Tasty Tuesday – Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Frosting (One of my All Time FAVORITE Treats!)

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe yet.

I first discovered this umpteen years ago thanks to the great Emily Weller. She was the champion of making these guys VERY often and I got to eat them without the work… thank you ma’am.

These babies are uber moist and topped off with the perfect easy chocolate frosting. They are a little different than your traditional cookie blondies because they begin with cooking the butter/ sugar/ peanut butter in a saucepan.

We LOVE Peanut Butter Blondies. Myself and 2 friends even made a ridiculous video about how much we love them… which is basically just us having the giggles. That’s literally the whole video. RIDICULOUS.

I made them for my sweet hubby (along with a host of other treats) as he and the men on his staff went on a retreat.

And unfortunately he brought some of them home – ah! Other treats I can resist but these babies…. oh, these are so amazing they’re my special treat I’ll save my calories up for:)

Peanut Butter Blondies w/ Chocolate Frosting

oh-so slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients for blondies:

• 10 T. salted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 c. dark brown sugar (could use light if you don’t have dark!)
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder

Directions for Blondies:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 inch pan or grease/line with parchment paper/ and grease. (No worries if you don’t have parchment paper.)
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and sugar on medium to medium low heat. Stir together until just melted. Remove from burner and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Add peanut butter then stir until incorporated. Allow to cool for 5 minutes more, then whisk in the egg and vanilla. (Remember my unrealistic fear of accidentally cooking eggs? This could really happen here – let it cool the full amount!!)
4. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, sift together salt, flour and baking powder. Quickly pour in peanut butter/ sugar/ butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until no more flour streaks (just barely incorporated.)
6. Pour the thick batter into the pan and use the back of a spoon or your fingers to smooth out.
7.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the blondies comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 6 T. unsalted butter, softened
• 3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 1/2 – 2 c. powdered sugar
• 3 T. milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted (Joy uses milk chocolate)

Directions for Frosting:

1. When you’re ready to begin frosting, beat together the butter, cocoa powder and salt.
2.  Add 1/2 c. powdered sugar followed by 1 T. milk.  Beat well.
3. Add another cup of powdered sugar, followed by 2 T. of milk.
4. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, in 30 second increments, stirring well after each time. Set aside to cool slightly.
5. Add chocolate to the frosting and beat to incorporate.  Add the final 1/2 cup of powdered sugar if you’d like it to be thicker.
6. Spread evenly over peanut butter blondies.