There are Blondies and then there are Bl-ON-dies! Uh… eyes here. Food, people, food! Okay…so these bars happen to be the latter and a very fine example at that. The recipe here is originally from Magnolia Bakery and after trying them a few years ago, they’ve been on regular rotation at our house anytime we want a decadent, shall we say… highly indulgent treat. Perhaps not one to be eaten frequently, but occasionally? Or company? Absolutely. A winning must-have in your “best of” collection. Because they are after all, hands down… one of the very best bars I’ve had.
A few tips:
Don’t overbake the blondie layer. Personally, I bake it on convection bake at 300 degrees F. and start watching at about 20 minutes. With my oven it doesn’t take too much longer than that. Be sure to bake just until a toothpick test comes out clean and then remove from oven to let cool.
I use JIF Creamy Peanut Butter. I believe it has the best flavor. Don’t use any kind of natural peanut butter in these. They won’t turn out the same and you’ll be disappointed.
If you can find regular cocktail peanuts that are unsalted, I find they make for the best tasting result in the end. I’ve also used dry roasted unsalted peanuts, which is what I used in the pictures here. They’re still amazing.
Peanut Butter Heath Bar Blondies (from Magnolia Bakery)
Blondies:
1 1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 C. smooth peanut butter (I recommend JIF Creamy)
2 1/2 C. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 T. vanilla extract
3 C. self-rising flour (if you don’t have self-rising flour at home, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt)
Topping:
1 C. peanut butter chips
3 T. heavy cream
4 coarsely chopped Health bars or chocolate covered toffee bars (about 1 cup)
1/2 C. finely chopped unsalted peanuts
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a 12 x 18-inch jellyroll pan.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the peanut butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix well. Add the flour and beat until well incorporated. Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool to room temperature.
To prepare the topping: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the peanut butter chips and the cream, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the peanut butter mixture decoratively over the cooled blondies. Sprinkle the Heath Bars and the peanuts on top.
Allow to cool to room temperature, or overnight, before cutting and serving. Makes 24 three-inch blondies.