I live in Los Angeles. All of the stereotypes you’ve heard (or perpetuated) are true. We enjoy our juice cleanses (like… a lot). We wear ridiculously expensive yoga pants. We drive everywhere, all the time, into traffic, with traffic, against traffic… so much traffic! We are beach hippies (for real). We are ladies who get our hair blown out like we’re going to movie premiers every night… because we’re probably going to movie premiers every night (this is not my particular reality). Some of us care about the fancy cars that we drive, and the size of our diamonds. Some of us care about our Priuses and hemp shirts. We are everyone and we live together because we like sunshine always and forever.
One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is all of the awesome food people that live here.
Two of my favorite food people are Jessica Koslow of Sqirl Jam and Max Lesser of Morning Glory Confections.
Jessica makes the most lovely jams on the west coast. I love her jams because they taste exactly like the California that I love. Big, beautiful, like sunshine, earth, and quirk.
Max takes the simplicity of candy brittle and flips the script. His Chai Tea and Cashew Brittle… I can’t even deal. It’s all about honoring simplicity and nudging it with crazy fun.
I love what they do. I love brownies. Hence… the most awesome brownie smash-bang fusion ever.
A small pan of blonde brownies is just about the easiest thing to make. No mixer required. No waiting to softened butter.
If you’ve got brown sugar and a cup of flour you’re mostly good to go. Ok.. you also need an egg and a few other things, but you catch my drift.
As with most things in the kitchen, sharing is caring… even when it comes to brownie making.
Jessica and Max do the heavy-lifting of smearing and swirling the brownie batter.
These brownies are completely versatile.
The batter can be studded with candy brittle (I used Morning Glory Chai Cashew Brittle).
And! The batter can be swirled with jam!
Wait… batter can be studded with brittle aaaaannnnddd swirled with jam.
It’s like rocket science, but way easier.
Try to tell me you aren’t obsessed with Raspberry & Fresh Lavender and Cashmere Nectarine Jam. I won’t believe you.
Brittle Blonde Brownies give this dessert that extra chew.
The corner pieces are 83% more chewy/delicious/irresistible/and I’m-totally-calling-dibs.
Slice these suckers.
Generously please.
These brownies are buttery and sweet, with a gooey chewiness. They’re delicious with brittle and jam. They’re delicious with chocolate chips and toasted pecans. Pistachios? Yes! They’re a base for whatever inspires me in the kitchen. These brownies are like the soup of the dessert world. I mean that with love, respect, and melted butter.
Incidentally, Sqirl jam in incredible on Buttermilk Biscuits, and Morning Glory Brittle is the perfect treat for sitting in Los Angeles traffic. Tested. Approved.
Thank you for letting me share.
If you’ve got brownies on the brain, you might also consider:
Triple Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
Ginger Walnut Chocolate Blondies
and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
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Brittle and Jam Blonde Brownies
makes 9 blonde brownies in an 8×8-inch pan (recipe can be doubled in a 9×13-inch pan)
recipe adapted from Morning Glory Confections
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 oz box brittle, chopped into ½ inch pieces or 1/3 cup of jam
Line bottom and sides of a 8×8 metal pan with parchment paper. Grease with butter or shortening and dust with flour.
Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove pan from heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the brown sugar. Thoroughly mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in half of the brittle (if using). Spread the batter in the pan. Top batter with the remaining half of the brittle.
If you’re using jam, dollop three spoonfuls of jam across the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl the jam through the batter.
Bake for 20-23 minutes rotating pan half-way through. Edges should pull away from side of pan and the top will be golden brown.
Let cool completely in pan on rack. Lift the ends of the parchment paper to remove from pan. Cut into squares.
Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies
I’m just dying to try raspberry and fresh lavender jam! And I’m dying to try these brownies, too! Yum!
deborah@delicioushappens.com
Hi neighbor (sort of – I live a few miles south of you in Newport). New to your site. Great site!! These look amazing!! Definitely making!
Nicole @ Lapetitebaker
WOW! What a fun new twist on a standard blonde recipe.
Erin
Oh dear Joy – made these this afternoon to celebrate the birthday of a friend who can’t have chocolate (a whole other tragic tale!). I didn’t even miss the chocolate because these are so stink in good! No brittle on hand, so I swirled homemade peach butter on top. Heaven.
Elizabeth
These look delicious!
Just started listening to your podcasts and visiting your site! Love what you do!
Victoria
looks so tempting – is ready to taste them just from the pictures :)
thanks for the recipe
Alfie
These look so good it’s unreal. Soo tempting and seem really autumnal to me for some reason, yum yum yum!!
Michelle
Holy delicious. You definitely have the best friends!
Rachael B
That first photo is definitely food porn. Brittle in a brownie? Yep… definitely food loving I can get down with. *cue Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” is it weird I want to sing to my food? lol
Laura
Agreed – the corner pieces are even more chewy and delicious! Which is why The Edge pan (https://bakersedge.com/) is such a great invention. Bought it for a present for my sister and get to enjoy it too!
Keisha
These look amazing! I’m more of a Blondie girl than a brownie girl….which I guess is unheard of so this recipe is doing all kinds of things for me! And that Chai cashew brittle sounds incredible too!
Seanna Lea
I had a drive by of this recipe as I came here to show my husband the chocolate filled vanilla yeast doughnuts. I really shouldn’t come here whenever healthy eating is on my mind, because for each healthy item there is also a hefty dose of temptation!
Kat
the sqirl apricot jam sounds divine, and don’t get me started on the brittle. and this is why they invented pants with stretchy waistbands.
Rachael B
So long as they don’t say “juicy” on the back, right?