Almond Butter Blondies with Dark Chocolate Frosting

I think I have a pun compulsion. This does not really make for a digestible blog. For your sakes, I will attempt to be less heavy handed with the puns. I will, however, be heavy handed with butter, almond butter, and dark chocolate. These bars are deeply nutty and complex. You remember the standard peanut butter blondie you threw onto your lunch tray in 5th grade? A beige, sugary square that sat squat on your plate, absorbing applesauce and pizza grease like a kitchen sponge? These almond butter blondies are not like the bar cookies you traded away for your best friend's oreos. These almond butter blondies are as sophisticated as your best gel pens. The frosting is as indulgent as watching that R rated movie your parents told you not to with your cousin, fistfuls of buttery popcorn and staying up past your bedtime.

Make these and share them with old friends. Maybe you could even trade them away for a bottle of good red wine.

After you have traded some for a bottle of red wine, stay up past your bedtime and watch that movie your parents never let you rent.

Almond Butter Blondies with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from a Joy the Baker recipe

Makes one dozen hefty brownies

10 Tablespoons butter, cut into large chunks

1.5 cups dark brown sugar

1 cup almond butter (I used chunky)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch pan.

Over medium heat, melt butter and sugar in a medium saucepan until all wisps of butter have disappeared into the deep brown sugar. Remove from heat and cool for about five minutes. Add almond butter and stir until well incorporated. Allow to cool for another five minutes. Don't skimp on the cooling time--you don't want to scramble your eggs! Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Whisk the salt, flour, and baking powder. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all in one shot. Stir until just incorporated. Pour the batter (do not fret if it is rather thick) into your buttered pan and spread evenly from corner to corner. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. Resist the urge to frost right away and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Dark chocolate frosting

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips or chopped bar, melted

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat until incorporated. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat until incorporated once more. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add melted chocolate and mix until the chocolate goo is one with the thick frosting. If you feel like your frosting isn't quite sturdy enough, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Spread generously over your cooled blondies.