Cadbury White Blondies with Peanut Butter Chips

Of all the holidays, Easter has the best candy.  Reese's Pieces Eggs.  Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans.  Cadbury Mini Eggs.  Yes, please!  The pinnacle of Easter candy yumminess, though, has got to be the Cadbury WHITE Mini Eggs, which were available exclusively at Target for 2014 (I'm still unclear as to why the plethora of candy exclusivity, but that is a matter for another day).  I found myself buying a bag here and a bag there, stashing them away, only to sneak an egg here, and another egg there (that might explain the five pounds I gained during Easter...and also that candy is not something I give up for Lent).  Needless to say, the White Mini Eggs need to go (and go quickly!) or this egg sneaking thing could last all spring.  And so I made these:

Cadbury White Blondies with Peanut Butter Chips
Adapted from Averie Cooks
Printer-friendly copy

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted
1 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Cadbury White Mini Eggs
½ cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside.  Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring glass.  Place the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, add in the melted butter, and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and stir until combined.  Mix in the Cadbury White Mini Eggs.  Transfer the batter to the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Sprinkle the peanut butter chips evenly over the top of the batter and press them down lightly to set.  Bake for 23-25 minutes.  Allow bars to cool completely before slicing.

Serves: 16 bars, 213 calories each

 

The Lucky Monk

Last week we had the most amazing meal.  Mind you, it was completely unhealthy.  But so utterly yummy.

My hubby had to make a quick trip into O'Hare for work, so Bubba and I tagged along.  And any time we get the chance to have a meal out of town, I'm all over figuring out exactly where to go, researching menus and available cuisines.  Thank goodness for the Internet.

Using TripAdvisor, to which I've actually submitted several reviews, I discovered The Lucky Monk.  In the northwest Chicago suburb of South Barrington, it was located right near where we were planning to stay.  It's a unique, local joint (one of our criteria when dining), serving pub-style meals like burgers, pizza, and fish and chips, as well as self-brewed beers (Hubby enjoyed the Solitude Stout).  There were at least five things I could have ordered from their menu and been completely stuffed by.
When I saw Pickle Fries on the menu, I was immediately thrilled.  I've been on a quest for good pickle fries for I don't know how long.  Luckily, Hubby was agreeable to ordering them as an appetizer so we could share.  Perfectly crispy and served with a spicy ranch dressing, I could have eaten an entire order by myself.  Certainly the best pickle fries I've come across yet.

The Lucky Monk is known for their burgers, and rightfully so.  Our main course was a Grilled Cheese Burger, a half-pound USDA Prime Beef burger between two bacon-stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches.  It's served with their hand-cut fries, but we could have substituted Wisconsin cheese curds if we wanted (cholesterol much?).  I die.  Simply incredible.  And easily shared.  Wisely so.

Then, because we hadn't consumed enough calories yet, we decided to go all out and order dessert.  Yes, we did.  We chose the Holy Trio of Mason Jar Sweets and picked Warm Apple Crisp, Peanut Butter Brownie, and Vanilla Raspberry Cheesecake.  Hubby was enamored with the creamy deliciousness of the Peanut Butter Brownie (no shock there), but surprisingly, my favorite was the Warm Apple Crisp.  I'm usually not big on baked apples, but this was perfectly spiced and the apples weren't mushy at all.  Loved!!  I even bought Mason jars at Target later that evening so I could attempt this fantastic-ness myself at home.  Because I don't eat enough dessert already.

Needless to say, through no fault of The Lucky Monk and purely because of my sin of gluttony, I felt a bit ill later that night.  Too.  Much.  Food.  Eek.  Can you imagine if we hadn't split everything?!

I can't wait to go back and try their Warm Pretzel Trio.  And Crispy Fish Tacos.  And Cookie Skillet.  Shared, of course...