Christmas Sorghum Blondies with Pomegranate and Pecans
These sorghum blondies are moist and taste deeply of sorghum syrup, the south's answer to all other sweeteners. The mellow crunch of toasted pecans and the bright pops of pomegranate make these bars truly special.
All dry measurements are in weight. Liquids, I measured by volume this time. Just so you know.
1 ½sticks(6 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
14ozlight brown sugar
¼cupsorghum syrup
2large eggs
1 ½cupstoasted pecansdivided (chopped or whole--your choice)
arils from 1 to 1 1/2 medium sized pomegranatesabout 1 cup
Instructions
Line a 9" x 13"* baking pan with parchment (or use a high-quality non-stick baking pan. I have a recommendation for you below).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, sorghum syrup and eggs until smooth. Fold in one cup of the nuts and the pomegranate arils.
Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold/stir gently until well combined and there is no loose flour wafting about.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Press the remaining pecans onto the top of the batter, either haphazardly or in some sort of pattern.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 miutes, or until the bars are deeply golden brown and set. The internal temperature in the center of the pan should be 200-205F.
Notes
*I baked the blondies in these photos in a 9" x 9" pan, and that's why they're a bit taller than a "normal" bar cookie. You can use either size pan, but with a 9" x 9" pan, they'll be more like snack cakes than blondies. They'll also take an extra 5-10 minutes to bake.