When I don’t know what else to make, there are always blondies. I’ve had the recipe memorized for more than a decade, and they’re amenable to whatever odds and ends I have in my cabinets. As far as I’m concerned, they’re the ultimate catch-all baked good.
Blondies come together in one bowl—no mixer required—and bake up in less than half an hour. And despite the frequency with which I make them, they never ever get old. Oh lord, do I love a blondie.
This latest variation is salty and sweet, with pretzels folded into the brown sugar batter and gobs of Nutella spooned and swirled on top. A big pinch of flaky salt is optional, but highly recommended.
They may look a little sketchy when they go in the oven, but trust the process. Once sliced, you’ll be rewarded with a Nutella-swiped square of pretzel-studded blondie. And oh, what a reward.
Nutella Pretzel Blondies
makes one 8- or 9-inch pan, about 16 blondies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed + more for garnish
1/2 cup Nutella
flaky salt
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish and line it with parchment (or foil), leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal. Grease again. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, followed by flour and salt. Fold in crushed pretzels. Batter will be very thick.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Drop spoonfuls of Nutella over the top of the batter and use a butter knife to gently swirl it into the batter (it may look a little ugly—trust the process). Tap the full pan on the counter a time or two to help the Nutella settle a bit. Press a few whole pretzels into the top, if desired, and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are turning golden. Let blondies cool in the pan on a rack until they reach room temperature. Run a small, thin knife around the edge of the pan, then use parchment to lift them onto a cutting board. Slice with a large, sharp chef’s knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts. Serve.
Blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Layer with parchment paper to keep the Nutella from sticking to the other blondies.
For the 
Let’s talk about Pretzel Shortbread. Salty, sweet, crisp, pretzely (inside & out!) cookies, with or without a drizzle of dark chocolate. Oh my lord, y’all. These are absurdly good.
Today’s cookies are inspired by Philadelphia-favorite 
Instead of being a normal person and ordering from Lost Bread Co. online, I decided to figure out a version for the home baker…but without the lye because who keeps food-grade lye around?
Taking a cue from Lost Bread Co., my Pretzel Shortbread dough is made with a mix of flour and ground pretzels, and sweetened with dark brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar for both flavor and texture. The rest of the ingredients are butter, vanilla, and salt. It’s all mixed together in the span of a few minutes, then rolled and cut into shapes. I went with stars because that’s what I like.
Next up: the pretzeling! After the cookies are rolled and cut (and also briefly frozen a couple of times), they are dipped in a warm mix of water and baking soda, or as I call it, “pretzel wash.” This is simply a small batch of the solution traditional soft pretzels are boiled in to achieve their signature golden finish. It’s literally just water and baking soda (no lye!), but it’s the thing that takes these cookies over the top!
Instead of tossing the shortbread in boiling liquid, which would probably destroy them instantly, I let the pretzel wash cool until I can touch it, and then dip the frozen cookie dough stars into the mix. This is followed up by a swipe of egg wash and sprinkles of coarse salt and sugar before being baked to a brown, burnished, decidedly pretzelesque* finish.
Finish the Pretzel Shortbread off with a drizzle of chocolate, or not. I did a little of each—I like to have options.
Salty, sweet, pretzeled inside-and-out, chocolaty, Christmasy, delicious options.
Have you ever seen the movie Waitress? It’s one of my very favorites—it’s about a small town pie waitress who is saddled with the worst sort of husband and a lifestyle of which she doesn’t see a clear way out. Her passion is pie, and throughout the film she thinks in pie recipes with very specific names: Marshmallow Mermaid Pie, Bad Baby Pie, Lonely Chicago Pie…you get the idea. I won’t ruin it further. You can and should stream it on 
Alternatively, you can come to NYC and see Waitress the 
When we left the theater and headed for the subway, I knew two things:
Done and DONE. Caramel Pretzel Pie, y’all. It’s sweet, salty, and full of creamy caramel flavor!
One great thing about Caramel Pretzel Pie? It’s almost-no-bake. I had originally intended for this beauty to be oven-free, but the idea of a slightly-toasty pretzel crust won out. I think you’ll agree that the ten minutes of oven time required to set the crust are absolutely worth it.
Another great thing? This pie is very quick and simple to make, especially if you make your caramel sauce ahead. You could swap in a store-bought caramel sauce if that’s more your speed (I hear Trader Joe’s has a good one), but homemade is super easy to make and is far better than anything I’ve ever found in a grocery store.
The creamy, cloud-like caramel filling comes together in minutes and has a nice tang from a hit of cream cheese.
After a few hours chilling in the fridge, the pie is finished off with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and a few broken pretzels.
It’s so delicious, it’s ridiculous. I always love a 
All it’s missing is a very specific name. Somehow Feminist Movie/Musical Inspo Pie doesn’t sound quite right 😂 Maybe you can come up with something when you make this for every cookout this summer. Believe me–this one is a guaranteed hit.
e2 bakes brooklyn 