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 Alisa Fleming ~ Have you ever had one of those special parties? The ones that "everyone" talks about for an entire year after. We had our first, a couple of years ago when living near our friends at Lake Tahoe. The scene was a few weeks before Christmas, and a horrendous blizzard had move in. Yet, every single guest arrived. We have some serious die-hard party friends.
My husband and I were fairly calm, certain that we had prepared enough food. Boy were we wrong. Apparently we have die-hard party friends with big appetites. For hot food, we had Roasted Veggies, Pulled Pork with Homemade Wheat Buns, From-Scratch Cheeseless Pizza (used the crust recipe in Go Dairy Free), Stuffed Mushrooms, Prosciutto-Wrapped Wild Prawns, and Chicken Satay (one peanut sauced and one more of a curry). Easily the most popular item was the stuffed mushrooms. All night long people kept asking, "So everything was dairy-free? Really? Even the mushrooms?" I didn't even bother telling them that they were also gluten-free, soy-free, and egg-free; I thought that might send some of them over the edge! I used 1.5 lbs of mushrooms and 1.5 lbs of filling, and they were still gone in minutes. (The recipe for those mushrooms will be in my next book!) Even the store-bought filler food we purchased (salsa, hummus, eggplant dip, tortilla chips, and blanched veggies) was completely devoured. Fortunately, for those who still hadn't eaten there fill, there was dessert. After all, what would any holiday party be without a delicious assortment of homemade cookies and bars ...
I served three different types, including some festive cookies, peppermint chocolate crispy treats, and some amazing Snickerdoodle Blondies. I watched as our guests attempted to guess what these wonderful bars were. One came awfully close when he said it tasted like snickerdoodles crossed with gingerbread. But oddly enough (and to my husband's delight), there isn't a speck of ginger in this recipe. Recipe: Dairy-Free Snickerdoodle Blondies Summary: Like any good blondie recipe, these are very moist and tender on the inside, but the snickerdoodle-like topping forms a wonderful sugary crust to balance the rich filling. This blondie recipe was adapted from Recipezaar. Ingredients - 2-2/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon, divided
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar (I used TJ's organic brown sugar)
- 1 Cup Dairy-Free Margarine, at room temperature (I used Earth Balance Soy-Free, which is salted)
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature (see notes above for egg-free/vegan option)
- 1 Tablespoon Real Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
Instructions - Preheat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.
- In large bowl, beat together margarine and brown sugar until well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the flour mixture until well blended.
- Spread the batter evenly in your prepared pan (I lightly greased a spatula for easy stick-free spreading).
- Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small dish. Evenly sprinkle the mixture atop the blondie batter (it may seem like a lot, but go for it).
- Bake the blondies for 25 to 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. They will be firmer and raised around the edges, sinking in the middle. No worries, this is okay.
- Let the blondies cool in the pan completely before cutting (if you can resist!).
Variations You can make this recipe Egg-Free and Vegan by substituting Ener-G Eggs for the Eggs. The results will vary slightly, but should still be delicious. Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 30 minute(s) Diet type: Dairy free, Nut free, Peanut free, Soy free, optionally Egg free, optionally Vegan Number of servings (yield): 24 Copyright © Alisa Fleming. More Delicious Posts Like This One:Almond Butter Blondies Recipe (Also Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, and Vegan) Peanut Butter Blondies Recipe (Also Egg-Free and Vegan) Namaste's Amazing Allergen-Free Blondies Mix Review Article, recipe, and photos by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets. 
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