Oatmeal Toffee Blondies: It takes a whole team of people

For MC, RC, BK, HK, SH, ED, JW, EJ, SN and anyone else who has helped me move my children from one place to another

I tried very very hard to avoid team sports for my children, mostly because I couldn't get my head around the time commitment.  Since all of my working hours are after school, trying to find a way to move three kids to three different places for different sports seemed daunting, highly stressful, and impossible.  Fortunately for me, both girls took to swimming like fish takes to rice, and that resolved a lot of my stress.  Their sport is regular, with few weekend meets, and regular practice which I'm happy the girls do because I know it is good life-long exercise.

Son was a slightly different situation, because suddenly Husband got involved.  He had a vision in his head of playing sports with Son, and suddenly began asking a lot of questions and imposing his will on the sports aspect.  I tried to avoid it for as long as I could, but I soon found myself hurtling down a steep hill of practices, commitments, games that Husband, whose hours are long and are far away from home, wouldn't be able to help me with, except on the weekends.  As the sweat poured from my brow and pooled at the base of my back in the effort to figure out how I would manage to get Son to practices, and games, and whatever else on time, fellow moms and dads raised their hands to help me.

These moms and dads willingly pick up Son, (sometimes Daughters as well) to take him to practices and bring him back home safely, and in one piece.  And I'm grateful that I have this support.  I feel guilty on most days because it's not something that I can do, and it is something that these other people are willing to do for me.  And so to repay them, I try and make them something each time they are driving...a little treat if you will, because I can't EVER do the driving in their stead, but I can almost always get a little something together for them to nibble on and for them to know my thanks and gratitude.

These toffee blondies are actually a product of desperation and hurriedness as I realized one of the baseball practices was on a different day and that my girls had gotten a ride to one of their classes with another mom and I really wanted to make something.  I ran to the pantry and had planned to make some kind of cookie, but also realized I didn't have enough time to do traditional ones, so began planning a blondie.  

This is what popped out of the oven, and I don't regret the results.  This is chewy, crispy, rich with toffee and butter notes, cute as triangles, and gobbled up quickly by those who receive them.  I love the fact that they bake up in a single pan, and then can be cut into triangles or squares after they've cooled.  I also love the smiles on the faces of the men and women who are helping me with the complex and nearly impossible navigation of sports and my family after they get a bag of these.

If you have some people who help you manage your life, these are a great thank you for them.

Oatmeal Toffee Blondies
Makes 32 or 64, depending on cut size

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 cups oats, old fashioned or instant
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 oz (1 bag) Heath milk chocolate toffee bits

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9X13-inch baking pan. Grease pan very well, either using spray or additional butter.

In bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and both sugars.  Once butter and sugar are well incorporated, add egg and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Add oats and toffee bits, mixing until everything is evenly distributed.  Using a spatula, spread mixture into prepared pan.

Bake until browned on edges and set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan set on a wire rack, then carefully cut and serve.

Printable recipe

I am happy to thank my team of people

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