Drunk Blondies :. blondie bars with bourboned-cherries, toasted pecans and dark chocolate

I've been racking my brain as to how I can take this "Infinitely Adaptable Blondies" recipe and make it rad, and by rad I mean alcoholic. So, I took my favorite spirit, Maker's Mark, and drank some. That really has nothing to do with this, but eventually I figured that bourbon and cherries go together. The rest wrote itself. Bourbon, cherries, dark chocolate, toasted pecans. Don't ask, just bake and put it in your mouth-hole.

MAKES ABOUT 24 BARS

You can make this without alcohol, but why? If you don’t want to use booze you can do them without. 

TOOLS

Baking sheet

1 small bowl

Small sauce pan

1 large mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

8 x 8 pan

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried sour cherries

¼ cup bourbon

½ cup pecans, chopped

8 tbsp unsalted butter [one stick], cut into ½ inch slices

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

½ cup dark chocolate, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place cherries into small bowl, cover with the bourbon. Let soak 5 hours to overnight. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Evenly distribute pecan pieces onto baking sheet. Place in preheating oven until aromatic, about 8 minutes. Take out and let cool. 
3. Meanwhile, butter an 8x8 pan [or use cooking spray] and set aside. 
4. On the stovetop over medium heat, melt the butter until just liquified. Don’t overcook. While this is melting, take cherries out of bourbon mixture by squeezing out extra liquid. Reserve the liquid. Chop roughly until you have ½ a cup of chopped cherries. Save the leftover liquid and cherries for a cocktail [at the bottom] because we all know it is a sin to waste alcohol.
5. Put brown sugar into medium bowl, add the butter, combine. Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add salt and flour, mix. Finally, mix in chocolate pieces, pecans and cherries. Mix until incorporated.
6. Pour into prepared baking pan. Spread out with your hand until it is even. Bake for 20-25 min until the edges are set and browned. The middle will not be set, but don’t overbake - it’s better to have gooey blondies than dry ones. 
7. Let cook on rack before cutting them. 

you can download/print the PDF here

DRUNK BLONDIE MANHATTAN
Because I believe in baking and drinking, here's a cocktail to go with your Drunk Blondie baking experience. You can use the left over Bourbon and cherries from the above recipe. 

TOOLS

Metal shaker [with strainer]
Low-ball glass
Muddler

INGREDIENTS 

1x cherry-infused Bourbon
2x Rye

½x Sweet Vermouth

½x Green Chartreuse

Ice

Dash of Angostura bitters

Left over bourbon-infused cherries

Lemon or Orange rind [optional]

1. In a metal shaker, combine all the liquid with a scoop of ice. Shake. 
2. In a low-ball, muddle the cherries at the bottom of the glass [they're strong so just use a few. 
3. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Rub the rim with citrus rind and drop into glass.
4. Drink that shit and don't forget to check on your blondies: you don't want them to burn!