Today is my friend Haran's birthday, so, I decided to make one of his favorite desserts --Peanut Butter Square Chippy Cups.

Peanut butter squares are a kind of a "youngest sibling," residing beneath the ubiquitous fame of their big sister, the Blondie, and their older brother, the Peanut Butter Cookie. That said, they have established their own fanbase amongst cookie and bar enthusiasts, and when situated next to them at a picnic or bakesale, will stand up and sing, "look at me! I am a neologism!" while their older siblings are ignored. 

A legend surrounds the roots of this hybrid dessert, still whispered from time to time in the halls of Lakeshore Middle School in Mequon, Wisconsin. The old story goes that a homeroom teacher, speaking in the kind of prophetic/exhausted state that goes with being with adolescents for too many hours, attempted to demonstrate the kind of care that goes into writing a book report. 

  "You have to make a plan. A recipe. You can't just throw a bunch of flour in a bowl, add some butter and 2 eggs and there you go, 'PEANUT BUTTER SQUARE CHIPPY CUPS!'"

Well, Haran claims to have been there on the day these words were spoken. And while the first actual P.B.S.C.C. was not baked until some years later (bringing Mr. Kellett's prophecy to fruition), the salty-sweet-chocolate combo proved that indeed, you can't just mix a bunch of ingredients together and make magic. It takes a great recipe. And, in this case, a memory like Haran's. He's a great fellow, and such a likable guy, I believe you will find this recipe to be almost as much fun as reminiscing with him.

These are basically like classic blondies, but with a fun (and delicious!) twist: chopped (or mini) peanut butter cups stirred in. As they bake, the peanut butter cups melt into little globules of indulgent, creamy, peanutty goodness, situated in a buttery vanilla base. They're a refreshing take on brownies--and a great way to use up the peanut butter cups you inevitably have laying around post-Halloween.

Happy Birthday Haran!