cut into bars. Makes 20 blondies.

And what do these taste like? Imagine eating slightly warm choccolate chip cookie dough without the nasty chunky chips that at that time would not yet be melted.