Skinny slow cooker peanut butter cup blondies

Use your slow cooker to make easy, skinny peanut butter cup blondies, a healthier choice for dessert, snacktime or school lunchboxes.

This is getting sort of crazy, isn't it? Another slow cooker recipe: Maybe I should have made 2016 the Year of the Crockpot.

But come on: I'm giving you a dessert recipe. A skinny dessert recipe. A skinny dessert recipe made in the slow cooker.

You can't blame me for being pretty excited about this one.

Regular readers are by now aware of my penchant for using my slow cooker as a water bath for making yummy things like overnight oatmeal and bread pudding. This skinny peanut butter cup blondie recipe is similar in that it uses the slow cooker in a non-traditional way -- like an oven; all you need is a springform pan that fits inside your cooker.

I have an oval 6-quart Crockpot slow cooker -- a complete and total workhorse that I've had for years. It's amazing. And a 7-inch springform pan fits perfect right inside the crock.

Perhaps the best part of in-crock baking? The crock itself doesn't need to be cleaned! That's right: just wash up your springform pan. The crock remains clean and can be put back in the cupboard once it has cooled.

Booyah. No clean up!

Another cool thing: these skinny peanut butter cup blondies are sweetened largely with dates, rather than refined sugar (OK, the chocolate and peanut butter chips aren't exactly sugar-free, but there's not a big cup of white sugar in this recipe, dig?), which makes them a healthier choice for snacktime, dessert or school lunchboxes.

Have you tried baking in your slow cooker yet? Have I convinced you to try with these peanut butter cup blondies? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

Skinny Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Note: When removing the lid of the crock to check the doneness of the blondies, be sure to let the condensation from the lid fall into the crock and not onto the blondies.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried dates, chopped or snipped with kitchen shears
2/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Add the dates to the bowl of a stand mixer and pour the boiling water over them. Let stand for 10-15 minutes to soften, then mix at medium speed until a puree forms (there may still be some bits of date). Add the peanut butter, oil and vanilla and mix well. Next, add the eggs and mix until combined. Mix in the flour until just moistened, then fold in the chips at lowest speed.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 6- or 7-inch springform pan. Place the pan inside the crock of a large slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH for about 3 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. Cut into wedges.

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