• She could throw her really cute red and white polka dot apron over her head and cry
• She could create magic

I think she decided to create magic and threw ingredients together to make Blondies. You know why? These are the most versatile of bar cookies. I mean you can toss almost anything in there… well, within reason..I mean I am not suggesting Blondies as a way to get your kids to eat liver, you know? But any kind of nut, any kind of chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, or white chocolate chip… dried fruit…the list goes on.

I wanted something a little different. so I chopped up Snickers Bars. Marc is somewhat addicted to Snickers so I figured it would be a no brainer dessert.

I liked how they came out. I was not expecting the Snickers to melt into the bars as much as they did but other than that it was a great addition. These are sweet, chewy, and have lots of flavor expoding in your mouth all at once. Imagine your tastebuds running around your tongue shouting “INCOMING!!”

You can’t imagine that? Well then, I guess you will have to make these and experience it for yourself.

Snicker Bar Blondies

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 regular sized Snickers, chopped in chunks
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup  butterscotch chips (or brickle)
• 1 cup honey roasted peanuts coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Allow butter to come to room temperature
3. Butter a 13x 9 inch pan
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda
5. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy
6. Beat in the sugars until no longer grainy
7. Add the eggs, one at a time
8. Add the vanilla
9. Stir in the dry ingredients
10. Fold in the chips, nuts, and Snicker Bars
11. Smooth into the prepared pan
12. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool, and cut into desired sized bars.

Makes 1 13×9 inch pan

image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Baking Delights

I had no idea what to name these.  First, I thought that peanut butter and jelly bars would be good, but that did not describe the copious amounts of chocolate in these…Peanut butter chocolate bars did not hint at the unrestrained use of Hershey’s Dark chocolate pieces filled with raspberry…So…Name them what ever you like…just try them.

Here is the deal…Moist peanut butter bars sweetened with brown sugar …mini peanut butter cups, raspberry filled dark chocolate, semi sweet chunks and bittersweet chunks folded in…..Spread carefully in a 9 x 13 inch pan to make sure that the squares were generous…topped with more peanut butter cups, raspberry filled chocolate, and chocolate chunks…Baked to perfection…served warm…perhaps with a dollop of vanilla ice cream?

These are for those days when you need an extra five thousand calories in your diet.  Go for it.

Peanut Butter and Everything Else Bars

13x 9 inch pan

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup butter, unsalted
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed (I use light brown sugar)
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 c peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 6 ozs bittersweet chunks
• 6 oz semi sweet chunks
• 1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups
• 1/2 cup raspberry filled dark chocolate pieces

For topping:

• 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
• 1 cup raspberry filled dark chocolate pieces
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chunks
• 1/2 cup  bittersweet chunks
• 1 cup peanuts if desired

Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix butter and oil until creamy.
2. Add sugar and beat for 3 minutes until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter.
5. Mix baking soda and flour and stir in.
6. Fold in chocolate.
7. Spoon into greased 13 x 9 inch pan, smoothing top.
8. Sprinkle liberally with topping ingredients.
9. Bake for 35 minutes or until done.
10. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting in squares.

Image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

My dad was a banana addict. He was born in 1917 and grew up during those hard years which culminated in WW2. As you can imagine, living in a rural area in Michigan he didn’t have many bananas. Well he made up for it when he became an adult. The man had at least one banana every day of his life that I can remember and passed his banana infatuation on to his grandchildren, who can make a case of bananas disappear in one day.

These are excellent. I used a recipe from That’s My Home and made a few small changes. I am not totally happy with the texture, to me it is too cakey for what I am looking for. Next time I am going to leave out the leavening and see what happens- if I get a chewier result. In any case these disappeared rapidly.

Use ripe but firm bananas in this. You don’t want the overripe mush that is perfect for good banana bread. The banana needs to be deliciously ripe yet still hold it’s shape in a small dice.

1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking powder (I am going to omit this next time for a chewier brownie)
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c unsalted butter

1-3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1 tbs. vanilla
3 eggs
1-1/4 C.Heath toffee bits or 6 chopped heath bars
1-1/4 C chopped pecans
1 C. finely diced banana (1/4-inch cubes)
1/2 c milk chocolate chips for drizzling.
Line a 13×9″ pan with parchment or waxed paper. Grease and flour paper and sides of pan.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs briefly, one at a time, until blended.

Add flour mixture a little at a time, beating on low speed just until blended. By hand, stir in 1 cup toffee bits, 1 c pecans, and banana.

Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350° F. for 30 minutes .

Make Praline Glaze:

melt 1/4 c unsalted butter in a sauce pan and stir in 1/4 c brown sugar, whisking until it loses it’s graininess and thickens. Spread over Blondies, then sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 c toffee bits and 1′4 c chopped pecans. Melt 1/2 c milk chocolate chips and drizzle over all.

Post from: Baking Delights