Friday, July 17, 2009

"Sweet"

While in Fredericksburg, we went to Rather Sweet Bakery. Actually, it was a must for me and one of the reasons I wanted to go to F'burg in the first place. I've heard and read so much about Rebecca Rather's sweet shop and baked goods and I've been drooling over her cookbooks for a long time. I finally got them and I can't wait to bake something from them!

The cool thing about going to her bakery is we didn't have to pay for anything! Wha? As part of staying at the B&B, they gave us breakfast certificates to use at local restaurants--one of them was Rather Sweet Bakery. I was in Heaven. On the first day there while window shopping, we walked by the bakery to check the hours. While there I took a few pictures of the bakery and courtyard- so charming!

Once we got there (during business hours) and I saw the pastry case, my heart sped up and my eyes got big. They were filled with 4-inch high key lime tarts (not including whipped cream), 12-inch wide cakes piled high with buttercream, 5-inch square peach crumble bars, 7-layer cookie bars, lemon bars, berry bars, mini praline topped cheesecakes, 5-inch wide hefty cookies, jumbo muffins, scones and brownies. Oh so much goodness in one place and they have savory lunch items too. In case you ever get to Fredericksburg, I highly recommend you make a sugar pit stop.

Now on to something else sugary! I finally made Snickerdoodle Blondies y'all!!! I kept seeing them around the blogosphere, but it was finally Ingrid and her obsession with all things Snickerdoodle (blondies, ice cream and cake) that got me to make them. Thanks Ingrid and thanks Julia of Dozen Flours for the recipe!

I made these blondies 2 ways- half with cinnamon chips and half plain. I like the plain side better and my husband preferred the one with chips. Do I like these more than regular cookies Snickerdoodles? I don't know. It's definitely less work and these come together quickly, that's a plus, but I miss the buttery crunch from the cookies that I didn't get with the blondies. I LOVED the edges, but the centers were a little too soft and "fudgey" for me. I think these would be perfectly amazing baked in a Bakers Edge pan. I can only imagine all the cinnamon sugar crunchiness that would be mine all mine!

Snickerdoodle Blondies adapted from Dozen Flours via 3 B's
  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar (for topping)
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended, then mix in cinnamon chips if using. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Mixture will be thick and resemble cookie dough. (I used my hands to press it down and smooth the top).

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.*

NOTE: These cut cleaner once completely cooled.

Eat me!

28 comments:

  1. We really enjoy snickerdoodles, I'll have to give this one a whirl, thanks for posting! I am very envious of your trip to the bakery, how in the world did you decide what to eat ?

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  2. The bakery looked so cute and just the kind of place I want to visit and never leave. I love all things snickerdoodle and these will be book,arked and made when I get back from vacation. The pics are great.

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  3. What a cute little bakery! The bars look wonderful =)

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  4. My mouth waters everytime I browse your blogspot. I bet you where in Heaven at the Rather Sweet Bakery....I know I would have been.

    Funny I just noticed you live in TX and I am moving to Austin come the end of the Summer. I was just sitting here trying to decide if I want to take my pantry with me or just buy new when I get there..... !

    Decisions decisions....!

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  5. Oh that bakery sounds fabulous. And it looks so quaint and lovely.

    Your snickerdoodle blondies are perfect! I saw them at Ingrids.. Between her and Julia ... and now you.. one can not go wrong!

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  6. Snicker. Doodle. Blondies. Oh. Em. Gee. These sound amazing :D

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  7. The blondies look great! I'm so jealous you went to Rather Sweet. Why don't I just drive down there from Dallas?? Good question. I LOVE the Texas Pecan Pie Bars from the 1st Pastry Queen book. Make them! I made a couple of ginormous batches of them for a bake sale, and they flew out the door!

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  8. Mmm..can't wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!

    Annette

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  9. These have an awesome texture. I've never made blondies before but when I get around to, I'll start with this recipe -- snickerdoodles are a huuuge favorite of mine :).

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  10. love your photos... and that last note on the blondies? I 'd eat that if I can..

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  11. YUM! I love cinnamon/sugar anything! These are going on my "to try" list.

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  12. That bakery is so cute..I wanna go there. Those blondies are awesome, I've made them before and inhaled them all in no time flat!

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  13. Dee from Tennessee

    Wow...what a blog! I am Loving it!!!

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  14. Your blondies look completely addicting!

    I would never have been able to decide what to order at that bakery, it all sounds so good!

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  15. I have never heard of this bakery, but I can imagine the kind of sensory overload that place must've given you. What a lovely courtyard. Too bad that you couldn't photograph the pastry cases. Did you leave paw prints all over the place?
    These blondies look wonderful I have been wanting a bakers edge pan for the longest time-- I just can't justify the cost. Hmmmm, maybe a birthday gift hint to my husband.
    Great job!

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  16. That bakery looks so cute. Looks like the kind of place to hang out and eat goodies all morning : ) Love the blondies!!

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  17. Saw those blondies on 3b's and they looked amazing..I have vowed to make them because my hubby will LOVE them...yours look equally delicious!!

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  18. I love finding wonderful new bakeries and specialty food stores--taste treats aside, they offer so many great ideas! Your snickerdoodles looks divine!

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  19. I love your blondies! They look wonderful!

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  20. Never heard of snickerdoodle blondies before but they sound divine

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  21. I made these over the weekend and they were superb!!! I took them to two different functions and they were wiped out! Everyone loved them. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!

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  22. Wow, this bakery sounds like a lot of fun! As for the blondies? Mouth-watering, just like everything you make! :)

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  23. YAY! I'm like a proud mama when I hear or see that someone else has given these a try and the crazy thing is that its all Julia! She's the genius behind them. (Try the bundt cake! The crust is beyond yum!)

    Thank you! Your photos do these blondies justice more so than mine. Really, I'm going to update my previous posts with a link to check out your photos. I think more people will be compelled to eat them after seeing your photos.
    ~ingrid

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  24. Oh, and that is totally cool that you got to visit Rather's! I have both her cookbooks,too. So what did you order?

    Yes, I know I need to get to working on my post. :)
    ~ingrid

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  25. My hubby loves all things snickerdoodle too - I think though, while he would eat these, he would side with you on missing the crustiness. They look marvelous.

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  26. Wow! Your snickerdoodles came out great! I love that you incorporated cinnamon chips (I can't seem to find them here in Seattle... I'll need to place an order online soon).

    Your photos are outstanding... actually your entire blog just blows me away. Thank you for the wonderful shout-out and for crediting Ingrid too. If it wasn't for her touting these bars, no one would have known about them!

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  27. Oh. My. Word. These look amazing. Bookmarking now...

    Lovely blog, amazing photos, delicious-looking recipes!

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  28. I can't stand it... I'm gaining weight just reading your blog!

    :)
    ButterYum

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Thank you for your supportive comments. I appreciate each and every one of them!