Gingerbread Blondies

Second week of December. Christmas planning in full swing. The list this year is similar to last — Kai, Danielle, Tommy coming. Luna and Cole. River and Lucia. Caleb and now Miriam. Lily, Ben, Ada, Quoy. Terry. Plus this year Miriam's grown sons may come for part of the day — they live in OKC and Dallas, and Miriam said they're considering driving up for dinner. Adding them, we could have sixteen or seventeen. We've added a leaf to the table and pulled in another long folding from the workshop.

I welded a small box for Hannah's present this year. Stainless steel, hand-hammered finish, with a hinged lid that opens with a satisfying click. About eight inches square, four deep. She's been wanting a box for her growing collection of seed packets — she keeps them in a paper bag now and the bag is always falling over. The box has dividers I made from sheet metal. Each divider can be moved or removed. I welded it in pieces over four sessions. It's in the workshop drying from the wax finish I put on it Sunday.

Caleb came Saturday. He told me he'd ordered a ring. I said: when. He said: it arrived Wednesday. He said: I'm going to ask Miriam to marry me on New Year's Eve. I said: that's soon. He said: it's six months and we're fifty-three. He said: we don't have to wait. I said: no. He said: are you happy for me. I said: I am. He said: I want you to be there. I said: when you ask. He said: when I ask. I said: I'll be there. He said: New Year's Eve, just us — me, Miriam, you, Hannah. I said: we'll be there.

Sunday I worked on the memory project. Pieces four, five, six. A bone needle with a steel shaft. A stone-knapping support frame. A fire-starting bow with steel pivots. The work is meditative. The work is meaningful. The cultural center will display them next March. Linda Walkingstick has been writing the curatorial notes. The pieces will accompany a photo essay on lost-and-recovered tools. I'm thinking about going to the opening. I haven't been to a museum opening in twenty years.

With sixteen or seventeen people possibly sitting down to dinner this year, and New Year’s Eve carrying news none of them know yet, I wanted something I could bake ahead and have ready — something that fills the house with that unmistakable December smell while I’m still out in the workshop finishing Hannah’s box. Gingerbread blondies are that kind of thing: simple enough to make in a big batch, warm enough to feel like the season, and good enough that nobody asks questions when one or two disappear before the table is even set.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional but recommended)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. Add molasses and stir to combine. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then stir in vanilla.
Combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in white chocolate chips if using.
Spread and bake. Transfer batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the corners. The batter will be thick. Bake for 22—26 minutes, until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake — they firm up as they cool.
Cool and cut. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before lifting out with the parchment. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, then cut into 16 bars.
Store. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days, or wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Gingerbread Blondies — Baking Something Sweet While a Big Question Gets Ready