Cinnamon Blondies

Last weekend I learnt a lesson.

Actually I learnt two lessons....possibly even three.

You see normally I ask Mr B what he thinks of the slice / cupcake / biscuit / random creation I'm going to make for his lunches and regardless of whether he says yes or no....I kinda tend to make it anyway.

95% of the time it works out really well and despite his original protests, he ends up enjoying the finished product....

....which means that the remaining 5% of the time Mr B protests for one reason or another, I make it anyway and for the aforementioned reason Mr B refuses to touch it with a ten foot pole....

And for some reason I get all offended and upset that he won't eat whatever it is that I have slaved over even though he made it very clear he wouldn't like it.

Lesson number 1 - Pay more attention to your husband. If he says he doesn't want a Wagon Wheel Slice then he doesn't want a Wagon Wheel Slice.....

Thank god my Dad loves EVERYTHING I make and is always happy to accept donations of misguided baked goods. .

Anyway so basically on Saturday I spent the day in the kitchen, making cheese, baking slices and re-baking slices.

On Saturday afternoon Mr B and I had planned to go down to the wharf and see all of the Tall Ships that were currently docked there, but by the time we managed to head down there it was a bit later then we had planned and I was absolutely exhausted and generally thinking we should just give it a miss, but we had both been looking forward to it so much so I persevered....even when it started to rain.

And do you know what?

The rain cleared up and we had the loveliest time.

Lesson Number 2 - Don't be a sad sack. Make the most of every single second.

Mr B and I spent the afternoon (and well into the evening) wandering around the wharf, jumping on and off the various tall ships and exploring all they had to offer.

There were so many beautiful ships and being able to go on board and have a look at them was a real treat.

Mr B even found his next vehicle!

And when we boarded the last ship, Mr B simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to climb the mast.

Mr B was all kitted up with a harness and was soon making his way up the rope ladder to the crow's nest.

I decided to remain on the ground for 'photography' purposes.

Safe and sound at the top and taking a moment to enjoy the view.

Can you spot him?!

This was the second slice I made on Saturday afternoon after we decided that the Wagon Wheel Slice was going to live with Dad.....

I was super impressed with how dense and chewy these came out and love the more-ish cinnamon flavour!

Cinnamon Blondies

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
115g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170C and line a 8x8 inch slice tin with baking paper.

Place the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar into a microwave safe jug and heat in 40 second bursts until butter is melted.

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter mixture with the flour, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until combined. The mixture will be very thick.

Spread mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 mins or until golden around the edges and set. Allow the blondies to cool completely before removing from the pan.

If you wanted to you could top the cooled blondies with a vanilla buttercream but Mr B wasn't interested in that and given my track record for ignoring his requests and it backfiring on me, I thought I better actually listen this time. However in saying that, they were delicious just as they were.

And do you know what - my Dad sent me a txt message this morning saying that he loved the Wagon Wheel Slice and that he gave some to his workmates to try and they loved it too......as it turns out it wasn't a failure, it was a success.

Lesson Number 3 - Always get a second (or third!) opinion and never delete your awesome photos assuming the recipe isn't good enough for the blog prior to gaining said second opinion....

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx