Hold onto your hats these are sinfully delish! - Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting

If you want something that is sinfully decadent and easy peasy to make here you go.....

Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting

(recipe was discovered on the lovely Joy the Baker's blog)

Ingredients:

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 5 cubes

2 cups dark brown sugar (I'm sure "light" would be fine if that's all you have on hand)

1 cup smooth peanut butter (Joy suggests the "natural" PB is best...I only had store-brand on hand)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13 pan, line with parchment paper if you have it on hand, then grease the parchment paper.  Joy says, "if you don't have parchment paper, these blondies will be just fine."

2. In medium to large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sugar together until the butter is just melted.....

.....set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then add peanut butter.  Stir until incorporated.  Allow to cool another 5 minutes and then whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. It is important for the butter, sugar and peanut butter mixture to be cool enough so that the eggs do not cook once introduced to the mixture.

3. Whisk together salt, flour and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients.  Stir just until incorporated.  It's a lovely thick but smooth batter....

.....pour into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 20-25 minutes. or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the blondies comes out clean.  Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.  While allowing to cool to room temperature make the Milk Chocolate Frosting.

Milk Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp milk

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, melted (*I melted mine in the microwave in a glass Pyrex measuring cup for 45 seconds, stirred and then another 30 seconds)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cocoa powder and salt. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar followed by 1 tablespoon milk.  Beat well.

2. Add in another cup of powdered sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of milk. 

3. *Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or double boiler (see note above). Add melted chocolate once slightly cooled to the butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk mixture....

 ....beat to incorporate.  If you need to make the frosting thicker at this point add in the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. 

4. Frost blondies with happiness! 

 I actually lifted the whole slab of brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper, frosted the whole surface then cut into small squares.....

....and then placed the little treasures on a platter for serving....

Yum!

Happy Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting Baking!

This recipe has been linked to...

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday