You're in my heart, You're in my stomach

This blog is undoubtedly getting heavier than originally intended.  It would seem that I have too many feelings for too many delicious people.

Bethann is a puzzle.  She is also a preposterously delectable dessert.  Most importantly, she is a darling and dear bosom friend, and I promise that that's not a joke about her eye-poppingly glorious knockers.  Trying to write about Bethann isn't like writing about someone you can't imagine living without, because it is that, precisely.  She is the yin to my yang, and the sole party responsible for the soliloquy I will now begin.

When I think about friendships between women, it always ends in me thinking about men.  What I mean by that is this: Women (heterosexual, Western, American-- qualify that as you see fit) are conditioned to view relationships with men as primary, and with other women as secondary to those relationships with men.

I can't speak to the social education of a (heterosexual, Western, American) man, so I won't try, but I think that this view on the social education of women explains why virtually every (heterosexual, Western, American, yeah yeah) woman has a tale to tell of a very close friend who found a guy one day, and subsequently fell quite abruptly off the face of the earth.

To steer this soapboxing homeward, I have arrived at the belief that, possibly unavoidably and likely without real awareness of it, many women use other women as space-occupiers for man-shaped holes in their lives. And, while I can't say emphatically enough that this is not an attack on those women, I can't help but say that the complete failure of Bethann to qualify as such is perhaps what I love most about her.   

BA loves me, this I know (and she constantly tells me so!)

...Anyway...

BA loves decadence and I love BA, so for her birthday this week I made her into a dessert that's not much more than a bunch of things she loves all mashed up together in the most chemically successful way I could manage.  Workplace-tested and doctor-approved (let's call it a coincidence that BA's doctor and I share a workplace):

DIRTY BLONDIES
(BETHDAY CAKES)

Inspired by Bafu

Ingredients

• 1 stick (i.e., 1/2 cup or 8 tbsp) Unsalted Butter or Margarine
• 1 1/3 cups White Chocolate Chips, divided
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Baking Flour (whatever type you prefer)
• 2/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup (i.e., 2 oz) Chopped Hazelnuts
• 1 cup Shredded Coconut, Sweetened
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat inside of square aluminum, ceramic or nonstick baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter and 1 cup white chocolate chips together in a microwave-safe container or over medium heat on the stovetop.  Using a whisk, blend together until lumps disappear.  Allow to cool until mixture is close to room temperature (stick in the fridge for a few minutes to speed this process).

Add egg and egg yolk and vanilla, blending with whisk until smooth.  Add flour, dark chocolate chips, hazelnuts and coconut, mixing ingredients well with a large spoon.  

Add brown sugar last.  Crazy, right?  Mix with spoon until evenly distributed.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing surface with spatula or backside of mixing spoon. Stud the surface of batter with remaining 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips, distributing evenly.  

Bake until edges and white chocolate chips are slightly browned (you can also test with a toothpick).  Remove from heat, cool completely, cut into squares and make a lifelong friend.

Makes 20 2"x2" blondies.

Nutrition

Amount per Serving 

Calories  249
Calories from Fat  135  

Total Fat  15 g 

Saturated Fat  10.5 g

Cholesterol  23 mg  (7% DV)
Sodium  30 mg  (1% DV)
Total Carbohydrate  29 g 

Dietary Fiber  1.5 g
Sugars  20 g
Protein  2 g

I wish a BA with a cold glass of milk for every one of you.  (And a blondie, too!)