I've been hunting for a blondie recipe that has that perfectly chewy texture reminiscent of a great brownie, but can be enjoyed by people who have allergies to chocolate, carob and cocoa.
This does the trick, in spades. It's designed to use almost any kind of traditional butter or non-dairy butter (sticks) alternative that creams and browns well.
The ingredients are simple as is the preparation. Just don't be tempted to short-cut the creaming process, which is more effort than letting a hand-mixer to the heavy lifting. Trust me, though, it's worth the hand-work.
As far as playing with added textures, I've used colored sprinkles, chopped white chocolate, coconut and dried fruit. But be sure you leave enough "room" for the delicious butterscotch flavor to come through. Try different mix-ups.
On a final note, I prefer using a silicone pan for bars because they're much easier to turn out the cooled bake so you can be precise in the cutting process.