It's a Girl Raspberry Blondies!

Baby boom time!!!  

I have so many pregnant friends right now all due right around the same time, unfortunately I don't live by any of them so I just have to make do with virtually feeling connected to all of them and watch their bellies grow on Facebook.  I love being due around the same time as people I know just to enjoy being pregnant together, go through each stage together, etc.  It's right around the time when everyone starts finding out the gender of the babies.  One of the funnest parts of pregnancy to me.  

We didn't find out for Oliver but from the beginning my Mommy intuition told me boy and it drove me crazy more than anything to not be able to prepare and choose a name that this time around we knew we would be finding out asap!

So it seems a lot of us are having girls!!!  This is where the cutesy side of me kicks in and I can't stop looking at bows, pink, frilly, adorable-y girls only type stuff.  So far I have 8 friends expecting girls, 4 that have recently delivered girls & just 1 expecting a boy.  As well as a few more expecting to find out in the next few weeks.  So I'm not sure what's going on, maybe the world needs more sweetness or isn't afraid of the hormones but watch out cause the girls are coming! 

Yesterday another one of my friends announced that she is expecting her 3rd girl. 

When I'm pregnant with a girl I can tell because I start craving sweets immediately!  I used to kind of brush off that kind of stuff, like how can you just tell what you're having?  By random cravings and what you "think"?  But after 4 pregnancies I think I can finally say I believe Mother's Intuition is a powerful thing!  

So in honor of the girls.  Sweet things that they are and make me crave and a little pink for fun I baked up these Raspberry Blondies yesterday.  Sweet and a little tart, kinda like my Lily Pax.

These are great to make when your pregnant too, I call them a one bowl wonder.  Only one bowl for everything when baking is a rare thing.  Enjoy! 

Raspberry Blondies

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbs. [1 stick] unsalted butter at room temp.

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup almonds chopped

1 cup fresh raspberries

Zest from 1 lemon

[1] In a stand mixer cream together sugar & butter.  

[2] Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest & salt.

[3] Slowly add in baking powder and flour until combined.

[4] Fold in chopped almonds.

[5] Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure some over hangs.

[6] Spread batter evenly in pan with spatula.

[7] Sprinkle berries on top.

[8] Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

[9] Let cool and refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

And a side note, I am officially 24 weeks today!

This pregnancy is flying by and I can't wait to meet our sweet little Tulip Bea. <3