Today is the BOY’s birthday!

We celebrated last night with dinner at Bonefish Grill and then wine, card games, and music back at home.

 

 

Oh…and did I mention ice cream?!

 

 

I am using the BOY’s birthday as an excuse to celebrate Peanut Butter Month with another decadent dessert.  In truth, he does love peanut butter M&Ms and homemade treats, so it really is a win/win.  I may have outdone myself with my first PB recipe of the month (you should definitely check out these brownies), but this recipe is a worthy second place.

 

 

Remember when I picked up these peanut butter M&M’s at Mariano’s last week?  Well, I hid them well enough that the BOY didn’t find them, which means I had an entire bag to bake with today. 

 

 

I had all week to figure out what I wanted to do with candies.  I thought about making basic M&M cookies but in the end, I chose to make Peanut Butter M&M Blondies using this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.  I think what sold me was the thick ooey gooey peanut buttery texture.  I’m guessing that’s why the saucepan is involved…

 

  

 

 

I debated chopping the M&Ms versus using them whole.  In the end, I decided to chop them up coarsely leaving tons of big chunks and saving a few whole M&Ms to decorate the top.

 

 

Chopping the M&Ms allowed them to sread evenly all throughout the dough, and the fall colors look great!

 

 

Just a hint…the dough is super sticky so you will need your hands to spread it into your pan.

 

 

 

And Yes, it is okay to lick the spoon before doing all your dishes!  That might be my favorite part of baking!

 

 

The recipe was a surprise, but the BOY quickly picked up on the peanut butter smell floating throughout the house.

 

 

 

It took a lot of will power not to dig right into this pan with a fork (or just my fingers), but I wanted to wait since we were heading out to dinner again tonight with the BOY’s family.

 

 

When I came home from dinner, I sliced up the bars for their photo shoot : )

 

 

And of course stole the first bite!  They have a rich peanut butter taste and the candy coated M&Ms add the perfect contrast to these chewy bars.

 

 

Another great addition to Peanut Butter Month!!!

 

 

I plan on warming up a couple of bars smothering them with whipped cream and sitting down with a cup of tea to watch the DVRed Bears game.  I can’t think of a better way to end our exciting weekend!

 

 

Peanut Butter M&M Blondies

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bag of peanut butter M&Ms, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch pan and set aside.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter, until creamy and combined. Set mixture aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared dry ingredients, and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in the chopped M&Ms.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Remove blondies from oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, cut into squares and serve.

 

Last year’s Birthday post on 11/11/11!