secret recipe club: white chocolate macadamia nut blondies

i love it when two completely unrelated thoughts come together and lead to the perfect food. a couple weeks ago, in anticipation of our first born, we threw a pre-baby bash - aka the last party before we can no longer call ourselves dinks. and one of our friends brought blondies. i've never been a huge fan of the blondie - if given the choice, there better be a good reason not to choose a chocolate brownie - and the once or twice i've attempted them myself, i've been disappointed. but these blondies were unbelievable. not only were they perfectly chewy and sweet, but they were loaded full of chocolate and butterscotch. i was happy to see the next morning a few were leftover for breakfast.

seemingly unrelated thought: when was the last time i had a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie?!

put them together, and you get these white chocolate macadamia nut blondies from heather at sweet and savory tooth and this month's secret recipe club post. i saw her chunky blonde blondies literally the morning after the bash & knew they would satisfy my need for more blondies and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie!

and heather, i know what you mean about pie crust. i've mastered it with a few tips from my grandpa: go for all butter, don't over mix, keep it cold, who cares what it looks like as long as it tastes good.

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

white chocolate macadamia nut blondies
adapted from sweet and savory tooth
45 minutes, makes 24 bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed  brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick spray. set aside.
2. in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
3. add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
4. add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. 
5. stir in 1 cup white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts. spoon into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
6. sprinkle the remaining cup of white chocolate chips over the top of the bars and lightly press them into the top.
7. bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out almost clean.
8. cool completely on a wire rack before serving. store in an airtight container.