My sister doesn’t like chocolate (crazy I know, but her loss), so she makes these instead of brownies. While they are chocolate-free, they are still really good. They’re pretty simple, super rich, and the walnuts, coconut, and toffee pieces are quite the tasty combination.

Chunky Blondies

Ingredients

2 cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

½ cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(1 cup chocolate chips – optional)

1 cup Heath English Toffee bits or Skor bits, or butterscotch chips or chopped chocolate-coated toffee bars

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 325oF.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add white sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Add vanilla.

On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until just blended. Add bits/chips, nuts, and coconut just until well distributed in batter.

Spread batter into a buttered 9×13 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving or storing.