Peanut Butter Blondies are a peanut butter lovers dream!
The flavor and texture is that of peanut butter cookies meets brownie, or blondie in this case. They are very easy to make and the perfect dessert for pot luck, backyard parties, or BBQ's.
Would you like to save this recipe?
I will email this recipe page to you, so you can come back to it later!
Blondies are basically brownies without cocoa powder and they are delicious on their own, but add peanut butter and you have a delicious sweet treat to share! They have crisp edges with a fudge like center and then top them with the peanut butter icing and oh boy... they are the perfect sweet treat!
What I love most about this recipe is the simple ingredients, which you probably have in your fridge and pantry.
Suggested Kitchen Tools for Peanut Butter Blondies
- 9x13 baking pan
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients & Substitutions
Peanut Butter
The main flavor of this blondie is peanut butter and the recipe was tested with store-bought creamy peanut butter. You can also use crunchy peanut butter if desired, but the texture of the peanut butter blondies will be different.
I have not tried to use natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter in this recipe so I do not know how it will work, but please let me know if you try it!
I have added peanut butter chips along with the peanut butter to boost the peanut butter flavor, but didn't find they made much of a difference in flavor or overall experience, so I left them out. I did increase the peanut butter in the recipe and the peanut butter really shines through! If you want to add them or something else like reese's pieces use about ¾ cup.
Dry Ingredients
Flour
All Purpose Flour is used in this recipe and that is what I recommend using. I would not use a higher protein flour like bread flour or you blondies may end up too dry and tough. Cake Flour is another option to use, but you may need to decrease the liquid ingredients since AP flour absorbs more liquid than cake flour. Cake flour will also produce a slightly different texture and the blondies will be more cake like and less brownie like.
I have not experimented with alternative flours like gluten free flour, but as long as you use one designed for baking and is a 1:1 swap for all purpose flour, it should work.
if you need to use flours like almond or coconut, I recommend finding a recipe that uses those flours because they act very differently from regular flour in baked goods and the recipe ingredients would have to be adjusted.
Baking Powder & Salt
Baking Powder and not Baking Soda is recommended in this recipe for the best result. If you need to use baking soda, only use about ⅓ of a teaspoon and I would increase the brown sugar to ¾ cup and decrease the white sugar to ¼ cup so you have enough acid (in the brown sugar) to neutralize the baking soda and avoid a salty metallic taste when there is not enough acid in a recipe using baking soda.
Wet Ingredients
Butter & Oil
I always use salted butter in my recipes because that is the type of butter I have on hand. You can use unsalted butter and just add a touch more salt to the dry ingredients.
Many brownie and blondie batters use melted butter and you can certainly do that, but I liked the texture of the peanut butter blondies better when I creamed the butter, sugars, and oil together.
I also used a small amount of avocado oil in the recipe which helped keep everything super moist and delicious. You can use any kind of neutral flavored oil you have on hand.
I don't recommend olive oil just because it imparts its own flavor into foods.
Sugar
Traditionally Blondies almost always use all brown sugar, but in this recipe I liked the texture better using a combination of white and brown sugar. You can certainly adjust the amounts of each or use all brown sugar or even all white sugar in the recipe and while the flavor and texture may be slightly different, the recipe will still work just fine.
Eggs
2 large eggs are used in this recipe and I have not experimented with any egg alternatives so I am not sure how the recipe would work using something other than eggs.
Optional Ingredients
Peanut Butter Frosting
The blondies are delicious without the frosting, but they are AMAZING with it!
The frosting is made up of butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
The powdered sugar is what thickens the frosting and of course adds sweetness.
You can decide how much to use based on your personal preferences. I try to use just enough powdered sugar to get the consistency of frosting I want so that it is not overly sweet. The way the frosting recipe is written, you really taste the peanut butter more than the sugar.
Add Ins
You can certainly add various things into the blondie batter or sprinkle on top of the frosting.
When adding anything to the blondie batter itself, try to keep the add ins to equal no more than ¾ cup total.
Some ideas for adding to the batter or adding to the top of the peanut butter blondies are:
- peanut butter cups (broken into pieces on top)
- chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips (in the batter)
- chocolate chunks (on top)
- M&M's (in the batter or on top)
How to Make Peanut Butter Blondies
Peanut Butter Blondies only use a few basic ingredients and require less than 1 hour of active time to make. They are perfect for any gathering because a 9x13 pan will make 40 small blondies!
Mise En Place (prep for recipe)
- Take your butter out of the fridge at least 2 hours prior to making the batter.
- Sift the powdered sugar and then measure out 1⅓ cups.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉/165℃ before you start making the batter.
- Dab a little butter into the corners and middle of your 9x13 baking pan and line it with parchment paper
Make the Blondie Batter
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and both sugars.
Mix on low speed until combined and crumbly.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Add in the oil and mix on medium speed until everything is creamed together.
