I honestly never heard of a brunette, have you? Of course, we haven’t, as the author of this recipe gave them the name herself. It is a version of a blondie, but the author and her assistant were brunettes, hence the name.
When I buy a cookbook, I read every recipe and carefully mark off the ones I would like to prepare. Since you know how many cookbooks I have, there are about a few hundred I have yet to make. This one intrigued me. It came with a story about the author. Her name was Amy Pressman. She was all set to open up a bakery named “Short Cake” in LA when she tragically died a few months before it opened. Her assistants opened up the bakery and the bakery was well received and her “brunettes” were a hit. I felt I owed it to Amy to make them after reading that. How wonderful for her associates to still open the bakery.
Amy borrowed this recipe from Dorie Greenspan and added the pine nuts and thyme.
These bars are made with dark muscovado sugar, a very dark, molasses-y brown sugar. If you can’t find it, use dark sugar. These are a darker version of a blondie, though not nearly as dark as a brownie. They bake up to a beautiful golden brown. This treat is thick, almost cake-like. But don’t let that fool you. They are beautifully crusted on the outside with a brownie-textured chewy inside. I am finding it hard to describe them, they are so incredible. You enjoy one and immediately crave the next. The toasted pine nuts and thyme add in the savory, making these Brunettes perfection!
This recipe is courtesy of Mozz at Home, and will make 24 Brunettes that will make your friends and family want more than just one. Better make two batches!
Ingredients for Amy’s Brunettes:
3 1/2 sticks of butter, cut into small cubes, plus more for greasing the pan and parchment
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark muscovado sugar (or dark sugar)
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 325F.
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the parchment and set aside. (I forgot to do this and they came out easily.)
Set up a cooling rack.
Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are fragrant and golden brown, shaking the baking sheet and rotating it from front to back halfway through the cooking time so the nuts brown evenly.
Remove the pine nuts from the oven and set them aside to cool to room temperature.
Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Turn off the machine.
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and muscovado sugar and mix on medium speed until the sugars are incorporated into the butter, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one by one, mixing for about 1 minute to incorporate.
Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
Reduce the mixer speed to low.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until no flour is visible. (Add little portions of the dry ingredients at a time.)
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top. (The batter will be heavy and sticky, but will smooth out easily.)
Sprinkle the pine nuts and thyme leaves over the surface.
Bake the brunettes for 1 hour and 25 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, until golden brown on top and the brunettes have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
Remove the pan from oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan to release the brunettes from the pan.
Put a baking sheet over the brunettes and swiftly flip the baking pan and baking sheet to invert them again onto the cutting board so the decorated side is facing up.
Cut the brunettes into 24 (3 x 1 1/4-inch) bars.
Artfully stack the bars no more than two high on a cake stand, taking care not to knock off the thyme and pine nuts on top, and serve. (I obviously skipped this step!)
It’s that simple!
