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All Fridays in December need something sweet, enter these Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies.
If there was ever a chocolate bar recipe to have in your back pocket, it should be these blondies. In fact, I should really be calling these Back Pocket Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies…but I’m feeling like that title might be a little on the long side.
Point is, these are the best blondies I’ve ever had. Granted, I haven’t had a lot of blondies, nor made a lot of blondies (although I do have a recipe on HBH from my very first year of blogging…the photos are scary), but still these blondies here are the best.
Milk chocolate + peanut butter + flaky salt.
I mean, what’s not delicious about that, you know?
I mentioned yesterday that my parents have a ton of guest in town. Here’s the thing, when my parents have guests in town, that means I have guests in town too. For those of you unfamiliar, I live next door to my parent’s house, maybe a football field away from each other, and everyone who comes to visit knows two very important things, my house has the food…and the alcohol.
Sometimes I really wish this was not the case, but for the most part, I don’t mind being the place that everyone comes to for good eats. My two younger brothers, Malachi and Red are currently home and with them come friends. Many friends. Red’s home for a couple snowboard competitions, and Kai is here to film both new recipe videos for the HBH Instagram and Red snowboarding…although he’s mostly been filming Red these days.
Anyway…we have a lot of people around right now. The boys will be here into January and the rest of the family comes in a couple of weeks for Christmas (can’t wait to see my cousins!), so I’m going to have plenty of mouths to feed. This means I need some really good dinners, and even more sweet treats,, for people to snack on when they come in from the cold (and let me tell you it is cold, it’s been in the single digits all week and snowing as I write this!).
I decided to make these bars kind of on a whim this week, after many failed attempts at what could have been a very cute holiday cake, but I just could not get it right. After a few cakes, many sticks of butter, and a sweater covered in powdered sugar, I threw in the towel and baked these blondies instead.
I needed to make something that I had confidence would be a success. Thankfully these turned out amazing, because I could not deal with another failed dessert. Again, you just can’t go wrong with anything chocolate and peanut butter.
I really don’t know why this is, but it’s always the simplest recipes that I love this most. This is a one bowl, mix, and bake kind of recipe. These blondies take less than an hour start to finish, and my guess is that you may even have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand right now.
The recipe starts with melted butter and creamy peanut butter. Add some brown sugar and plenty of vanilla extract. Then add flour and a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips, stir everything up in one bowl (yes stir). Seriously so easy.
The key is layering the blondie dough with some additional peanut butter so you get gooey peanut butter with every bite. Then just bake. But you guys? Please, please just under bake these. Over baking them is going to ruin their deliciousness. Trust me.
During the last-minute of baking you’ll add that milk chocolate and let it just slightly melt over the top of the bars. Then, add flaky sea salt.
OH MY GOSH. I think I may have just described heaven in a Christmas Blondie Bar.
For real. These are fudgy, peanut buttery, moist, doughy, sweet, extra chocolatey, and just a little salty. AKA the most perfect dessert.
Ever.
If you decide to eat these warm, I totally get that. Baked goods are better warm, no matter what any recipe says. Warm and gooey beats cold every time.
PS. packing these up in a cookie box would make anyone who loves chocolate and peanut butter very very happy this holiday season. You should do it…just sayin.
Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies
Servings: 24 blondies
Calories Per Serving: 200 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2-3 ounces milk chocolate chunks
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.2. In a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt together the butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter on power level high, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Stir in the brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder. Transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill 5 minutes or until the dough is no longer warm to the touch. Stir in the chocolate chips. 3. Spread 1/2 the dough out in the prepared dish. Dollop and then gently swirl the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter into the dough. Add the remaining dough overtop, don't worry if it does not fully cover the peanut butter. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, just until set in the center. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the milk chocolate over the blondies. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to gently melt the chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool and then cut into bars. Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Friday night plans? Blondie making and eating, while watching The Santa Clause. I love December!
This post was originally published on December 8, 2017
I call them decadently delish! Perfect baking project for today’s snowy day! I’ve got all the ingredients! Woohoo!
Thank you Mary Ann!
Hiya!!
Love this!
I’m planning a brownie/blondies trifle melody thing for Christmas, do you think this would work with white choc to keep it all blonde? I plan a second cake layer of milk/dark choc brownies so it’ll get balanced out. Probably some cream, caramel, and marshmallow ‘fluff’ as the layers, with some choc and caramel sauce and pretzels to top……I’m fully aware this is probably going to see us off hah!! What do you think about the white choc though?
HI! I think white chocolate will be great!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Literally perfect. 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Tieghan,
These blondies look perfect for chocolate and peanut butter lovers and I can’t wait to bake them! I’m glad it’s finally cold in CO, and you’re enjoying seeing your brothers! Maybe you could join them snowboarding, then they can help you bake (or eat ?).
But these blondes look really nice for a warm holiday night in (with hot chocolate and Christmas movies ?). Maybe m&m peanut butter chips would be good, or regular peanut butter chips, too? Also, I remember Alton Brown recommending to take brownies (or blondes) out of the oven half way in the cooking process, waiting 20 minutes, then letting them finish in the oven, for ooey centers!
Either way, I’m looking forward to more holiday recipes and hope you’re staying warm (with cookies in hand)! 🙂
Hi! I would totally love to go snowboarding with them.. but they totally come over to eat lol!I hope you love these Kristin, thank you!
omg.. this look incredible.
Thank you!
I made these today. They are fantastic. I had caramel chips and added some to the top. I loved it!
Did the timing work out for you? Mine weren’t close to being done.
Thank you Catherine!
There’s no mention of adding the sugar!
Yes there is! “Stir in the brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla” 🙂
Hi Kari! It goes in with the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla! Let me know if you have any other questions! ?
So sorry about that! Recipe is all fixed. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Oh wow, my son and I make blondies all the time and these take them to a whole new level. I have a stack of Hershey bars from the summer for smores that never got utilized so now they will have a place to go! 🙂 Thanks so much for the beautiful photography and wonderful recipe! Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Perfect! I hope you love these ones! Thank you Elida!
This is my new go-to recipe blog! I love all your amazing recipes! Could you please include directions for those of us who do not use a microwave in food prep? Thanks!
I would just use a double boiler on your stovetop–boil water in a small pot, then melt the peanut butter and butter in a heatproof bowl on top.
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Double-Boiler-(Bain-Marie)
Wow! Thank you! Means a lot and I am thrilled you are loving my recipes! If you don’t have a microwave, just melt together the butter and peanut in a medium saucepan set over LOW heat. That’s actually what I do anyway! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Do you melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter?
Hi Jenna, I am sorry, I am not sure what butter you are referring too? all of the butter is used at once. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
YUM! Next time my boyfriend has the guys over, I’m going to whip up a batch of these!
I hope you both love these! Thank you Jeanna!
Looks delicious! Do you add the two sugars with the eggs? I don’t see those ingredients in step 2. Thanks
HI! Yes, the sugars are added with the eggs. So sorry about that. recipe is all fixed. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Oh my goodness! These look so good. I am not much for peanut butter but… most all my family would go for these.
Great! I hope they love these Charlotte! Thank you!
These look INCREDIBLE! Totally delicious – looking forward to the new HBH videos too!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you Rebecca!
Blondies are my specialty, for contributing to holiday gatherings; so this recipe is bookmarked. Thank you for sharing it! And good luck with your crowds as well 🙂
Thank you Liz! I hope you love these!