I’m sitting here typing up this post on April 1st, while the sleet & snow falls outside. There are so many things I love about living in New England, but springtime snow is definitely NOT one of them. As much as I’m done with the cold, I’ve decided to embrace this (hopefully) last snowfall by staying inside, sipping piping hot tomato soup for lunch, getting in a lot of cuddles with the kiddos, cooking up a big comforting pot of Jessica’s chicken & dumplings for dinner, and baking these blondies.
I derived inspiration for these chewy bars from Detoxinista’s Paleo Almond Butter Blondies, which I made a couple of weeks ago and we scarfed down in just a matter of days. I kept the same concept of keeping the blondies free of flour, but I swapped the almond butter for peanut butter and added an extra egg so they would turn out even chewier. I also cut down a bit on the sugar, but not to fear, they are perfectly sweet enough!
The top of the blondies develops a crisp crust, but the insides stay soft and chewy; the perfect combination of textures in any kind of cookie bar. They’re super easy to whip up, take only 20 minutes to bake, and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen.
These blondies turned out to be the perfect antidote to the crummy weather, but I have a feeling I’ll be making them over and over again even as the snow melts and it begins to actually feel like spring outside.
Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies {Grain- & Gluten-free}
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients (16 blondies)
- 2 large eggs, preferably organic
- 1 cup creamy/smooth all-natural unsweetened peanut butter, (the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt), preferably organic
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unrefined granulated sugar, such as evaporated cane juice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8 inch square (or 7 x 11 rectangular) baking pan with parchment paper (leave a bit of excess paper hanging over the sides of the pan to allow for easy removal).
Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl until lightly beaten, then stir in peanut butter, vanilla, sugar, baking soda, and salt with a rubber spatula or spoon until smooth. The batter will be very thick.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it into an even layer. A pastry roller comes in handy here.
Baking for 20 minutes (or 19 minutes if using a 7 x 11 pan), or until the tops of the blondies are golden brown. They will rise in the oven, but then deflate while they cool.
Let blondies cool completely before lifting them out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Cut into squares.
Store in the fridge.
