A good blondie recipe is an important asset for any dessert repertoire. Sometimes called butterscotch brownies, these morsels of butter and sugar are easy to master, delicious, and infinitely adaptable. You can make them plain or dress them up with nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruits.

Since butter is the main ingredient here, the key to the perfect blondie is coaxing as much flavor out of it as possible. The nuttiness of the browned butter, emphasized by the nutmeg, adds depth and character to this particular batter.

Adapted from How to Cook Everything and the Joy of Cooking.

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 to 1 cup chopped chocolate chunks (I used a mix of white and semi sweet)

scant 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

preheat to 350F

Butter an 8 or 9 inch square pan. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Throw the butter into a saucepan over medium heat and cook until a nice golden brown. While the butter is browning, make sure to keep an eye on it and stir constantly to make sure it doesn’t burn.   Pour the butter into the bowl of your mixer, add the brown sugar and beat until well incorporated and cooled down. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients all at once, then mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts, then pour the batter into the buttered pan. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the center is just set (a knife slid into the center should come out clean).

Makes about one dozen blondies.