Milk Chocolate Chip Blondies with Vanilla Icing

It's not a cookie. It's not a brownie. It's not a cake. It's something delightfully reminiscent of all of the above. Even my husband, who is "not that into sweets," couldn't resist the chewy delightfulness of these blondies.

Blondies
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 inch pan.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips; spread in bottom of greased pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Icing
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

In a medium bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk for desired consistency. Spread over bars.

You can spread the icing over cooled bars, but I prefer spreading it on warm bars because it melts over the blondies nicely.