And, with all of that in mind, it comes as no surprise that I started seeking out lighter, lower-calorie dessert treats that I could still enjoy not only baking, but also eating, even though I am trying to shed a few pounds and eat a more balanced diet. I have a subscription to the food magazine "Cooking Light," and I have not been at all disappointed with the variety of dessert options that they present for their readers. I saw these Peanut Butter Cup Blondies in the latest issue I received in the mail, and, alas, they were baking in my oven less than three days later. Go figure. They say when you know, you just know.... And I knew that I needed to make these, savor them, and enjoy every last morsel. I was actually nice enough to share with my coworkers, who were happy to sample them, ESPECIALLY after I mentioned that each bar was less than 150 calories. That's a win-win in my book.
Anyways, here is what you will need to make these Peanut Butter Cup Blondies:
(Note: Due to accurately offering a calorie count, as well as altitude issues that sometimes arise with baking brownies/blondies from scratch, this recipe has not been adapted at all and is the exact recipe that you can find in "Cooking Light.")
Peanut Butter Cup Blondies (recipe from "Cooking Light" magazine, September 2011 edition, p. 110)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- cooking spray
- 4 (0.75-ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Set aside.
3. Combine peanut butter, butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs in a separate bowl, mixing well. Add peanut butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
4. Spread mixture into a 9-inch square pan that has been prepped with cooking spray. Sprinkle the chopped peanut butter cups over the top, lightly pressing them into the mixture.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 20 bars and serve. (Each bar equals 153 calories!!!)
I actually made this recipe times one-and-a-half and then baked the blondies in a regular 9x13" cake pan so that I would have more to share. They turned out absolutely fantastic. The texture was fabulous, although, personally, I think that they were more of a cookie bar consistency than the dense consistency typically found in a blondie. They were very light and fluffy, for lack of a better word, and they were very satisfying even though they were on the lighter side of the dessert fence. Even Chris, who usually shies away from blondies because he is such a die-hard brownie fan, enjoyed these scrumptious, peanut-butter-and-chocolatey bars. I have said it before, but I'll say it again: whenever I get his stamp of approval on a dessert, I really consider it a winner and a keeper. These will definitely be bookmarked for future baking endeavors, and I am looking forward to trying the other three sinful-sounding brownie bars that were in that same issue of "Cooking Light." I am sure you will hear more about those later!
On an ending note, someone needs to remind me to take some ginko biloba or whatever the heck that stuff is called. I need a memory boost and then some. I forgot AGAIN to take a picture of these beauties before they were all gone. It really made me sad (as lame as that may sound) because they really were picture perfect. Promise I am going to try harder to start remembering this key step in the successful food blogging process...Forgive me?
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