Happy Good Friday/Spring Holiday! Yes spring holiday is what the university I attend for my PhD calls today. Not much of a holiday for me since I will be working a regular day, but then my dad comes in town tonight to visit for the weekend! And it looks like we will be having perfect weather in the low 70s. I love spring-time, just wish it lasted a bit longer here before the summer heat invades.
In the spirit of everything green and in bloom right now, I made these blondies which are stuffed with pastel white chocolate M&Ms and Reese’s pieces peanut butter mini eggs. With a crust made of pretzels and a blue colored white chocolate cream cheese frosting, these bars are perfect for your Easter/Spring festivities. And they just so happen to be smashingly delicious. Don’t forget to check out my roundup of several other Easter food items following this recipe.
One year ago: Spicy Mac and Cheese
PRETZEL CRUSTED PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 24 bars
Ingredients:
CRUST
4 cups pretzels
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES
8 Tbsp of unsalted butter
6 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate M&Ms (or white chocolate morsels), plus more for garnish
1/2 cup Reese’s pieces peanut butter eggs (or peanut butter morsels)
WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 oz. Philadelphia Indulgence white chocolate cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp blue food coloring gel
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil, letting some hang over the edges. Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter and flour.
- Process pretzels in a food processor until chopped small, but not too finely. Meanwhile melt the butter in the microwave. Transfer the pretzels to a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar. Mix in the melted butter. Press into a the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust has set. Cool crust in the refrigerator while you make the batter.
- Change oven temperature to 325 degrees. Add butter and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool completely.
- Mix the flour, oats, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the cooled butter/peanut butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to bring it all together. If necessary, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk. Fold in white chocolate M&Ms and Reese’s pieces peanut butter eggs.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared crust and gently spread to cover. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add butter and beat until light and creamy; scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat for another minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and food coloring and mix on low speed until combined; scrape the sides of the bowl again and beat on high speed until icing is light and fluffy.
- Spread frosting on top of cooled brownies. Top with additional white chocolate M&Ms. Refrigerate before cutting into bars.
Source: Crust from The Avid Appetite, blondie layer adapted from How Sweet It Is, and frosting adapted from Keep It Sweet Desserts.
EASTER RECIPE ROUNDUP
Brunch
- Bacon and Cheese Egg McMuffin Cups
- Bacon-Corn Fritters
- Baked Blueberry Almond Pancakes
- Banana Bread French Toast
- Banana Pecan Waffles
- Biscoff Cinnamon Rolls
- Broccoli Quiche
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Buttermilk Pecan Waffles
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal
- Carrot Cake Waffles
- Latkas
- Maple, Walnut, and Flaxseed Pancake Doughnuts
- Nutella Waffles with Raspberry Syrup
- Potica Nut Roll
- Tomato-Basil Eggs Alfredo in Bread Baskets
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Appetizers & Side Dishes
- Baked Crazy Feta
- Blue Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries, and Israeli Couscous
- Cake Batter Fruit Dip
- Crispy Parmesan Green Beans
- Deviled Strawberries
- Homemade Olive Garden Salad and Dressing
- Matzo Ball Soup
- Nutella Fruit Dip
- Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli
- Pomegranate-Goat Cheese Ball
- Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts
- Toffee Apple Dip
Desserts
- Blueberry Blondie Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Cookies
- Brownie Covered Oreo Pops
- Brownie Fruit Pizza
- Butterscotch Haystack Cookies
- Cinnamon Blueberry Bread Pudding
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Creamy Grape Dessert
- Creme Brulee
- Flower Bouquet Cake Pops
- Fluffernutter Blondies
- Funfetti Cheesecake Pudding Dump Cake
- Funfetti-Peanut Butter Layer Pie
- Nutella Chunk Cookies
- Oreo Truffles
- Pecan Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake
- Strawberry Nutella Bread Pudding
- Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies
- Sweet Swirl Cookies
- White Chocolate Coconut Chili Macadamia Nut Cookies
14 comments
Whoa!! These look out of this world! That frosting is calling my name.
You have a few awards waiting for you :)
http://bigfatbaker.com/blog/baking-news/a-few-awards/
These look super delicious! I totally want a huge slice.
these look fantastic! thanks for trying my crust :) hope you had a great holiday!
Mmmm pb blondies.
have a wonderful easter.
i’m already overdosing on candy. lol
Hsppy spring holiday! I hope you get to escape the lab for s little while this weekend! These bars look delicious, I love the blue frosting on the top!
These sound amazing! I hope you have a great Easter with your dad:-)
Blondies look so yummy! And so festive! Nicely done!
Oh yum, yum! Your blondies look AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW. I barely have the words to say how delicious those look.
I hope you have a great weekend with your family. This looks amazingly sweet and I LOVE it!
Look at this INCREDIBLE pan of heavenly yumminess! best thing about Easter is all the sweets ;)
I love blondies lately, and these look amazing! I love the white chocolate M&M’s, and the frosting sounds like a great pair! Have a great weekend with your Dad!
Erin, these look amazing!! I can’t find those darn white chocolate m&ms anywhere. And maybe that’s a good thing LOL. I can clean out a bag all alone! :)