Candy Bar Blondies
Given the current state of the world, we decided to stay in for Halloween - but that didn’t stop us from having some fun with close family! Instead of heading out to Trick-or-Treat I made our daughter and my sister’s son an indoor candy hunt, we had some pizza and Halloween themed desserts and then capped off the night with a Zoom magic show from the Toronto Magic Company.
It wasn’t what we would “normally” be doing on Halloween, but it was still a really good night.
The kids spent the bulk of their time doing what kids usually do after trick-or-treating… organizing their treats and making trades. It was at this point that I realized that, as usual, my daughter had WAY more candy than she’d be able to eat before 2020 was over. So I started to think of what we could do to use up some of it and voila - this idea popped into my head. I say that but really I was looking back through some of my posts on Instagram and the Mini Egg Blondies caught my eye. If blondies are somehow even more delicious with Mini Eggs added into them who’s to say that some Halloween chocolate wouldn’t also do the trick?!
I’ll tell you - it does. And the added visual appeal of all those chocolate treats dotted all over the place is a definite plus as well. Be mindful that I only used the chocolate and candy coated chocolate varieties here. I don’t think all that gummy chewy stuff would make for good blondies, so try that at your own risk!
These are perfect for sharing with other adults who definitely didn’t already dip into their kids’ Halloween stash when they were sleeping. Or those without kids who definitely didn’t still buy candy by the boatload knowing that they probably wouldn’t have many kids out this year. ;)
Candy Bar Blondies
Makes one 9x9 pan of Blondies
Tools: Baking pan (9x9), medium saucepan, sharp knife and cutting board, whisk, wooden spoon or spatula.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup Halloween candy (chop mini chocolate bars and peanut butter cups but leave any small candies whole)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your pan well with butter.
In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat melt and brown the butter, stirring occasionally (it will melt, sputter, foam up and then start to smell nutty with browned bits on the bottom). Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
*Once the butter has cooled* combine it with the brown sugar and whisk by hand until combined. Add the egg and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Stir in half of the chopped candy with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Transfer the batter into your greased baking tray, smoothing out evenly with the spatula.
Press the remaining chopped candy into the top of the blondies before baking.
Bake in your preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Happy eating! Xo