Add the eggs (you can both at once)and peanut butter. Mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Add the vanilla paste or extract and mix until nice and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low just until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and add the remaining flour mixture. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
Baking the Peanut Butter Blondies
Scoop the blondie batter out of the bowl onto the prepared 9x13 pan. This batter is not as loose as some blondie or brownie batters so it will not spread on its own.
Try to get it as even in the pan as possible, especially in the corners.
Quick Tip
Using the back of a spoon can make spreading the batter into the corners a bit easier.
Place the pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
They are done when the top just starts turning a golden brown.
Remove and let cool on a cooling rack in the pan for 30-60 minutes.
When they are cool to touch, you can cut and serve or put the peanut butter frosting on top!
Peanut Butter Frosting
Clean your mixing bowl if using the same one. You can make the frosting in a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with a hand held electric mixer.
Add the room temperature butter, peanut butter, and vanilla paste or extract.
Start mixing on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium speed until the mixture is nice and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle as needed.
Quick Tip
You can adjust the amount of powdered sugar to achieve the level of sweetness and stiffness you want for your frosting.
Add the powdered sugar and mix on LOW speed until incorporated. Then increase the speed and mix until nice and smooth.
Taste for sweetness and add more powdered sugar if it is not sweet enough for you or if it is not thick enough.
Remove the peanut butter blondies from the pan using the parchment paper and place on a flat surface. This makes it a little easier to spread the frosting.
Spread the peanut butter frosting over the completely cooled peanut butter blondies and use the parchment to return the blondies to the pan.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting. This will allow the frosting to harden.
Cut into the size squares you want and serve!
They will be the hit of the party!
Storage Instructions
How to Store Leftover Peanut Butter Blondies
The blondies are fine to sit at room temperature, but if it is really warm the frosting will soften.
Refrigeration
Any leftover blondies can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will stay fresh least 7 days in the fridge.
Uncut blondies will last longer and stay moister than cut blondies.
Freezer
They also freeze very well. I recommend placing them on a parchment lined tray and freezing uncovered overnight. Then you can place them into freezer bags or containers and freeze for up to 6 months.
Quick Tip
Uncut blondies freeze better than individually cut blondies, so I usually cut half the pan to serve and keep the second half of the pan uncut for freezing.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer using light colored baking pans when making blondies. The size you need depends on the recipe, but for my peanut butter blondie recipe a 9x13 pan works great.
If you want to use a smaller pan, your blondies will be thicker and they will need a longer bake time.
Yes, absolutely!
You can cut the recipe in half by cutting all the ingredients in half or double the recipe by increasing the ingredients.
If you cut the recipe in half, use a 6x6 baking pan if possible. An 8x8 pan will work, but your blondies will be a little thinner and the bake time may need to be reduced.
If you double the recipe, you can either use two 9x13 pans or a whole sheet pan which are about 18x26"
More Dessert Recipes!
When it comes to easy desserts, making bar cookies, brownies, or no-bake pies are the some of the easiest and perfect for parties.
Peanut Butter Blondies Recipe
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Peanut Butter Blondies
- ½ cup butter salted or unsalted, room temperature
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral flavored oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt (¾ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
Peanut Butter Frosting
- ½ cup butter salted or unsalted, room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
- 1⅓ cups sifted powdered sugar you can add more or less to taste and desired thickness of frosting
Would you like to save this recipe?
I will email this recipe page to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
Peanut Butter Blondies
- Preheat oven on 325℉/165℃. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Dab a tiny bit of butter into the corners and the middle of the pan to hold the parchment paper in place.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, mix together the sugars and butter on low speed until crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the mixer paddle. Add the oil and continue to mix until the mixture is well combined.½ cup butter, ½ cup white granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- Scrape the sides of the bowl again and add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth. This only takes a minute or two.2 large eggs, ¾ cups creamy peanut butter, 1 Tablespoon vanilla paste
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add half of the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture in the mixing bowl and mix on low just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then add the remaining flour and mix until incorporated.1¼ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
- Spoon the blondie batter into the pan and spread it evenly in pan. This batter is a little thicker than most brownie batters so it isn't going to pour into the pan and it won't spread as much. Try to get it as evenly spread into the corners as possible.
- Bake in a 325℉/165℃ preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. They are done when the top just starts to turn a golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely on a cooking rack.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a medium size mixing bowl or using the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, peanut butter, vanilla paste, and salt on medium speed until nice and smooth.½ cup butter, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, ¼ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
- Sift the powdered sugar and measure out 1 ⅓ cups. Add the powdered sugar and mix on LOW until it is incorporated and then mix on medium speed about 30-60 seconds or until smooth. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like it stiffer and sweeter.1⅓ cups sifted powdered sugar
Serving the Peanut Butter Blondies
- When the blondies are completely cooled, spread the peanut butter frosting over the top and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to set the frosting. Use the parchment paper to remove the blondies from the pan and place them on a cutting board. Cut into the size squares you want and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR KITCHEN! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓
Leave a Reply