Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

I used to love baking cookies...

I actually think it was the only thing I baked regularly before leaving for college. There was even a little kitchen-ette in our dorm, hidden away but dorm residents could request the key, I didn't know about that little perk until I was a resident assistant... the secret was closely guarded so it didn't become a mess... or worse, cause the whole complex to burn to the ground...

But I hadn't baked cookies because my oldest children couldn't eat most cookies. Don't worry, we have alternative treats to make them. But with an almost 3-year-old, cookies are back on my radar big time!

With my little-est cookie monster on my mind, I was thrilled to find June's Secret Recipe Club recipe at Emily's Life on Food with these delicious Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies.

Emily is another fabulous food blogger I know through The Secret Recipe Club, as well as The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew and other fun foodie events.

Emily shares all her favorite recipes and juggles her food with a young child. Yeah, I get that. Toddlers rarely wait while a sauce is thickening on the stove or keep tantrums in check while tempering eggs...

sigh...

But I love that Emily is still adventurous in the kitchen, even when her hands are a little full. I need to try her Steak with Chimichurri Sauce - it looks so fresh and vibrant. I also need to try her recipe for Coconut Rice Pudding - because, well... I NEVER turn down a good rice pudding but coconut would definitely take it up a notch!

So, back to those delicious blondies!

I know the browned butter kick has faded it a bit, but this was a fun and tasty kick on a classic bar cookie. Browned butter is a little magical, don't you think? I highly recommend doing this in a cast iron skillet, if you got it. Otherwise, be sure it isn't non-stick...

Once melted, whisk to prevent the butter from burning. Brown flecks are good - blackened, burned bits are bad.

The rest is pretty much, straight up, the classic blondie recipe. So, let's get started, shall we?

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
adapted from Life on Food

You will need:

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare an 8"x8" baking dish with greased foil, or I like to use disposable with a lid.

Start by making the browned butter. In a large cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir constantly. The butter will foam then begin to develop brown flecks and smell nutter. When the flecks begin to form, remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Continue stirring for an additional minute, so the butter doesn't burn. Set aside for an additional 10 minutes to cool.

To the cooled butter, whisk in the egg and vanilla extract till smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gently fold into the butter mixture. Take care to moisten all the dry ingredients but do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth out the top. 

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is set. Do not overbake. The blondies will firm up as they cool. 

Wait at least an hour before slicing into bars. Enjoy! 

Ready to check out all the great June Secret Recipe Club recipe posts?

An InLinkz Link-up

A Special Peanut M&M’s Peanut Butter Pie

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. M&Ms inspired this Peanut Butter Pie - a fun baking with chocolate recipe. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #BakingIdeas

When I was growing up we didn't celebrate special occasions with cake. Birthdays or other celebrations were always enjoyed with a homemade pie baked by my Mom. Her specialty was cream pies but she put her special touch on all of her baking.

Of course my husband is also a fan of cream pies, so to thank him for all the extra help he has given me around the house this past week or two, I decided to break out a classic peanut butter pie recipe, but change it up to include his favorite Peanut M&M's.

I headed into Walmart to grab all the supplies. Don't worry, this recipe is super easy and only requires a few ingredients. Because the holidays are near I went ahead and grabbed a party size bag of Peanut M&M's to enjoy. That will leave me plenty for late night gift wrap sessions after I make this recipe.

This cream pie has a baked cookie crust. I love them because they taste so good and are so quick to make. I decided to make this one more fun by adding in 1/3 of a cup of Peanut M&M's. Don't you love the color of the crust?

Just pulse them up with the cookies, add a little butter and then press into a pie plate before baking.

I love the bright colors that show up in the cookie crust. The little bits of chocolate and peanuts only added to the delicious taste and texture. A great contrast to the creamy peanut butter filling.

Then I made the filling. I creamed together creamy peanut butter and cream cheese. Then I mixed in the powdered sugar and last, I whipped in a container of whipped topping. It is that easy!

This pie needs to chill for at least an hour before serving. That will help it set up. Then I sprinkled the top of my pie with some crushed Peanut M&M's for color.

This was the step my kids loved! I place a handful of M&M's in a zip top bag and give them a meat mallet to smash them on the floor. They take their job very seriously.

Okay, not a recipe my Mom made, but one I think she would enjoy. I am just trying to keep the cream pie tradition going strong in our family. At least this pie will keep my husband happy.

Maybe happy enough to build me a fire in the fireplace tonight.

Peanut M&M's Peanut Butter Pie

You Will Need:

• 25 chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1/3 c. Peanut M&M's
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. creamy peanut butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
• 8 oz. whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 c. Peanut M&M's, crushed for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, pulse up the sandwich cookies in a food processor. Then add the Peanut M&M's and pulse up just so they are not whole. Mix in the melted butter and press into a pie plate. Bake for 5 minutes, until the crust has set. Let the crust cool and work on the filling.

For the filling, in a stand mixer cream together the peanut butter and cream cheese. Then mix in the powdered sugar and whip in the whipped topping. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy. Spoon into the cooled crust and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Before serving top with crushed Peanut M&M's.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk.

Be sure to check out the Baking is Better with M Pinterest Sweepstakes going on for M&M’s

Just, Pin for a chance to win one of three $250 Walmart gift cards! It’s as easy as submitting your email and pinning an image.  Simply complete the following steps:

1. Enter your email in the form below and click “Enter”
2. Pin the contest image to any of your  Pinterest boards
3. Visit the Baking with M Pinterest board and Re-Pin your favorites. You can find it here:  http://www.pinterest.com/cbsocially/baking-with-mms/

Three (3) Winners will be selected at random – One (1) entry per person.

Contest runs 12/06/13 – 12/31/13