Butterscotch Blondie Bars With Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Mel and I don't exchange gifts for Valentine's Day (We save our money for "Mel & Julie Day" on March 6th - the anniversary of the day we met!), but I like to bake him something nice.  I made these blondies on the 13th.  I made these once before in 2011 from the "Bon Appetite" Magazine.  I remembered how amazing this recipe was, but I no longer had the magazine.  I knew Mel would love these and they would be an extra special treat for Valentine's Day, so I got onto "BA's" web site http://www.bonappetit.com/  and looked them up.

These are a little more work than a typical brownie or blondie, but so worth the effort.  They are the best blondie you will ever make (probably).  Here is the recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/butterscotch-blondie-bars-with-peanut-pretzel-caramel  (The picture is misleading as it shows whole pretzels, but the recipe says to crush them - I used my food processor and left them w/ some "chunks" for more flavor and texture.)  

The only thing I changed was that I used salted caramel flavored pretzels instead of the plain twists, which I highly recommend - use the whole bag if buying Snyder's brand.  I followed the rest of the recipe the same.  If you use this recipe, please note that it does not specify the size of the pan, so use a large cake pan, or possibly even a cookie sheet NOT a pie pan (I made a mistake using a pie pan, but it was too small and ruined the dough, so I had to start over and use a bigger pan).  I didn't have parchment paper, but I'm sure it would have been nice to use as the recipe suggests since this sticks to the pan even with cooking spray.  Oh yeah, I forgot to check the amount of peanuts needed for the recipe before I went to the store (stupid me!) and I only bought a cup's worth, but the recipe calls for 4 cups!  Ooops!  But it still tasted amazing.  I think 4 cups may have actually been too much, and 2-3 cups would have been the perfect amount. 

Anyway, Mel and I both really loved these and Mel says they are his favorite treat he has ever had.  We both give them a 12 out of 10!  Something tells me I will be making these for every special occasion!