Fixing Fallen Blonde Brownies...

[SNPiccolo5]

Hey, everyone, I'm new here, but not new to cooking. I absolutely love cooking and trying out/perfecting my favorite recipes, but here's one I just can't figure out.

I'm trying to develop a recipe for blonde brownies- basically I want something that has the consistency of fudgy brownies, but no cocoa/chocolate. I just can't seem to figure it out, though. Here's the recipe I've had the most success with, I actually found it somewhere here...

3 cups plus 3 T flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, baking powder
1 t soda
1 cup butter
2 5/8 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla

You melt the butter, remove from heat, add brown sugar, let cool to room temp. Then you add eggs, vanilla and the flour/leavening/salt. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

My problem is that they ALWAYS fall, creating a crater like result. I've tried it with leavening, without leavening, and the only one I've gotten not to fall is when I used some white sugar, but those didn't have the same flavor as the ones with all brown sugar. Am I just not baking long enough? I'm trying to replicate Great Harvest Blonde Brownies, but it just seems impossible... I'm looking for something dense and fudgy that doesn't fall in the middle... lol!

Any ideas? Thanks!

-Tim

 

[marmalady]

Here's my TNT - you can leave out the pecans if you don't want them. Just looking at your recipe there's way too much flour; think of a 'regular' brownie recipe - mostly eggs, sugar, butter, just a little flour.

PECAN BLONDIES

​

36 bars

1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup butter
2tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup chopped pecans
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. In large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter til light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Stir in pecans. Spread in greased pan.
Bake for 18-28 minutes or til set and golden brown. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered suar.

 

[SNPiccolo5]

Thanks for the recipe! However, I tried it, it's in the oven right now, but the edges are getting all crinkly! I don't know what's wrong...

-Tim

 

[Constance]

Like buttercake, blonde brownies always fall...that's just what they do. If you try baking them longer, they just get hard and dry. I struggled with that for years, and finally gave up.
Don't sweat it...they will be delicious. Set out a pan and watch your friends and family gobble them up.

 

[Constance]

Here's the recipe my cousin's wife gave me for blonde brownies. She got it from her mom, and I have no idea where her mom got it...probably from one of the ladies at church.
I can tell you this...they sure are yummy.

Blonde Brownies

2/3 cup shortening, softend
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsps vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips, opt
1/3 cup chopped nuts, opt

Of course you'd want to leave out the chocolate chips, but that won't make any difference.

Have you thought of using Reese's peanut butter chips? If you want nuts, you could use chopped peanuts.

Sorta wish I hadn't read this thread. I'm geting this tremendrous craving...

 

[SNPiccolo5]

Thanks for the replies! After finishing baking maramalady's recipe (which tastes great, btw), I think the main probelm is just too big a pan. They ended up really thin- but soft and chewy. I think the crinkly edges might be reduced if I used a smaller pan?

I know the original recipe I posted doesn't fall too drastically, but let me brainstorm some things.

When I subbed some white sugar for the brown sugar, they didn't fall, but the flavor was too... cakey, almost like that of a fortune cookie. Any ideas on how I could incorporate the white sugar, but preserve the taste?

What would adding milk do?

Also, maybe a lower baking temp? The edges might not cook so much faster than the center, stopping them from falling?

I'm happy with a recipe I have, but would like to see what I can do to make it even better!

Contance- my classic flavor combo is pureed pecans and either shaved white chocolate or butterscoth morsels. I only puree the pecans b/c some people in my family don't like the texture, but I do LOVE pecans!