Peanut Butter Blondies

Rich, chewy Peanut Butter Blondies are SO easy to bake in your 8×8 pan with no mixer required! Bake as is for a sweet and salty nutty treat or decorate with a fudgy layer of chocolate.

Ever make a recipe that seems so simple, yet everyone raves about them and wants the recipe?

That’s the perfect way to describe these Peanut Butter Blondies – chewy, fudgy peanut butter blondie bars with deep caramel butterscotch notes.

The best part about making peanut butter blondie bars? They’re SO easy to throw together, you don’t even need to break out the mixer!

Much like making my small batch brownies, you melt and whisk the batter in one pot on the stovetop then transfer to your 8×8 pan.

In fact, last week I made this peanut butter blondie recipe the same day I had a group meeting. Made them in the early afternoon then brought them for dessert at night. Easy peasy.

Pictured here are chocolate peanut butter blondies made with a thin layer of chocolate and Reese’s Pieces candy, but you can easily leave off the chocolate and serve as is.

Or swap in chopped peanuts, peanut butter cups, or chocolate chips such as semisweet, white chocolate, or peanut butter for the candy.

What is a blondie?

A blondie is a rich, chewy dessert bar that’s similar to brownies but gets its caramel flavor from brown sugar instead of chocolate.

They’re slightly different than my peanut butter cookie bars because blondies are more dense and gooey.

And much like brownies, you can have different flavor variations such as banana blondies or gingerbread blondies.

I made this peanut butter blondie recipe because it’s one of my favorite flavors.

Pair it up with chocolate and it’s a match made in heaven.

Ingredients For Peanut Butter Blondies

Here are the ingredients needed to make your peanut butter blondie bars! You’ll notice they are basic pantry ingredients and can be made at a moment’s notice:

• Butter: Melted butter is the key to giving blondies their rich, fudgy, chewy texture. Plus you don’t have to wait for it to soften at room temperature!
• Peanut butter: Use a creamy processed peanut butter as natural peanut butter can cause the blondies to be more dry and crumbly
• Brown sugar: Adds moisture and caramel flavor that granulated sugar cannot achieve
• Egg: Moisture needed for the batter plus helps with the chewy texture
• Vanilla: I bumped up the vanilla flavor as it really enhances the peanut butter
• Flour: Brings the dough together
• Baking powder: A bit of a controversial ingredient for blondies, I liked the batch with baking powder better than without (more on that below)
• Salt: I didn’t add as much salt because peanut butter is salty, but you still want a little bit to ensure your blondies aren’t bland.
• Mix-ins: Pictured here is Reese’s Pieces candy but you can also use chocolate chips or nuts.
• Baking chocolate: Made from ground cocoa nibs containing both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Use semisweet chocolate that is around 55% cacao.

Do you add baking powder to blondies?

One controversial ingredient when making blondies is the baking powder.

I don’t add baking powder to my brownies because they tend to turn out a bit cakier; I want them dense and fudgy.

However when I made my peanut butter blondies the same way, they were too dense and really, really thin.

After testing it with baking powder, I loved the results so much better. They’re a bit softer and thicker without being too cakey.

I will pick blondies with baking powder every single time. However if you want really dense, thin blondies, this is the one time you can leave it out.

How To Make Peanut Butter Blondies

Ready to make your one pan chocolate peanut butter blondies? Leave the mixer off and grab a whisk!

1. Melt together the butter and peanut butter.
2. Whisk in brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and mix-ins of choice.
4. Bake at 350F for 25-28 minutes or until edges pull away from the sides, center no longer looks wet, and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
5. Melt chocolate then spread on top of cooled blondies.

Store leftover blondies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

How To Freeze Blondies

To freeze blondies, place cut blondies in a single layer on a cookie sheet or plate then freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Wrap individually then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

More Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes

If you’re a peanut butter fanatic like me, check out these other dessert recipes using peanut butter:

• Small Batch Peanut Butter Brownies
• Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
• Peanut Butter Whipped Cream
• Microwave Peanut Butter Cookie

First published April 18, 2013