The Best Kind of Blue

When I woke up on November 4 and saw the words “rout” and “Democrats” on the New York Times homepage, I suddenly felt very strange. I got out of bed and realized something was missing. I couldn’t figure out what. My husband felt similarly. After some deliberation, we realized we felt physically lighter. Our bodies were reacting to the thought of so many Americans voting for change. The idea that justice and accountability might be restored in Congress (and not just with the hard work of groups led by people such as Norm Eisen, Katie Phang, and Miles Taylor) takes some getting used to. I feel like I’m unfurling.

My friend Rachel Vindman — a woman whose family has suffered at the hands of vindictive lawmakers — said what I was feeling better than I could:

I shook off the weird feelings, and veritably skipped my way to the kitchen to celebrate the blue tsunami with a batch of blueberry blondies, because of course this week’s recipe was required (thank goodness) to be blue in theme — the blue being blueberries, even though, sure, they are purplish when baked. But this week’s been too lovely to quibble.

There were other blue food choices I considered, such as blue corn tortilla nachos with blue cheese sauce, or possibly a delicious butterfly pea flower cocktail, maybe a feast of blue crabs, or a concord grape pie. I landed on blueberries–wild blueberries from Maine, ‘cuz what a wild thing (finally) happened in that state.

These blueberry blondies are a riff off of my mother’s chocolate chip blondies. I added cornstarch to keep the blueberry juices from going out of control, but also to ensure a tender brownie. I didn’t brown the butter because I wanted the blueberry and lime to be the star of the show. The resulting blondies are somewhere between cakey and fudgey–think blueberry cake donut– and a delicious way to celebrate the voice of the people.

Blueberry Lime Blondies

What You’ll Need

For the brownies:

½ cup (8 tablespoons/113 grams) butter

1 ¼ cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (160 grams) brown sugar, packed

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 egg yolk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 cup (107 grams) frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

½ cup white chocolate chips (optional)

For the glaze:

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or more if necessary)

2 teaspoons fresh lime zest

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease an 8-inch x 8-inch (20 cm x 20 cm) metal baking pan. Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper that is long enough to hang over the sides of the pan to create a sling. This will make it easier to remove the baked blondies.

2. In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, melt the butter. Let the butter cool to lukewarm.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

4. When the butter is lukewarm, whisk in the brown and white sugars. Add the egg and yolk and vanilla and whisk until well combined. The mixture should look creamy (emulsified), not oily. Whisk in the lime juice and zest.

5. Fold in the flour mixture until just a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in the blueberries and white chocolate chips (if using). Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it evenly to the edges. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick placed in the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake!

6. Let the brownies cool in the pan. When cool, make the glaze: whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lime juice and lime zest. The result should be a slightly thick glaze that is spreadable, but not runny. If it’s too thin, add a little confectioners’ sugar, and if it’s too thick, add lime juice a few drops at a time. Spread the glaze over the top of the brownies. Cut into squares.

Marissa Rothkopf Bates writes about food for the New York Times, Newsweek (RIP) and Publishers’ Weekly among others. Her newest book, “The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies,” is available wherever fine books are sold. Find her on Substack here.