Happy Easter from The Ordinary!! We’re having a slow, cold spring here, but it’s coming, you can feel it. The flowers and flies and bees are out, clinging for dear life to any patch of sun and heat. We have such a hopeful light in the morning and the evening. In the afternoon, if you position yourself directly in a sunbeam, sheltered from any cold breezes, you can feel actually warmth. It’s hard not to feel cheerful, when you see spring trying so hard to spread itself over the world, despite the odds. So this week’s interactive playlist is hopeful songs, songs about a new beginning, songs about having the strength to make a new start, songs about rebirth, redemption and new growth. It could be songs that you listen to that inspire you, or songs you listened to at a time that you started something new in your life. So happy easter, happy spring, and we wish you all the cheerfulness and felicity that this pale spring light seems to promise.

These blondies have blackberry jam in them. I like the combination of juicy bittersweet dark fruits (blackberry, black currant) and bittersweet chocolate. These were dense and jammy. Good!

Here’s your hopeful playlist so far. It’s interactive, so please add as many songs as you’d like.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, very soft (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 t vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
3/4 cup condensed milk
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
8 teaspoonfuls blackberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly butter a brownie pan (or small roasting pan).

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar, and then the egg and vanilla. Add all of the dry ingredients and mix well.

Stir in the condensed milk. You should have a fairly thick, smooth batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter in an even layer in your brownie pan. Drop the jam by even spoonfuls on top of the batter. Using a butter knife, make a shallow furrow through the dabs of jam, first one way, and then another, until it’s fairly well dispersed, but not entirely mixed into the batter. You can make pretty swirly patterns, too.

Bake for about 35 minutes, till it’s pulling away from the pan and starting to get golden on the edges. Let cool, slice, and serve.