I wonder how these bars came to be. Someone probably put a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough in a pan, tired of making individual cookies. And never looked back.
I started making this variation a while back. Quite by accident. I had bought an enormous amount of peanuts, nothing new here, and had run out of regular chocolate chips. Why did I insist on making blondies then? I have no idea. I could’ve made so many other things instead.
The first time, I found them too sweet. And I wanted to detour from the standard walnut. So I used salted peanuts and had to throw in my beloved very semi-sweet Belgian chunks, due to a lack of the other kind. This is the chocolate I reserve for very special occasions. The one I eat directly from the bag. Well, it turned out to be the perfect balance for the sweet dough. The chocolate was just what these bars needed.
And then the extra salt from the peanuts. It cut right through the sugar. It was perfect.
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
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Grease a 13 by 9-inch pan. I use a smaller one because I like taller bars.
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In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
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In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
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Stir in flour mixture and mix well. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips.
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Bake for 35 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly tapped with fingers.
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Remove pan to a wire rack and let cool before cutting.
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Blondies freeze well and can be mailed easily.
Love the look of your blog now!! And these sound delicious!!!!
This blog is a work in progress!