Peanut butter, Nutella, and Ritz crackers are an elite combination, one I mastered in the sixth grade when I had very strong after-school snack game. So, in my efforts to use Peanut Nutella in as many ways as I can think of, I figured a Ritz combination was in order. Also, because I had Ritz on hand. Kismet!
It was only a half sleeve of Ritz, so I decided to mix them in to some peanut butter blondies. Then, Peanut Nutella frosting, so that the Peanut Nutella could be a focus. As a frosting, it could be the full flavor of it, not just a mix-in.
These are, predicably, quite sweet. I can’t deny it. But… delicious. Just let it be sweet. Must there be nuance? Complexity? In all things? No. Let some things be SIMPLE.
I am nearly out of Peanut Nutella now! Just a few dregs left on the bottom and sides of the jar. Perfect for on my pre-run bananas.
I think if you don’t have Peanut Nutella, you could easily just do half and half peanut butter and Nutella. It would probably be very similar. It’s a wonder I haven’t tried something like that before this. I think I assumed it would just muddle too much. In retrospect, why did I think that? A peanut butter Nutella sandwich is never muddled? And now that Peanut Nutella exists, I’m thinking it would be worth just mixing them together. So, so obvious.
Adding Ritz as a mix-in to blondies like this is pretty inspired. It’s not that surprising, given how good these cookies were. But sometimes it’s worth explicitly pointing something out, so that I can remember it for the future.
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PinIngredients
For the blondies
- 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg large yolk
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
For the frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Peanut Nutella
- ~2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 baking pan and grease or line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 30-second increments until completely melted. Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool.
- Add the sugar, eggs and yolk, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl with the melted butter. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Add the flour and baking powder and stir with a wooden spoon. Fold in crushed Ritz.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Insert a skewer in the center of the blondies to test the doneness. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and Nutella on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Beat on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, and then increase the speed to medium to keep beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Taste and add powdered sugar or salt if desired. You can add more powdered sugar to thicken the consistency or heavy cream (1/2 tablespoon at a time) if it needs to be thinner.