Candy Bar Blondies

First food post since baby Peyton arrived! It feels nice to have fit a hobby into my new "mom" schedule. Granted, I chose a day when Dan is also home so I could have 30 minutes in the kitchen, but I feel accomplished nonetheless.

With Halloween a week away, this a great recipe to feature. If you end up with leftover candy, or perhaps you want to thin out your kids' stash, this recipe is for you. We live on a main road, so we don't get and trick-or-treaters. I had to buy a bag of mixed candy to use in this recipe. I chose not to use the Almond Joys in the bag, and Dan doesn't eat them, so I have to find a way to use those up next. Everything else you need for this recipe you should already have in your pantry. The great thing is, you can add whatever you want to these blondies. Don't have candy bars? Use chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chopped up caramels, whatever you desire.

The original recipe says to bake for 25 minutes, and the center should still be jiggly. I baked mine for 22 and they are slightly over cooked, as the middle was fully cooked and golden brown. They were still soft, but not as soft as I was hoping for. Surprisingly, I thought the Reese's I placed on top of the bars would have melted, but they retained their shape. Next time, I will cook them a little less so they have that really soft, chewy texture I was hoping for. Also, there seemed like barely enough batter/dough to cover a 9x13" pan. The dough is very sticky, so spray your hands or spatula with cooking spray to help spread it out without it sticking to you.

Candy Bar Blondies
slightly adapted from Crazy for Crust

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 stick butter*, softened
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1 cup candy bar pieces
Extra candy pieces for the top

*I used unsalted butter and just upped the salt a little, maybe an extra 1/4 teaspoon or so.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. You could make thicker ones if you want to use a smaller pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
3. Add the baking powder, salt and flour and mix to combine. Add 1 cup of candy pieces and stir in.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
5. Top with a few more pieces of candy, pushing them into the batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to check them. The middle should still be a little jiggly as they will continue to cook a bit and firm out after you remove them from the oven.
7. Let cool completely, remove from pan, and cut into squares.