Back when I was a suffering grad school student, I had one saving grace. Right at the edge of my campus there was an independent ice cream store adorably named Cone E. Island. I got into the habit of stopping there before my grueling night classes and getting something creamy and sugary.
Their signature treat wasn’t ice cream, though. It was a giant blondie called a Fantasy Bar. While it came in many flavors, the original was the best. I could always count on that bar to deliver with its giant chunks of caramel, chocolate and white chocolate.
Whenever I’m in the area, I stop by Cone E. Island and get my Fantasy Bar (or five). But twice a year isn’t enough to get that happy nostalgia back, so I became inspired to create a similar bar. Maybe it’ll make summer come faster? Maybe? Please?
This bar has the elements of the initial Fantasy Bar, but I added sugar cone pieces to the mix to make it really feel like an ice cream cone in cookie bar form. I also decided to add sprinkles because, really, what’s an ice cream cone without sprinkles?
See the pieces of cone sticking out of the bar? Mmmm. When you make this, you can always include other mix-ins that remind you of your favorite childhood ice cream shop experience. But this one is definitely mine. And while there is only one Fantasy Bar and it’s at Cone E. Island, this one comes pretty close to fulfilling my dreams! Like any blondie worth anything, it’s got a lot of brown sugar, so it’s chewy and dense in all the right places.
Channel the summertime. It’s coming soon! And while we wait, grab a blondie and pretend the sun is shining, you’re in flip-flops, and there’s a big ol’ ice cream cone in your hand!
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- one bag caramel pieces (I used Kraft) or chopped caramels
- 3-4 sugar cones, broken into small pieces
Instructions:
Peheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, leaving enough to overhang the sides, and coat in cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Take a larger bowl and mix the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla until just blended. Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix until incorporated.
Fold in the chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, caramel pieces and sugar cone pieces gently. You do not want to break the sugar cone pieces down too much! The batter will be very sticky, so you might want to spray a spatula or your hand with cooking spray when you press the dough into the pan.
Press the mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the blondies are golden and the middle is set.
Allow the bars to cool. Then, lifting the bars with the foil overhang, remove the blondies from the pan and cut into squares. Eat or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
