Treat Your Sweet Tooth with this Recipe for Salted Peanut Butter Blondies

These blondies are a painstaking re-creation of the infamous “Peanut Butter Brownies” once served at my high school in Greenfield, Indiana. Rich and deeply peanut buttery, they are easy to make and—because they are so rich—cutting them into 1-inch squares means one pan goes a long way. They are the perfect treat to round out all the savory game-day snacks.

Makes one 9- by 13-inch tray / about 40 (1-inch) squares

Ingredients

For the blondies:

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1½ cups creamy peanut butter
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

For the frosting:

• ¾ cups creamy peanut butter
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pinch table salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Flaky sea salt (like Maldon)

Instructions

To make the blondies:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Spray a straight-sided 9- by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Line with foil, spray again and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter together until combined. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together both sugars. Add melted butter and peanut butter mixture and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 egg at a time and stir until combined. Add in vanilla.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to butter and sugar mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is just starting to brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting: 

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix peanut butter and butter on medium speed until combined. 
2. Add vanilla and salt and continue mixing on medium speed until creamy, stopping to scrape the bowl at least once. 
3. Slowly add powdered sugar and continue mixing until fully incorporated. 
4. Finally, add heavy cream and increase speed to medium-high, whipping until fluffy and delicious.

Remove cooled blondies from the pan using foil sling. Evenly spread frosting over the top, and sprinkle with sea salt. Cut into small squares and serve.