Holiday Challenge Day 8 - Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

I guess it's true what they say - we eat with our eyes first, and we're more inclined to eat things that are visually appealing.  I totally get it - I'm a faithful practitioner of the "see food" diet.  However, in the instance of gingerbread, I usually see it and shake my head in woe.  But when my eyes hit upon a picture of these Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies, I could practically taste them (and I mean that in a good way) - with just one look.  So I knew they had to be included in my holiday challenge.  I'll admit it's a good thing that Martha Stewart Cookies has photos with each recipe, because if I was making decisions based on names alone, this would never have made the list.  In fact, it wouldn't have even been a contender.  Because a gingerbread lover I am not. 

Sure, I think gingerbread is fantastic in the form of prettily decorated houses during the holidays, or as the Gingerbread Man featured in the classic fairy tale, or Gingy, the adorable talking gingerbread sidekick in the Shrek movies.  But generally that's where my fondness for the bread of ginger stops.  You know how they say some experiences early in life shape your future?  It's true. Case in point, the squares of gingerbread they used to serve with a dollop of Cool Whip in the elementary school cafeteria. Every time I think of gingerbread, that's what comes to mind, and appetizing it was not.  I am nothing if not a girl who loves her sweets, but even I (at the tender age of seven or eight) knew enough to leave the stuff alone.  I may run after the ice cream truck when I see it, but I wouldn't be caught dead running after the Gingerbread Man. 

Luckily, these blondies are a distant cousin of traditional gingerbread.  Their flavor reminds me of my favorite ginger cookie, reborn as a bar, with the added bonus of white chocolate chunks.  I could barely wait for them to finish baking before I was cutting into them for a taste.  And I can tell you, these blondies I would run after.  Okay, maybe not run.  That's a bit ambitious.  But I'd definitely walk fast.

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies
Makes 4 dozen
Martha Stewart Cookies

2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped best quality white chocolate (10 ounces)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 12 x 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment and set aside.

2.  Whisk together flour, soda, salt and spices in a bowl.

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add vanilla and molasses and mix on medium speed until combined.  Add flour mixture on low speed until combined.  Stir in white chocolate.

4.  Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake until golden on edges, about 25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan; cut into 2-inch squares.  Blondies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.