This sinful recipe was shared with us by the lovely authors of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, in honor of the upcoming Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale (check their website to see if there is a bake sale in your local area - the events begin next weekend!). I have been told that it is a sure-fire sell-out at bake sales, and perhaps you could even get some extra chores in payment from your family for whipping up a batch of these sweet gems.

Since the recipe was so simple (as Isa states, "they're easy enough for the beginner bake saler"), and used ingredients I have on hand everyday, I gave these Peanut Butter Blondies a whirl for a potluck party I attended a couple of weeks ago. I did have some performance issues since I live at high altitude (6500 ft). The results should be spot on for most people, but If you live at high altitude then you know cookies and cookie bars can be tricky. I recommend reducing the oil in the recipe just a bit and/or increasing the flour a little. Fortunately, they taste insanely good no matter what - so I simply cut them into fudge-sized bites to keep them cohesive, and the entire batch was gone (crumbs and all) just fifteen minutes after I arrived at the party! Read on for the recipe ...

Peanut Butter Blondies

Recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

"Do you like your desserts peanut buttery? We mean really, really peanut buttery? This is a beautifully rich - and dare we say fudgy - peanut butter blondie that is sure to please anyone with peanuts for taste buds. You'll definitely need a cup of almond milk to wash these babies down."

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (a natural no stir variety)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1  cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3  cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a metal 8x8  baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix  together peanut butter, oil and sugar. Stir in milk and vanilla. Stir in  flour, salt and baking powder. Once you get the flour somewhat mixed  in, it's easier to just use your hands to knead the dough until soft. It  will be very very thick and won't spread on its own. Transfer to baking  pan and press it into place. Sprinkle on the peanuts and lightly press  them into the top.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, the edges should  be just barely coloring. The top will appear soft, that's okay. Remove  from oven and cool completely before slicing.

Yields 12 Blondies