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Peanut Butter Blondies filled with chocolate and peanut butter chips are soft, chewy, and begging to be topped with vanilla ice cream!
Peanut butter blondies are a sweet treat that gives peanut butter lovers an excuse to overindulge! These bars are a thick, chewy, gooey version of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and they’re just as easy to make.
With one bowl and no mixer required, all you need are simple baking staples, creamy peanut butter, and loads of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to make these sweet, slightly salty, moist, and decadent blondies.
They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day and all sorts of special occasions, and they’re just as good as a game day dessert or a midday snack!
Bake up a batch and watch how quickly they disappear. Better yet, make two batches and freeze one for later!
Why you’ll love Peanut Butter Blondies
- Perfect taste and texture – Slightly crispy on the outside moist and chewy on the inside, loaded with melty chocolate chips and the peanut butter flavor combined with the sweet brown sugar, makes this peanut butter blondie recipe one you’ll keep coming back to.
- Add your favorite mix-ins – There is plenty of room for creativity! Swap the chocolate chips for Reese’s pieces and make Reese’s peanut butter blondies! You could also use white chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans too!
- Simple one bowl recipe – There’s no electric mixer or stand mixer needed. All of it is done by hand, in one bowl, and the entire batch is ready to eat in just 30 minutes.
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Butter – Use either salted or unsalted. Just keep in mind that peanut butter can be salty, so you may want to omit the added salt if using salted butter.
- Peanut Butter – I highly recommend using a creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. It’ll hold together better than natural peanut butter which tends to separate.
- Brown Sugar – This type of sugar adds moisture and a caramelized flavor.
- Large Egg – Binds the blondies together so they hold up nicely. Bring the egg to room temperature before you begin.
- Vanilla Extract – For added flavor.
- Salt – Enhances all the other ingredients.
- All-Purpose Flour – Measure your flower correctly so you don’t end up with dense, dry peanut butter blondies.
- Baking Powder – Not to be confused with baking soda! This will help keep your blondie bars nice and thick.
- Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter Chips – I like semi-sweet chocolate chips, but by all means, use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips instead.
How to make Peanut Butter Blondies
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Melt butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the peanut butter until creamy.
- Step Two: Stir in the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Then, add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Step Three: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Step Four: Gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Transfer the thick batter into a prepared 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper and use a rubber spatula to spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
- Step Five: Bake for 20-30 minutes until the center is set and the edges are golden. Once cooled slice them into 12 bars. 9 if you’re feeling generous.
What to serve with them
As mentioned above, these blondies are begging to be served with some ice cream! They are decadent as is, don’t get me wrong, but as they say, go big or go home.
Peanut butter frosting might also be excessive, but can you ever really have too much peanut butter?
- For clean slices, make sure they’re cooled first. Use a plastic knife or wipe whatever knife you use, between each slice.
- If you don’t care about clean cuts but want a bit of warmth to your blondie, have at it!
- They’re rich, so cutting them into 12 bars seems about right. You can cut them into 9 larger pieces if you feel extra generous.
- Avoid natural peanut butter. It can cause your blondies to become crumbly and essentially fall apart as they won’t hold together.
How to handle leftovers
How to store leftovers
Keep them stored at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you’ve got a lot left, stack them and separate the layers with parchment paper.
Can I freeze blondies?
Sure you can! Wrap them individually in plastic wrap nice and tight and store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Take out what you want to eat and allow them to thaw on the counter before consuming.
FAQs
What is a blondie vs brownie?
The major difference is in the use (or lack of) cocoa or chocolate. Brownies are known for their fudgy, chocolaty goodness, whereas blondies get their awesomeness from vanilla and brown sugar.
Are blondies meant to be gooey in the middle?
Yep! I mean, there’s a point where too gooey means they’re not baked enough, but slightly gooey, and nicely chewy is what you want.
Can I make these gluten-free?
I haven’t tried, but if you do, I would suggest using a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour rather than trying to use something like almond flour or chickpea flour. Gluten-free flours can be finicky, so choose wisely!
Need more dessert bar recipes? Try these:
Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Click here for my entire collection of dessert recipes.
Peanut Butter Blondies
Ingredients
- 4 ½ Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.4 ½ Tablespoons butter
- Stir the peanut butter until creamy and smooth.½ cup peanut butter
- Add the brown sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir until smooth.1 cup brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the peanut butter mixture and stir until just combined.¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. It will be thick.¼ cup chocolate chips, ¼ cup peanut butter chips
- Press the batter evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula (or your hands). Sprinkle on additional chocolate and peanut butter chips, if desired.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until set in the middle and the edges are golden.
- Cool and then slice into 9-12 bars.
Notes
- I recommend using a creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy), not a natural peanut butter.
- Salted or unsalted butter will work.
- The bars are rich so slicing into 12 still makes good portions. Slice into 9 bars if you’re feeling extra generous.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published January 28, 2011; updated May 22, 2018; updated January 2024
These look delicious! I know they’ll be over the top good, so I’m rating these 5 stars now. LOL
I do use organic peanut butter, but I will be making these very soon. THANK YOU for sharing this fabulous sounding recipe. I know my husband and I will love these!
Thanks, Beth! Organic is fine (I made this batch shown with Costco Organic Creamy Peanut Butter), you just want to avoid the natural peanut butters that need to be stirred.