that thing called peanut butter

There are certain flavours from my pantry which have a mental tag attached to them, bearing indication of their crowd ranking within the household. Anything decadently drowned in chocolate, for example, will be a dream for myself, but a nightmare to the sister. Quickbreads and yeasted treats glistening in cinnamon sugar get an immediate thumbs up from the dad whilst the aroma wafts through from within the oven. Loaf cakes complimenting the natural flavour of fruits would find itself frequented by the mother one too often.

But peanut butter?

It just falls under the category of I-don’t-know-what-to-make-of-it.

But hypothetically speaking, if I were to use my favourite brownie recipe as a base, tweak around the ingredient ratio, and add in creamy peanut butter, it should possibly be a winner. After all, I’ve already done it with cinnamon, and that most certainly became a household favourite. Having said that, one must never take chances, and a gratifying just-for-good-measure throw of chocolate chips must definitely offset any possible chance of backfire in plan, yes?

And yet, I still had my doubts.

If it was anything to go by, the peanut butter aroma filled the house while these were baking, concomitantly piquing the interest of the parents, and intrigued me with a sense of curiosity. One bite into these chewy golden squares, I was surprised at its richness, still trying to decide if I loved it, while the mother in the background grabbed her second piece. A second bite proved testament to a lovely pairing of flavours;– the chocolate chips adding a subtle sweetness to the salty nutty texture of the blondies;– leaving me pondering on how it would fare amongst a chocoholic crowd, while the father in the background sliced into his second piece. Leaving aside a piece for the next day, I anticipated a loss of flavour or texture, but was pleasantly surprised when it left me with the exact same epicurean experience the evening before.

Which in my case would be, yes, I’m still undecided on this whole peanut butter thang.

Chewy Peanut Butter Blondies

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. Melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the peanut butter and brown sugar. Leave aside to cool for a minute.
3. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
5. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 20 – 25mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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