Do you ever just get the hankering for a sweet?  I mean, an easy sweet.  One that takes little or no time to make yet tastes delicious and satisfies your need for sweet?  I was looking for such a sweet today and found this delightful recipe on Smitten Kitchen.  I had to make it.  Had to.  It took all of ten minutes.  Plus, twenty minutes while it baked in the oven.  Then, all of my restraint not to eat within one minute of release from the oven.  Of course, I did try.  Had to use a fork.  Almost burned my mouth.  Once these cooled and I cut them and put them on a platter, no fork necessary.  Oh, my!  Hankering solved.

Blondie Recipe

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips (and/or butterscotch chips, etc)
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting