Peanut Butter Blondies are the ultimate peanut butter treat for the serious peanut butter lovers in your life! Dense and chewy with a layer of creamy peanut butter frosting on top and Reese's Pieces, these are the perfect bar dessert for when you really need that peanut butter fix!
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We love chocolate brownies, but sometimes you just get that craving for peanut butter flavor instead! Enter this delicious peanut butter blondies recipe!
Bar desserts are some of our favorites because they are quick and it's an easy recipe to whip up when you want a sweet treat.
Is it weird to talk about something with no chocolate in it in terms of having a fudgy center? Because these rich and chewy peanut butter blondies are definitely fudgy in the middle as long as you make sure not to overbake them.
This peanut butter blondie recipe is one of the best peanut butter desserts I have had in a long time and the girls went absolutely crazy over the frosted ones. I couldn't decide whether I preferred them frosted or unfrosted. It's such a toss-up!
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Peanut butter - creamy peanut butter is our favorite choice but you could use crunchy peanut butter instead if you want little pieces of peanuts throughout your blondies.
- Salted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Reese's Pieces candy
Peanut Butter Frosting
This is optional, but we love the creamy layer of peanut butter frosting on top of our peanut butter blondies.
- Peanut butter
- Salted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
How to Make Peanut Butter Blondies
In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, egg and extra egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well to combine.
Stir the flour and salt into the peanut butter mixture, then spread the blondie batter into the prepared baking dish, pushing towards the edges of the pan as needed. Sprinkle with Reese's Pieces, if not planning to frost.
Bake for 22-27 minutes until done, then remove from oven and cool completely. Do not overbake if you want gooey peanut butter blondies with a chewy texture.
Prepare the frosting by beating the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, cream and powdered sugar and beat well, then frost the peanut butter blondies in the pan and sprinkle with Reese's Pieces. Cut into 9 squares and serve.
Tips for success
- Use a parchment paper sling. Lining your baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil not only makes cleanup easier but you can also remove the bars and slice them into squares more easily for straight cuts.
- Don't overbake. Bars are susceptible to being dry if you bake them too long. To know when they are done, test with a toothpick or skewer. They should come out with a few crumbs still clinging to the tester rather than being wet from underbaked batter or completely clean which can indicate that they were baked too long. If you bake them a little too long, well, they will still taste delicious (speaking from experience here - it's not like they are a total loss) but they might be closer in texture to a peanut butter cookie rather than a soft, fudgy blondie (basically a brownie with no chocolate but a brownie-like texture), which is kind of what we're going for here.
- Use melted butter. Using melted butter instead of creaming the butter with the sugar is important here because it results in a denser, more brownie-like texture instead of a fluffier, more cake-like bar.
Variations
- Add mix-ins - Try mixing in 1 cup of milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips, Reese's peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped peanuts for something different.
- Decorate the top - Chopped Reese's peanut butter cups or Reese's peanut butter chips would be another great option for topping these bars!
- Disneyland peanut butter blondies - You might have seen a version of these at Disney that skips the frosting and instead just spreads a layer of peanut butter on the blondies while they are still warm from the oven. Then the top is generously sprinkled with even more Reese's Pieces than what you see here until it is practically covered.
Recipe FAQ's
I really don't recommend baking with natural peanut butter because the results never seem to turn out quite as well. You can certainly use it, but be sure to stir it well first.
Absolutely! We have made these where we just sprinkle the Reese's Pieces on top of the bars before baking and they turn out delicious.
Just like with my favorite thick, fudgy, chewy ultimate brownies, these blondies use an extra egg yolk which helps with a little bit of that extra richness and moisture that is the hallmark of a fudgy, chewy brownie (or blondie in this case). Melted butter also helps achieve a fudgier, chewier texture.
Yes, almond butter or other nut butters (e.g. cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) can be used to make peanut butter blondies.
Storage Suggestions
We recommend storing these peanut butter bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving if refrigerated.
Can I freeze these frosted peanut butter bars?
Absolutely! They freeze great for up to 1 month. Just slice into squares and freeze in a single layer on parchment paper for 1 hour before transferring to an airtight container for longer freezing.
More Peanut Butter Recipes
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Homemade Peanut Brittle
- Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Peanut Butter Blondies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Blondies
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup Reese's Pieces
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a square 8x8 baking dish with a parchment paper sling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, egg and extra egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well to combine.
- Stir in the flour and salt with a spoon, then spread into the prepared baking dish, pushing towards the edges of the pan as needed. Sprinkle with Reese's Pieces, if not planning to frost.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until done, then remove from oven and cool completely. Do not overbake.
- Prepare the frosting by beating the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, cream and powdered sugar and beat well, then frost the peanut butter blondies in the pan and sprinkle with Reese's Pieces. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Mix-ins: Add ¾ to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips to the batter, if desired.
- Disneyland peanut butter blondies: You might have seen a version of these at Disney that skips the frosting and instead just spreads a layer of peanut butter on the blondies while they are still warm from the oven. Then the top is generously sprinkled with even more Reese's Pieces than what you see here until it is practically covered.
- Storage: We recommend storing these peanut butter bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving if refrigerated.
- Freezing: They freeze great for up to 1 month. Just slice into squares and freeze in a single layer on parchment paper for 1 hour before transferring to an airtight container for longer freezing.
- Pan size: A 9x9-inch pan can be used but the bars will be slightly thinner and bake a couple minutes faster. Or you can double the recipe and use a 9x13-inch pan.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September, 2017. The photos and content were updated in September, 2022.
Oh, those look so inviting and delicious. Thanks!
You are welcome!
These look delicious! Love the tips. That first shot with the peanut butter topping and the fork has my mouth watering!
That really IS a long shipping time!
This would be such a sweet care package to receive! I love baking with this bob's red mill flour too.
My mouth is watering for these!
I must make these! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Wow, these look delicious! I need to make these! Everything looked great...until I saw the nutrition facts, lol! But that won't stop me. I would definitely have to send some to my brothers who are still in college. All three of them live in Provo.
Lol - yeah, these definitely aren't doing my hips any favors! Although if you make them without the frosting that cuts down on the calories big time. 🙂
Those peanut butter blondies look so decadent, yes, even without chocolate!
These little delicious squares would go perfect with my latte this afternoon. Shipping baked goods can be a challenge. Last year I shipped cookies in boxes, and used lots of bubble wrap. Everything arrived fine.
I love sending care packages with baked goods! My brother-in-law just started his freshman year at Columbia, so it looks like it's time to send him a taste of home.
Thanks for sharing your great recipe Amy!
That's so far away!
These peanut butter blondies are amazing!!
These look AMAZING! Love the candies up on top. My kiddo would absolutely LOVE it if I made these - or better yet, if we made them together!
These look so, so good, Amy! I could definitely eat a few! The care package idea is so cute, I love it! It would be lovely to receive something like these blondies in the post!!
I'd certainly love to have a nice square of peanut butter blondie with my coffee. The frosting looks delicious. The M & M's remind me of Fall and Halloween.
Anything with peanut butter always makes me happy!
This is a fantastic post! Well done!
Thanks, Marlee!!
I love this idea!
Peanut butter blondies are YUMMY.......... Its look amazing .These blondies are one of the best peanut butter desserts. Girls went absolutely crazy over the frosted ones.
Thanks for commenting! I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed them!
How would you recommend storing these if they cannot be eaten that day? With the cream in the frosting I'm assuming they would need refrigeration.
Yes, I would keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.
These peanut butter and chocolate blondies are a fantastically easy and delicious treat that your kids will love.
Perfect! I love this recipe! I haven’t made one in ages. Thanks for the idea!
These were ridiculously delicious for my peanut butter living family! Seriously, never seen them finish a whole traybake this fast! 😀
Drooling over these blondies. Looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
These blondies speak to my peanut butter loving heart! They are so rich and scrumptious.
This recipe definitely speaks to me. Big fan of PB anything, right here. These turned out wonderfully and I look forward to making them again. Everyone loved them!
Whipped up a batch of these this weekend and they did not disappoint! Easily, my new favorite way to cure my sweet tooth; delicious!
Hi, First of all I want to say thank you for sharing your amazing recipes! Perfection!!! For this recipe is it an 8x8 pan or 9x9 ?
First time making it and can’t wait to try them!
Thank you so much! I somehow missed sharing that info originally but updated the post to reflect that I used an 8x8-inch pan but a 9x9-inch pan can also be used but the bars will be slightly thinner and bake a couple minutes faster. Or you can double the recipe and use a 9x13-inch pan. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!