oatmeal blondies

One of my favorite questions is: "why do they call them blondies?"
My favorite response: "Well, you can't exactly call them brownies now, can you?"



the goods:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and 2 sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on both sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside.



In a medium to small bowl, combine, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually beat in 1 and 1/2 cups of the flour mixture; just until combined. Mix in 3/4 cup oats. Spoon batter into prepared pan.



Using the back side of a spoon, smooth batter evenly. Sprinkle with remaining oats (1/4 cup), pressing gently to adhere. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes.



Using overhang, transfer blondie (still on paper) to a wire rack to cool completely. Place on a cutting board (peel off paper); using a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares.



Store blondies in an airtight container (if there are any left) at room temperature.

peanut butter cups

the goods:

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
20 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped



Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, a little over 1 minute, stirring halfway through. If there are still chunks of chocolate that haven't melted, just stir it for a minute and the warm chocolate surrounding it should melt it completely. Do not burn the chocolate.



Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave stirring once or twice, until almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate into the bottom of all the paper cups.



Follow with a layer of the peanut-butter mixture.



Finish with remaining chocolate on top.



If you run out of chocolate for the top, just add more peanut butter and it can be a half and half!



Place muffin pan in freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.



To store, place in an airtight container, and refrigerate.