I have a confession to make; I’m not really a fan of peanut butter cookies, so I usually skip over them in favor of a basic chocolate chip cookie. Since I found this recipe, there’s no more of that-moist, packed full of chocolate chips and full of peanut butter flavor, these blondies will likely last only minutes on your counter. I couldn’t even take a photo without later shoving my subject immediately into my own gaping mouth.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth is fine)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Grease an 8x8 inch pan and line with parchment paper. You want the paper to overhang a little so you can use it as handles to remove the blondies from the pan. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until they form a grainy paste. Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. If you forgot to take the eggs out and give them time to come to room temperature, try this handy trick! Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour mixture. Stir gently to mix it together before adding the chocolate chips, then stir a little more to incorporate them.
Transfer the batter to the parchment lined pan, smoothing the top and spreading it evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The blondies will poof up somewhat and then fall when taken from the oven, so don’t worry.
Remove the pan from the oven to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and storing in an airtight container for up to about 3 days. You could also freeze them, if they last that long.
Makes 24 small squares
Adapted from Back to Baking, by Anna Olsen
Printer-friendly version