Last week I made 3 batches of blondies hoping to create something irresistibly delicious.  I originally planned on making a Candy Bar Blondie with a variety of candy bars chopped into chocolate chip sized pieces.  I used a basic blondie recipe and then just replaced the chips and buts with the candy pieces.

Attempt #1 resulted in a yummy treat filled with chopped Snickers, Rolos, Reeses and Twix.  The problem was that the edges rose up on the sides and stayed there after the blondies cooled creating a sunken and sad looking baked good.  A blondie sinkhole.  I used a metal 8×8 inch pan which I’d greased.  The middle of the blondies were incredibly gooey, but the edges were hard and caramelized.  Hmmm.  I decided to try again.

Attempt #2 used the same combination of candy bars, sans the Twix because I ran out.  I tried to bake this one in a glass pan which I greased and floured.  I assumed the problem was my baking pan preparation.  Same basic recipe.  New pan.  Same problem.  Intriguing…and a tad bit frustrating.

Attempt #3.  Ok, so now it was time to take a closer look at this recipe.  The recipe I used consisted of melted butter, brown sugar, 1 egg, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  I looked at some other recipes and made some changes.  I still used melted butter and brown sugar, but I increased the eggs to 2, added a bit more flour, nixed the baking soda and used only chopped Reese’s cups to keep things a bit simpler.  I used a greased and sugared a glass 8×8 inch dish.

Still goooey in the middle with crunchy edges and tops layer, but no sinkholes in the center of the pan!  The Reese’s cups melted into the blondies and filled them with peanut-buttery goodness.  The salty-sweet peanut flavor and soft chocolate were delicious in these blondies.

Next time I will revisit my dream of a candy bar blondie with all kinds of candy, but for now this will do.

Reese’s Blondies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups (about 6 regular sized) + 2 extra Reese’s cups

1. Grease and sugar an 8×8 inch glass baking pan.
2. Beat melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined.  Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat well.  Mix in vanilla.
3. Add in flour, salt, baking powder and mix until combined.
4. Fold Reese’s cups into batter, and pour into prepared pan.
5. Chop or slice the extra Reese’s and lay them on the top of the batter, pressing slightly.
6. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.