Cookie Butter Blondies

March 4, 2013

Cookie Butter Blondies | gamine dans la cuisine

Cookie.Butter. Two words which, when combined, evoke dreamy images of golden, splendiferous bliss. Long before I ran an impatient spoon through a freshly opened jar, my mind had already made itself up - I was head-over-heels in love with the gingered elixir, long before we had been properly introduced. Rather presumptuous, I know, but my uncharacteristically bold assumption proved to be spot-on.

Lately, perhaps due to a mild case of cabin fever, I've had super-intense cravings for these bars (which were made about two weeks ago). To put things into perspective, last Thursday I finally had that troublesome molar pulled. It was a painless process, but the tugging and prodding are still all too fresh in my dentist-fearing mind. I've been on a soft food & wine diet, and a self-imposed lock down (vanity won't allow me to be seen in public with asymmetrical cheeks!). So of course, along with my neurotic over-thinking - "Is the pain normal?" "Did I just feel the adjacent tooth move when I pressed it with my tongue?"; I'm also craving popcorn, toasted bagels with copious amounts of sesame seeds, flaked coconut, kettle chips (salt & pepper), and, most of all, chunky, chewy bars.


cookie butter blondies | gamine dans la cuisine

These cookie butter blondies, in particular, have been making frequent appearances in my dreams. Maybe because they were the last recipe I made before toothmageddon?

At any rate, this recipe is destined to be a classic (at least in my flour-kissed book). These are the sort of bars that keep you coming back for "just one more,"  five times in a row. (True. It happened, verbatim.) If you have yet to try cookie butter, it's a sweet, creamy (or crunchy, if you prefer) substance with a peanut butter texture and a mild sugar/ginger cookie flavour. I recommend having two jars on hand, one to eat via spoon and one to use for baking. Trust me, you will need both.

The rich ganache *almost* overpowers the cookie butter flavour, but not so much that I had second thoughts on using it...ganache will never be a source of regret.

One quick note: make sure you don't over-bake the bars. I should have pulled mine out of the oven while a few moist crumbs clung to the test skewer. As they cool off, the bars will firm up beautifully - just like their cookie counterparts. Mine were slightly crunchier than I prefer but still wildly addictive.

cookie butter blondies | gamine dans la cuisine


Cookie Butter Blondies
yields 20-25 bars

for the bars
1 cup (that's 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup tightly packed, brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Cookie Butter
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (about 9 oz)

for the ganache
9 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small bits

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil (shiny side-up), leave a slight overhang along the edges, and butter the foil.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on med-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add the cookie butter and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition- scrape down the edges of the bowl, if needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt- beat on low speed just until the flour has disappeared into the dough. Use a large rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.

Scrape the dough into prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to even out the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes up with only a few moist crumbs. {Note: If the edges are browning too fast, cover them with the foil overhang.}

Remove the pan from the oven and into a cooling rack. Cool completely before adding the ganache. Once the bars are cool, use the foil overhang to gently lift them out of the pan. Place the bars (still un-cut) onto a cooling rack with a piece of parchment or foil placed underneath- to catch any ganache drippings.

Prepare the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate into a large, heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a gentle boil, remove the pan from the heat as soon as the cream starts to bubble. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Use a spatula and, beginning at the center, start making small concentric circles-slowly working your way to the outer edges of the bowl, until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted. Stir in the butter bits until melted.

Immediately pour the ganache over the cool bars. Use an offset spatuala to spread it around into an even layer. Edge dripping is encouraged. Place the bars into the refrigerator until the ganache has set- about 30 minutes. Once set, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water to slice into individual bars.

inspired by smitten kitchen

30 comments:

  1. Oh Val, I just went to cookie butter heaven looking at these blondies! Absolutely lovely!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Divine! Those blondies sound amazing. I so love cookie butter.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hope you are feeling better now. I think a couple of days would cure most any thing that would ail me:))Love these!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh how I wish we could swap bark for blondies! These look exceptional! (as always ;))

