Baking: Blondies

In a pretty inspired move for someone who doesn't know me all that well, the Husband's uncle gave me Nigella's Kitchen for Christmas. I actually whooped when I opened it, a few weeks into January (snow had disrupted the normal pattern of family present deliveries). I was delighted and touched he'd got me anything at all, let alone something I wanted so much. But although I've spent several evenings happily flicking through it, I hadn't cooked anything from it until Sunday.

I wanted to make a pile of treats for the Husband to pick at during the week. He lost his job in January, and he's so busy at home, applying for jobs and doing freelance work, as well as working shifts outside his profession to bring in regular money, that he's not brilliant at remembering to eat, let alone take breaks. But having cake in the house seems to help this. He finally finished the wodge of Christmas cake we brought back from my in-laws a couple of weeks ago and I wanted something to replace it -something that wouldn't come to any harm left in a cake tin for a few days, in the hope that it would inspire him to take a few minutes off every now and then, and something substantial enough to fill a little hole. And if I happen to have the odd one... oh well.

So when I saw the recipe for Blondies I couldn't resist. It was typical Nigella - simply written and easy to follow. I couldn't get chocolate chips in my local supermarket so had a fun few minutes chopping up bars of cooking chocolate. I didn't chop them up very finely, which meant that some of the finished blondies had HUGE chunks of chocolate in them. This was a Good Thing, so I'll do it again.

Mmmmmm

And here's the final result:

Obviously, I wanted to leave them all for The Husband. But I knew my reader(s) would need to know how they tasted. So selflessly, I had one for you - I couldn't not, especially as one crumbled as I was cutting them up.

And they're good. Lovely and sweet, chocolatey, but the oats make them substantial and means they taste ever so slightly healthy. And when they're still warm?... Excuse me, I just need to go and eat another one.

As for the Husband's final verdict? Well, yesterday, after he'd eaten his first, rapidly followed by his second, I got a text message largely made up of "mmm" and kisses. A success then.