Monthly Archives: June 2023

Nutella Pretzel Blondies

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When I don’t know what else to make, there are always blondies. I’ve had the recipe memorized for more than a decade, and they’re amenable to whatever odds and ends I have in my cabinets. As far as I’m concerned, they’re the ultimate catch-all baked good.

Blondies come together in one bowl—no mixer required—and bake up in less than half an hour. And despite the frequency with which I make them, they never ever get old. Oh lord, do I love a blondie.

This latest variation is salty and sweet, with pretzels folded into the brown sugar batter and gobs of Nutella spooned and swirled on top. A big pinch of flaky salt is optional, but highly recommended.

They may look a little sketchy when they go in the oven, but trust the process. Once sliced, you’ll be rewarded with a Nutella-swiped square of pretzel-studded blondie. And oh, what a reward.

Nutella Pretzel Blondies
makes one 8- or 9-inch pan, about 16 blondies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature 
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed + more for garnish
1/2 cup Nutella
flaky salt

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish and line it with parchment (or foil), leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal. Grease again. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, followed by flour and salt. Fold in crushed pretzels. Batter will be very thick.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Drop spoonfuls of Nutella over the top of the batter and use a butter knife to gently swirl it into the batter (it may look a little ugly—trust the process). Tap the full pan on the counter a time or two to help the Nutella settle a bit. Press a few whole pretzels into the top, if desired, and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are turning golden. Let blondies cool in the pan on a rack until they reach room temperature. Run a small, thin knife around the edge of the pan, then use parchment to lift them onto a cutting board. Slice with a large, sharp chef’s knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts. Serve.

Blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Layer with parchment paper to keep the Nutella from sticking to the other blondies.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

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Remember when I went MIA last month? This is what I was doing. Making crumb cake after crumb cake, giving them away, picking them apart—I am patting myself on the back for only having to deposit two directly into the garbage.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

I mean, how difficult could crumb cake be to make, you know? People have been making it forever. Slightly dense, buttery cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumb simply could not be that much of a challenge…right?

Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake

Wrong. So wrong. Seventeen dud crumb cakes wrong. I mean, they all tasted right (well, all but two), but they sunk in the center, too. Every single one. It didn’t matter what I did—adding eggs, changing the amounts of flour and sour cream, reducing the amount of crumb (heaven forbid!)—I could not get them to come out even.

But then. But. Then. I remembered that while baking powder helps cakes to puff, too much can cause them to collapse. I barely reduced the baking powder in my up-to-then best recipe and, well, here we are. Slightly dense, buttery cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumb, just like people have been making forever.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake
makes 1 8-inch pan, about 12 servings

Crumb:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake Batter:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk of choice

For Garnish (optional):
confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan. Line with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides, then grease again. Set aside.

Make the crumb. In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk together flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and stir together until everything is moistened and clumps form. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter until very light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in granulated sugar. Mix in egg, followed by sour cream. Add vanilla and milk. With the mixer on low, mix in dry ingredients in two installments. Batter will be thick.

Spread batter into the prepared pan. Scatter crumb evenly over the top and lightly press them into the batter. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Run a small, thin knife along the edges of the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake onto a cutting board. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired. Slice into 12 pieces.

Serve cake room temperature or slightly warm. Leftovers may be kept covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Where have I been? Making crumb cake, that’s where.

“But Liz,” you say, “this post isn’t a recipe for crumb cake. This is an update of your Peanut Butter Cupcakes.”

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Yeah, yeah, I know. I decided I had to take a little break after 15+ crumb cakes over the course of the last three weeks, so I switched to another recipe lest I go insane, never to blog again. The full crumb cake deets are on their way the second I figure out why it tastes great but is sinking in the center.

(Help.)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

For now though, let’s talk about Peanut Butter Cupcakes. I posted a recipe for them in the first few months of blogging, blanketed with Oreo frosting, and I was so, so proud. I think I ate like four in a day when I finally got those right. But then I made them again a year or two ago for some dude’s birthday and they were…dry. And I can’t be going around peddling recipes for dry cupcakes. It’s bad for my brand.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes

So, for my tenth sobriety anniversary, I went back to the drawing board with seven more years baking experience and a mission to fix these peanut butter beauties. I upped the butter, swapped buttermilk for an extra moist mix of sour cream and whole milk, adjusted the bake time, and well, the results speak for themselves. Especially with a little chocolate buttercream and a mini peanut butter cup garnish.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
makes about 14-16 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup creamy-style peanut butter*
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttercream & Garnish:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons heavy cream
mini peanut butter cups, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 14-16 cups in muffin/cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together whole milk and sour cream.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and peanut butter until combined and fluffy. Mix in dark brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. Add half the dry ingredients followed by half the milk/sour cream. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk/sour cream.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of the batter. Gently tap pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake cupcakes 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a couple of cupcakes comes out clean. The tops will look crackly—this is normal.Let cupcakes cool in the pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Beat in confectioner's sugar, followed by cocoa powder and salt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until very fluffy.

Load into a piping bag fitted with a tip (I used a star tip here) or use an offset icing spatula to frost cupcakes. Garnish with mini peanut butter cups as desired. Serve.

Leftover cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.