Nutty Goodness

Creamy peanut butter. Decadent chocolate chips. Crunchy peanuts (or in my case, walnuts). What’s not to love?



It’s no wonder Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours remains such a perennial favourite to so many people. Her recipes work, and they’re absolutely irresistible too!

The detox diet these past few weeks meant I hadn’t seen much baking action (out of sight, out of mind!) but as I slowly ease back into a normal diet, it was time to dig out my mixer and baking pans. I’ve been wanting to bake with peanut butter for some time, if only to have my house fill up with the salty-sweetness of the good stuff, and Dorie’ Peanuttiest Blondies. A perfect after school snack for the kids (or coffee break for us adults), these bars are best enjoyed with a large glass of cold milk.



Peanut Butter Blondies
Slightly adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
Makes 16 blondies

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup smooth peanut butter, or crunchy if you prefer (not the natural stuff!)
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanuts, or whatever nut you prefer, coarsely chopped

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square with pan parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add both the sugars and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until well incorporated into the butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough; the dough will be thick. Add the nuts and chocolate chips and give the mixer a few turns to stir them into the dough. If the chunky ingredients aren’t mixed in after a few seconds, just finish the job with a sturdy spatula—don’t overmix in dough. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.

Bake the blondies for about 40 minutes, or until they turn a deep honey brown and a thin knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When it is completely cool, carefully life the blondies out of the pan and invert onto a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife to cut into 16 bars. These blondies will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container, or for up to 2 months in the freezer.