Blondies.  Are they nothing more than brownies missing their chocolate?

I suspect that simplistic notion comes from the brownie loyalists:  a faction that believes brownies belong in a category by themselves. For them, a good brownie is no more than chocolate sullied with a bit of flour, sugar, and egg to keep it together.

It is pointless to try and sway the chocoholics of the world into considering much beyond hard core chocolate; they are quite happy with their lot.

But for those of us who appreciate full-flavored blondies and the possibilities they suggest, there are plenty of options, like coconut-chai, peanut butter, raspberry swirl, or pumpkin blondie.

Or, how about a banana blondie?  There is the prerequisite flour and eggs, but it also includes browned butter, brown and granulated sugars, plus it’s moistened further with a couple of ripe bananas and laced with a touch of nutmeg―then it is all finished with a buttermilk glaze and candied-spiced pecans.

Perhaps not addictive, but certainly delicious: tropical undertones, caramel complexity, nuanced and nutty, reminiscent of buttermilk doughnut… more than a non-brownie.

Banana Blondies with Buttermilk Glaze

Ingredients
2 1/4   cups  flour
3/4      tsp  nutmeg
1          tsp  baking powder
1/2      tsp salt
10       Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4     cup granulated sugar
3/4     cup light brown sugar
2         large ripe bananas, cut up
2          eggs
2         tsp  vanilla
Buttermilk Glaze
3/4      cup sugar
1/4      tsp  salt
1/3      cup  buttermilk
2        Tbsp  butter
1       Tbsp corn syrup
1/2    tsp vanilla
1      cup  candied pecans or walnuts (4 oz)  lightly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line and spray 9×13″ pan.  Position rack in lower 1/3 of oven.
2. Combine and whisk dry ingredients and set aside.
3.  Melt the butter until it is bubbly and slightly nutty; in mixer, combine butter and sugars.  Beat in banana until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, scrape down bowl and add vanilla.
4. With spatula, stir in flour mixture; do not beat.  Spoon into pan, spread gently.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until top is light brown and tester comes out clean.  Pour the Glaze over hot blondies.  Yield:  18 approx.

Glaze:  In a small pan, bring all to a boil except vanilla; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour evenly over hot blondies. Sprinkle candied nuts over the moist glaze.

Allow to cool completely before cutting.  Store covered at room temp for 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months without nuts.