    ReplyDelete
  5. I made these, well not these exactly, but you know my love affair with creating all things cookie butter.
    But yeah, isn't cookie butter like the best on almost all things baking?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I had a molar removed last year, and I share your pain over asymmetrical cheeks. I wouldn't have been eating these bars at the time, but I would have dreamed about them. I haven't tried cookie butter yet - I haven't even seen it in any of my grocery stores - but this is a really powerful motivator to track it down.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great minds think alike. My Wednesday post has so many similarities to these! Except I went streusel topping rather than ganache. Yours look crazy good! I love Cookie Butter/Biscoff and love blondies. It a combo I never get tired of.

    So sorry you've had this tooth situation. Hopefully you are on the mend now!

    And yes to pulling bars like this just a hair before you think you need to. They do set up quite a bit while cooling but sometimes it's hard to tell. And my oven can be finnicky! As I think they all can! You bars look fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really need to make something with my jar of cookie butter instead of just eating it by the spoonful. These blondies would be just the thing to make. :)

    Hope the tooth pain is behind you by now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Seriously everything you do keeps getting better and better. Seriously these sound too incredible!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh Valerie every time I visit you I am transported to sugar heaven! those cookies are such bliss, I hope your feeling much better and can enjoy those gorgeous bars. Beautiful shots.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hmmmm those look delicious. - with a nice cup of chai.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I just did a Trader Joe's run and have a fresh jar of cookie butter! I would love to try these. I'll have to do it quick before I eat the whole jar! Cookie butter in any form is for sure, amazing!

    Danielle

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hope you are feeling a bit better now! I'd love to see some of your soup recipes (if you had a chance to photograph them).

    I love visiting your blog because it makes me feel like I'm at a good friend's apartment, feasting on delicious goodies like these, and just chatting the night away! I miss those days of simple pleasures :) Now, my life is ruled by chaos? LOL! I'm not complaining, though...Blogs like yours provide me with a wonderful escape!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow. Just wow. I absolutely love cookie butter but can never think of ways to eat it other than with a giant spoon! Cookie butter blondies are definitely the way forward - I have to make these :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. YUM, I too am helplessly addictive to cookie butter. I have to hide it from myself if I buy it. But I think it could easily come out of seclusion for these delicious looking bars.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love cookie butter too! It's one of my favorite baking ingredients. I hope you are feeling all better from your tooth issues. I feel the same way you do about having dental work done and then all the subsequent worrying.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've never heard of cookie butter - reason for a visit to TJ's

    ReplyDelete
  18. these looks delightful! yum

    ReplyDelete
  19. hope you are feeling better now! i feel like my life is not complete until i make these :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's so easy to eat cookie butter straight from the jar but these blondies might be enough to resist finishing my supply so I can bake with it... Or like you suggested, I can just buy another jar just for baking :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh Valerie - I can only imagine how tasty these bars are. Love the addition of cookie butter. These are a must make. Lovely photos!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have yet to get my hands on the elusive cookie butter here in Canada, but I know how happy we would be together.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm pretty sure I'd always be craving these blondies. They sound ridiculously delicious! And love the ganache layer on top!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Girl, these wouldn't last long at all in my house, I LOVE cookie butter!

    My husband got a tooth pulled last spring, so I understand what you are going through.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh Valerie, I am just chuckling over your neurotic over thinking because I do the same!!! Seriously, I make the worst patient because I constantly worry. But then I also make the best patient, because I am very good about listening to doctor's orders. Ha ha.

    These blondies look incredible, what a great way to get the teeth chomping again!

    ReplyDelete
  26. How in the world did I miss these?! Oh my worrrrrd!

    Oh. I'm neurotic. Period. EG: My head hurts - oh it must be a tumor. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh you know I am going to love these :) Love cookie butter! Hope you are feeling better, Valerie! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yes, I'd keep going back for "one more" and the pan would be empty! These sound right up my alley.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

une gamine dans la cuisine © All rights reserved · Theme by Blog Milk · Blogger