I’ll admit it: quarantine has had me reaching for every guilty pleasure food I can find in the pantry. One of my hands down favorites is a chocolate peanut butter cup. The combination of salty, nutty peanut butter and rich, sweet chocolate is one that is truly unmatched in my opinion. Add that combination to blondie batter and it’s the perfect sweet treat to get you through yet another day of social distancing.
I decided to channel my favorite candy into a giant cookie-esque batch of blondies. Brown butter and brown sugar provide the reminiscent, underlying flavors of peanut butter cup filling while dark chocolate and peanut butter chips offer melt-in-your mouth richness. Add salted, roasted peanuts for crunch and a swirl of peanut butter for good measure and you have a perfect treat. Bake in a round cake pan, cool, and cut into wedges for a fun spin on a dessert that is usually cut into bars. These blondies are delicious and gooey when warm, but still soft and just as delicious once cooled. My recommendation: serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed (for quicker browning)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter chips
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons roasted, salted peanuts
2 tablespoons peanut butter, melted (see notes)
Method
Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium high heat. Once melted, continue to cook the butter over medium high heat until the solids in the butter begin to toast and turn golden brown and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Once the butter takes on a golden brown hue, quickly transfer the butter to a medium heatproof bowl. Set the brown butter aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate small bowl.
Once cooled slightly, whisk together the butter and sugars until combined and the sugars are visibly saturated. Vigorously whisk in the egg and vanilla until light in color and no sugar lumps remain. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until no dry bits remain. At this point, the mixture will thicken to the consistency of a cookie dough. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips/chunks, 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips, and 1/4 cup of roasted, salted peanuts until the mix-ins are evenly distributed.
Press the dough into the prepared cake pan. Spoon small puddles of the peanut butter across the surface of the dough. Use the back of a knife and a swooping motion to swirl the peanut butter into the dough. The dough will drag, but that’s okay. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate, peanut butter chips, and peanuts across the top and gently press into the dough.
Bake the blondies at 350 degrees f for about 27 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the blondies in their pan and set on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes: The peanut butter does not need to be melted if using a runny, natural peanut butter. If using a stiffer peanut butter, microwave in a small heatproof bowl in 5 second intervals until the peanut butter reaches a pourable consistency.
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