Recipe of the week

“With the chewy texture of the best brownie and all the festive flavors of gingerbread cookies, these spicy bars make a bold statement for the holidays,” said Melissa Clark in The New York Times. Because the white-chocolate topping is “purely for looks,” consider it optional.

Gingerbread blondies

1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for preparing the pan • 1½ packed cups dark brown sugar 2 tbsp molasses • 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger • 2 large eggs • 2 tbsp vanilla extract • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 2 tsp ground ginger • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • ¾ tsp kosher salt • ¼ tsp ground allspice • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper pinch of ground cloves • ¾ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional) 2 oz white or dark chocolate, melted, for decorating (optional)

• Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9-by-9-inch pan and line with parchment paper.

• In a saucepan, heat butter over medium until melted and flecked with darker brown bits, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour brown butter into a large bowl and add brown sugar, molasses, and grated ginger. Whisk until combined and let cool for a few minutes.

• Add eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and glossy. Add next eight ingredients. Whisk well to combine. Stir in nuts, if using.

• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are firm but center is still slightly damp, 18 to 25 minutes (add 5 to 10 minutes if using a glass or ceramic pan). Do not overbake. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.

• Once gingerbread is cool, use a fork or spoon to decorate top with melted white or dark chocolate. Let chocolate set at least 2 hours before cutting gingerbread into bars. Makes 12 to 16 squares.