Sunday, April 21, 2013

M & M and Chocolate Chip Blondies



Guess what time it is?  Secret Recipe Club time!  A Secret Santa of sorts for food bloggers.  Each month everyone is assigned a blog....and, shhhh....it's a secret.  You spend the month stalking browsing your assigned blog.  You pick a recipe, make it and blog it.  Everyone in the group "reveals" their posts on the same day.  It's a great way to get know a new blog, and find lots of yummy new recipes to try.  Plus it's fun! 

This month I was assigned Carrie's Sweet Life.  Carrie does indeed have a sweet life, with 2 beautiful little girls and a hubby and little dog named Peanut.  I enjoyed browsing through Carrie's Sweet Life and pinned a number of recipes to try.  Ultimately I went with something sweet.  Had to be done, right?

Carrie's M&M Blondies lured me in.  Like a chocolate chip cookie wrapped up into a chewy bar with M&M's and a gorgeous crackled golden top.  Yep, it had to be done.


This recipe is easy and comes together quickly...only 2 bowls required and no mixer needed.  Gotta love that. 

So how do they taste?  Delish!  The blondies have a wonderful caramel flavor due to a combination of light and dark brown sugar (no white sugar here).  The texture is indeed chewy on the inside and I love the slight crunch from that crackly top.  Oh, and I couldn't resist amping up the chocolate factor...so in addition to the cup of M&M's...I also threw in a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  This recipe is versatile so you could add in whatever mixins you were in the mood for. 

Enjoy!

M&M and Chocolate Chip Blondies
adapted from Carrie's Sweet Life

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup M&M's
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9x9 inch pan with cooking spray.  Cut 2 pieces of parchment to lay in the pan to form a sling (allowing for easy removal of the blondie after baking).  Lay in the first piece of parchment and spray with cooking spray.  Lay in the second piece on the opposite side and spray again.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl whisk melted butter with light and dark brown sugars until fully combined.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Add the flour mixture in 2 parts to the wet ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the M&M's and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Note: I baked mine in an 8x8 pan and increased the baking time 10-15 minutes.

21 comments:

  1. Sweet!!! I know I'll be feasting on these soon :) Stopping by from Group A!

    I'm hosting a giveaway on my blog and would love for you to be a part of it -
    http://www.myhobbielobbie.com/2013/04/a-few-of-my-favorite-things-and-giveaway.html

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  2. I like blondies even more than brownies...and these look terrific!

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  3. I love how tall these blondies are, and anything baked that includes M&M's is immediately going on my to-do list! Your little glass of milk is so sweet, great pics as always :)

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  4. I love Carrie's blog and I adore these blondies!

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  5. I love blondies, especially when chocolate is added. Looks super yummy!

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  6. Those look delicious! My kiddos would love them. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Yum, what a great pick! Love these bars

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  8. What wonderful blondies! What a great recipe and looks super tasty. Glad to be part of SRC group C with you!

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  9. Oh yum, your blondies look so good! Love your photos with the milk too!

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  10. You cannot beat a good blondie, especially when you add chocolate!

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  11. I LOVE blondies- especially when you mix a bunch of stuff in with them. These look amazing- so thick and chewy.

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  12. How can you go wrong with these delights? You can't. Smile. They look and sound incredibly tasty. Glad to be part of SRC group C with you!

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  13. Blondies are one of my favorite food groups! This look too yummy.

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  14. Nothing beats a good blondie studded with chocolate chips - gorgeous photos!

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  15. Oh droooool. I'm doing a cookies in July thing (join us please--it's a cookie exchange just like the one in December) and was thinking of making my snickerdoodle blondies....but may have to try these out too. They are just sooooo needing my approval, they're just begging me to make them. lol. If you join us and decide to make these, I will just keep them all for myself and make another recipe. Oh darn. hehehe

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  16. i had blondies for the first time this past christmas as part of the great food blogger cookie swap. and i devoured them. mine didn't have chocolate chips in them - i like that addition!

    Happy SRC reveal from a group C member!!

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