Peanut butter blondies with white chocolate ice cream and caramel sauce

These peanut butter blondies are rich, nutty and studded with white chocolate and roasted peanuts. Served with white chocolate ice cream and a warm caramel sauce, this is a generous dessert with a soft, chewy blondie base, creamy frozen topping and a glossy caramel finish.

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes

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The blondies are rich in sugar, refined flour and saturated fat, while the ice cream and caramel sauce add more cream and sugar, making this a highly indulgent dessert. The peanuts add some protein and texture, but overall this is best enjoyed as an occasional treat.

Estimated nutrition (per serving, 6–8): kcal ~680–820, fat ~40–50g, saturated fat ~18–24g, carbs ~68–82g, sugars ~48–60g, fibre ~2–4g, protein ~10–13g.

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Method

Make the ice cream first

1. Boil the cream and melt the chocolate. To make the white chocolate ice cream, put the 150ml/5fl oz double cream in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and leave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth, then leave to cool slightly. This creates a rich white chocolate base for the ice cream.
2. Mix in condensed milk and flavouring. Stir in the condensed milk, salt and vanilla bean paste. Fold in the whipped cream until combined. Spoon into a freezerproof container, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours, or until set. This gives you a creamy white chocolate ice cream to serve with the blondies.

Bake the blondies

1. Prep the tin and oven. To make the peanut butter blondies, preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20x30cm/8x12in baking tin with baking paper. A lined tin helps the blondies lift out cleanly once cooled.
2. Melt butter and add sugar. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the brown sugar. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Cooling slightly helps stop the eggs from scrambling in the blondie batter.
3. Whisk in peanut butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth. This makes the blondie batter rich and nutty.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in the flour, baking powder and sea salt until just combined. Stir through the white chocolate and half the peanuts. Folding gently keeps the blondies tender rather than cakey.
5. Bake and cool. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Sprinkle over the remaining peanuts and a little flaky sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight wobble. Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares. Cooling fully helps the blondies set for neat slices.

Make the caramel sauce

1. Melt the sugar to amber. To make the caramel sauce, put the caster sugar in a deep, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar melts and turns a dark amber colour. Use care, as boiling sugar is very hot.
2. Add cream and smooth out. Carefully add the cream, standing back as the mixture will bubble up. Stir over a low heat until smooth. This turns the caramel into a glossy sauce ready for serving.

Serve together

1. Plate with ice cream and caramel. Serve the blondies with a scoop of white chocolate ice cream and the caramel sauce spooned over the top. The warm blondies, cold ice cream and glossy caramel create a rich, indulgent dessert.

Helpful tip: Let the blondies cool completely before slicing so they hold their shape. The ice cream can be made ahead, which makes this dessert easier to assemble when serving.