Butterscotch brownies (blondies)

I grew up with these brownies, which are technically blondies. The Joy of Cooking, where the recipe comes from, calls them butterscotch brownies, but Wikipedia says that they are blondies. When I think about blondies, I don't picture these bars, which are dense and almost sticky and sweet and addictive. Believe me, I'm too ashamed to tell you how many I ate after dinner. The chunk cut out of the pan above is what I ate before dinner.  My mom used to make these when we were kids, and I used to make them when I was younger. This is one of the first recipes I converted to gluten-free, because it only uses 1/2 cup of flour. I've found that those are the easiest recipes for substitutions. 

This recipe can be made in two ways. You can make the basic recipe, as is, and have a thin, chewy, slightly dense wonderful bar (above). You can also double the recipe, and make a cakey, fluffy bar. I like the single recipe best, but they're great both ways. 

Revised from the archives

Butterscotch Brownies

From the Joy of Cooking, can be doubled. I've cut down on the butter because I don't need to be eating this much butter. 

3 T butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 c flour mix
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
(if you're doubling the recipe I would suggest 1/2 t of xanthan gum, otherwise you can skip it)

Melt the butter in the microwave, then stir in the brown sugar until completely moistened. Let cool slightly, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a well greased 8x8 pan and bake 15-20 minutes at 350. If you double the recipe, bake 25-35 minutes. Cool, then slice into 16 squares and enjoy. Use restraint.