Honey Roasted Peanut Blondies

I love a good blondie, or as my great grandmother referred to them as, a butterscotch brownie. They’re dense, chewy, and best of all, incredibly versatile. You could make dozens of variations on the traditional blondie: lemon meringue, orange creamsicle, strawberry crunch, caramel pretzel, the world really is your oyster here. So simple and beginner friendly, and one of my favorite American contributions to the baking world.

The inspiration for this flavor collaboration came from a street vendor. Growing up and living in a tourist town, there have always been tons of food vendors around come summer and fall. My favorite snack on offer, hands down? Honey roasted peanuts. I snagged a bag and the inspiration to incorporate them in some kind of baked good struck. Blondies, with their neutral base to allow any number of flavors shine, quickly became the obvious choice. These honey roasted peanut blondies are sweet, sticky, crunchy, and chewy in all the best ways. The perfect fast bake for a quiet, cozy evening at home.

FAQs and Science

Why egg whites, instead of whole eggs?

Egg whites alone will help create that signature chewy texture found in blondies!

Does the eggs being room temperature really make a difference? Is there a way to warm them quickly?

Yes, as baking is chemistry! Having everything approximately the same temperature helps with the emulsification of everything. That temperature being warm relaxes the proteins in the egg, making it easier to get them to cooperate.

To warm them quickly, before doing anything else, place them into a small bowl. Fill that bowl with the hottest water that comes out of the sink, covering a bit past the tops of the eggs. By the time the eggs are needed, they should be at the perfect temperature!

Why whisk in the brown sugar before adding in the other wet ingredients?

Whisking in the brown sugar immediately after melting the fats together allows the residual heat from the butter and peanut butter to start to melt the brown sugar. This is why traditionally, blondies are made by heating the sugar and butter together on the stovetop: it melts the sugar granules. Doing it this way eliminates the need to temper in the egg whites.

Could a white chocolate bar be substituted with white chocolate chips?

The pieces will be more uniform and won’t melt into delightful puddles of white chocolate, but if the chips are what you have, feel free to use them.

Why wait until the end to drizzle on the honey, rather than pouring it before baking at all?

I found when I was developing this recipe that when I drizzled the honey on top at the very beginning, it sort of melted into the blondies to the point of disappearing. Waiting until nearly the end of baking allows the honey to still shine, while becoming a delightfully sticky addition.

Can these blondies be frozen?

They absolutely can! Follow the recipe all the way through. Portion out the blondies to your desired amount, once they’ve cooled to room temperature, then freeze them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the amount you’d like on the counter overnight, or speed the process by carefully and gently heating them in the microwave.

What You’ll Need

• Parchment paper
• 8×8 inch baking dish
• Medium mixing bowl, heat safe
• Small mixing bowl
• Dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Cooling rack

The Process

Start off by heating the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the pan. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper along the bottom and up two sides, taking any difficulty out of lifting the blondies from the pan once they’ve finished. Be sure to spray the two uncovered sides with non-stick baking spray though, or rub coat them with a thin layer of butter, just to ensure that. Set the dish aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. I realize it’s tempting to completely ignore this step and just add the dry goods separately to the wet ingredients later on, but ignore that urge. Dry goods are whisked together beforehand so that they’re evenly distributed throughout the final product. That way, there’s no pocket of salt or uneven rise from one section having more leavener than another.

Chop the white chocolate bar, so the pieces are no bigger than ½ inch. Rough chop the honey roasted peanuts. Keep the two separate for now, as not all of the chopped peanuts will be folded into the batter.

In a heat-safe medium mixing bowl, microwave the peanut butter and butter until they’ve melted. Be careful not to overheat them, because you may end up with a peanut butter explosion in the microwave. Whisk in the brown sugar. Doing so on its own gives the brown sugar the chance to melt a bit itself in the residual heat from the melted fats.

Be sure the peanut butter/brown sugar mixture isn’t too hot, then add the egg whites, 2 Tablespoons of the honey, and the vanilla extract to the mix. If it’s too hot when the rest of the liquids are added in, you will wind up with bits of scrambled egg white in the batter. Not exactly an ideal situation. Whisk them together until the mixture becomes homogeneous.

All at once, dump the dry goods into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir the dry and liquid together. When only a few streaks of flour remain, add in the white chocolate and half of the peanuts. Fold them in so they distribute evenly, until no streaks of flour remain.

Pour the finished batter into the lined baking dish. Use the rubber spatula to scrape out as much of the batter as you can, and to spread it out evenly throughout the pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of peanuts over the top of the blondies.

Bake the blondies for 20 minutes, flipping the baking dish halfway through. At the 20 minute mark, remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the last 2 Tablespoons of honey over the top. Return the blondies to the oven for a final 5 minute bake.

Allow the blondies to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting the entire slab out and transferring it to a cooling rack. These 10 minutes are crucial for the structural integrity of the blondies. If they’re moved too soon, they wont be set enough and can easily fall apart. If you allow them to cool entirely in the pan, they may set too much and wind up sticking, even with the aid of the parchment paper.

Once the blondies have finished cooling entirely to room temperature, move the slab to a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, cut the blondies into a 4×4 grid, leaving you with 16 total. Though of course, these blondies are yours. So if you’d rather have larger pieces, cut 3×3 or even 2×2! You’re in charge here.

Store any leftover blondies in an airtight container or a gallon sized zip-top bag, and enjoy!

Honey Roasted Peanut Blondies

Bake Time: 350F for 25 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Total Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 4 Tablespoons honey, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup honey roasted peanuts, divided
• 1 4-oz bar white chocolate

Directions

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the baking dish. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper on the bottom and up two sides, spraying the two unlined sides with nonstick baking spray. Set this dish aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry goods aside. Roughly chop the white chocolate and honey roasted peanuts, set them aside.
3. In a medium heat-safe mixing bowl, heat the peanut butter and butter in the microwave until it is just melted, but not hot. Whisk in the brown sugar. Once incorporated, add the egg whites, 2 Tablespoons of honey, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it becomes a homogeneous mixture.
4. Dump the flour mixture into the wet all at once and stir them together using a rubber spatula. When most of the dry goods have been absorbed but a few streaks of flour still remain, pour in the white chocolate and half of the peanuts. Stir the batter until the add-ins are evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour the batter into the lined baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Top it off with the remaining half of chopped peanuts. Bake the blondies for 20 minutes, flipping the dish halfway through. At the 20 minute mark, remove the dish from the oven and drizzle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of honey over the blondies. Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Allow the blondies to rest in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then transfer the slab over to a cooling rack. Once the blondies have cooled down to room temperature, cut the slab into a 4×4 grid, giving you 16 blondies. Store any leftover in an airtight container or gallon sized zip-top bag for up to 3 days, and enjoy!

Tips

• These blondies can be frozen! Follow the recipe all the way through, and when they’re cooled and portioned out, place them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them gently on the counter the night before you’d like to indulge.