Sweet Saturday: Peanut Butter Mini M&M Blondies (and blog award thanks!)

Happy Saturday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! :o)

After far too many missed weeks of this little feature, I'm happy to have a Sweet Saturday to share! (And one ready for next week, too! Jackpot!) I cannot believe how little I've been able to play in the kitchen this summer. Since I adore baking for my loved ones, I hope to pick things up a bit to deliver extra smiles. :o)

This week I'm sharing a recipe that my family fell in love with at first bite. It was my first time baking blondies... and certainly not my last! For your sweet enjoyment today: Peanut Butter Mini M&M Blondies!

Oh my, are these ever tasty! I love bar desserts for their ease and portability and these are a new staple in my baking repertoire. They'll make such cute, colorful gifts in handmade treat boxes. Plus, these use mini M&M's! I love the miniature version even more than the original. These blondies are rich without being overwhelming, packing a serious dessert punch without requiring hours in the kitchen... sometimes there just aren't hours to spare. I originally searched for this recipe after my mom and I fell in love with the M&M Blondie Blasts at Starbucks. Homemade versions always taste better and save bucks, so I was determined to find a standout recipe. As it turns out, we gravitated to a peanut butter version instead and love them even more. (And did I mention there are mini M&M's?) I hope you'll give these a whirl because they are sure to delight. :o)

Also, I would like to thank Gloria of Purpleglo Creations for awarding me the Liebster Award! I am so grateful to be receiving this award again, recognizing smaller blogs with less than 200 followers (and spreading crafty love and joy in the process). Gloria is sweet and talented and I hope you will visit her fantastic blog. You will not be disappointed! :o) Thank you, Gloria! Huge hugs for you!

Thank you for visiting! I wish you a sparkling, beautiful day! :o)

Recipe Note: Due to supplies on hand, I used 2½ cups all-purpose flour instead of subbing part of it with whole wheat flour.

Peanut Butter Mini M&M Blondies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
¾ cup peanut butter
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups mini M&M's

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9x13'' baking pan and set aside.

In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Allow to cool for 10 minutes until mixture is slightly cooled.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

Stir eggs and vanilla extract into peanut butter mixture (it may be very thick). Pour peanut butter mixture into flour mixture and combine well. Fold in 1 cup of the mini M&M's.

Pour batter into greased pan. Top with remaining ½ cup of M&M's, lightly pressing the candies into the batter. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow blondies to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Source: Itty Bits of Balance