Hello to you all from snow-covered England! With all this freezing cold weather, what could be better than a fudgy, soft blondie filled with creamy peanut butter and melty chocolate chips?! They say you need more calories when its cold!

These are SO easy to make. You really are just whisking a few bits and bobs together in a bowl, pouring it into a tin and whacking it into the oven. No fuss, no fancy icing to worry about, just 20 minutes bake time and these peanut butter delights can be all yours.

Perfect with a steaming hot cuppa. Or a glass of ice cold milk if you live in warmer climes (and yes, I’m very jealous of you). I can’t deny that thoughts of Floridian beaches have entered my mind over the last few days. Palm fronds wafting in the balmy breeze, sunsets over the ocean, cocktails by the pool. Oh how far away summer (or even spring for that matter!) seems.

I mentioned in my last post about starting a new job, which I finally managed to do after getting over my 3 week flu. I’m working at the Welbeck Farm Shop, which is an absolute haven for foodies. The butchery counter is laden with goodies and the beef, oh the beef! The t-bones are worth their weight in gold. So flavoursome. I have been known to forgo any accompaniments and take the meaning of a steak dinner to new levels in the past. You don’t even need anything else when you have a piece of meat like that on your plate.

Also the cheeses. I think there is little in life more satisfying than a plentiful cheese board and a glass of good wine. They make this blue cheese called Stichelton on the estate where the farm shop is located and it is unbeatable. Creamy, a little tangy, just strong enough. When I move back to the States I am going to have to hunt this stuff down. Fingers crossed they start stocking it somewhere in Texas!

Recipe

• Serves: 12 large slices
• Time:
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins

    Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/3 cup golden granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter + 1 tbsp for topping
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (115g)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350f. Grease a 10x8 inch baking tin and line with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the peanut butter and butter together in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk again. Stir in the chocolate chips and scoop the dough into the baking tin.
3. Flatten it out and swirl the remaining tbsp of peanut butter across the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for no more than 20 minutes to ensure that the blondies are gooey inside. Eat while warm!