One of the worst things about working in finance, even more than the ungodly hours we have to be in the office, is working on national holidays. It just sucks when you have to get up on a dark, grey November morning and leave your husband and kids cozily snuggled up under their blankets and bike to work in the pitch dark at 6.30am. It feels like you are in one of those post-nuclear movies, riding through empty, deserted streets, not a soul in sight. Well, except for a dishevelled looking witch or two walking home from a great Halloween party. Creepy. It is even eerier when you take out the keys to the building you work in to unlock the front gate because you are the first one, and one of the only ones that day by the way, to enter the premises. As you type away and watch the sun rising you wish you were lazily stretching in bed and getting up to have breakfast with your family. You can almost smell the coffee brewing, you can imagine your kids' ruffled hair and the pasty morning kiss you exchange with your husband.
Just so it wouldn't be too much to bear, I brought myself one of these to work. The day started looking better immediately.
Chocoholic that I am, I will always go for brownies. These, however, knocked my socks off. Crunchy on the outside and super chewy on the inside with the added texture and flavor of the oatmeal, I didn't miss the chocolate for a minute. I never thought I would say that. What do you like better? Blondies or brownies?
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal
Preheat oven to 350F/170C degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.
Stir butter and sugar together until well combined. Add the egg, the vanilla and salt and stir until smooth and creamy. Then add the flour and stir until just combined. Now stir in the oatmeal. The recipe says to pour into the prepared pan but my batter was not at all runny so I spead it with a spatual, crossing my fingers it would turn out ok. Put into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into squares.
