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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Easy Peanut Butter Blondies

    Modified: Aug 31, 2023 · Published: Mar 1, 2023 by Sarah Jenkins. This post may contain affiliate links. See the Privacy Policy at the bottom of this page.

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    These Easy Peanut Butter Blondies are the absolute best peanut butter dessert around. They have the texture of a brownie - soft and gooey in the center with a crispy edge - but the flavor of a cookie - in this case, a delicious peanuty flavor with bits of heath bar toffee candy sprinkled in.  They’re a quick dessert that comes together in just 45 minutes and are a huge favorite around our house!

    peanut butter blondies on cooling rack.

    Wondering what the difference between blondies and brownies is? Blondies are sort of like brownies, except the base isn’t made of chocolate. This version, with creamy peanut butter and crunchy Heath bar chips is the ultimate blondie recipe!

    Why This Is The BEST Peanut Butter Blondie Recipe

    • Crispy and chewy!! These babies are crispy on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside, making the perfect chewy bite every time. 
    • Quick and Easy! These blondie bars come together quickly and require no chilling time. You’ll have these done from start to finish in under 45 minutes.
    • Heath bar crumbles. The small bits of chocolate and toffee add great flavor and texture to these dessert bars.
    • A crowd-pleaser every time! These bars are so great for crowds because everyone always loves them. They’re the perfect peanut butter dessert for potlucks, BBQs, Christmas, Halloween, birthday parties - you name it!
    peanut butter blondies, stacked view from the side.
    Look at that chewy center!

    Ingredients

    • Butter. Butter makes these blondies super soft and deliciously chewy. You’ll melt the butter on the stove, along with the brown sugar in this recipe before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
    • Brown sugar. Brown sugar has a caramel toffee-like flavor that deepens the flavors in these peanut butter blondie bars and goes great with the heath bar candy.
    • Peanut butter. If you’ve ever tried to make a cookie with natural peanut butter, you’ll quickly realize that it leads to a crumbly mess. Natural peanut butter tends to dry out baked goods so using a processed version here is best. I used creamy, but if you’re looking for a bit more texture in these bars, crunchy would work well too.
    • Eggs. The eggs will help bind your flour, sugar, and butter in this recipe and create a moist and chewy texture for these blondies.
    • Vanilla extract. I always opt for real vanilla extract (not imitation vanilla) but it’s ok if that's all you have.  
    • Molasses. While you typically get a touch of a molasses flavor from the brown sugar, adding just a bit of molasses to this recipe adds a more complex range of flavors. It gives off notes of caramel but its sweetness is less intense than the brown sugar. 
    • All-purpose flour. The flour will help thicken your blondies and provide some much-needed structure.
    • Baking powder and baking soda. 
    • Salt. You only need a touch of salt to enhance the flavors here. Be light-handed if you used salted butter.
    • Heath bar candy chips. Heath bar candy chips add just the right amount of crunch and are a welcome surprise in each bite. They pair perfectly with the peanut butter flavors of this blondie recipe. They typically come in bags and can be found in the baking aisle alongside the chocolate chips. 
    close up of peanut butter blondie.

    How To Make Them

    1. Start by preparing your pan. I used an 8x8-inch square pan here. Line it with parchment paper or grease it with butter to prevent the peanut butter blondies from sticking to the sides. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Melt your butter and brown sugar. Add them both to a medium-sized saucepan over low-medium heat and whisk until the butter has melted and the brown sugar is well incorporated. 
    3. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes before adding the peanut butter, molasses, eggs, and vanilla. 
    4. Mix it all together! In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients, then add in your peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. At this point, the batter will be quite thick. Fold in ½ of the heath bar chips.
    5. Bake the blondies. Pour the blondie batter into your prepared pan, then sprinkle the top with the rest of the Heath bar chips and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. 
    6. Cool completely. Allow the blondies to cool completely before cutting and serving.
    cup of peanut butter in measuring cup.
    sauce pan combining peanut butter, eggs, vanilla and molasses.
    mixing bowl with peanut butter blondie batter and heath bar candies mixed in.
    batter for peanut butter blondies in pan on cutting board with cooking tools around the pan.

    Variations

    Not a fan of Heath bars? No problem. There are lots of ways to customize these peanut butter blondies to your liking.

    • Use different candy. Chocolate chips, Reese’s pieces, or white chocolate chips would all be great as a sub for the heath bar candy crumbles in this blondie recipe.
    • Omit the candy altogether. Who doesn't love a classic peanut butter blondie bar?
    • Add some nuts. Walnuts, pecans, or even actual peanuts are great additions and can add some nice texture to these blondies.
    closeup side view of peanut butter blondies laid in a grid.

    Helpful Hints

    • Important! Let the blondies rest before cutting into them. I know, this is absolute torture, but if you cut into them as soon as they come out of the oven they’ll be a crumbly mess. These blondie bars need time to rest so that they can firm up a bit in the center. Don’t worry - it’s worth it once you bite into that gooey center!
    • To freeze: Allow the blondies to cool completely then freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw completely before serving. 
    • Use processed peanut butter. Natural peanut butter is not a great option for baked goods since it tends to dry them out. Use processed peanut butter for this recipe.

    The last time I made these Easy Peanut Butter Blondies at my house, they were gone in about a day so consider making a double batch. (They actually freeze really well!) If you make these blondie bars, let me know what you think in the comments, and tag me with a pic @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece!

    peanut butter blondies cut into squares, arranged on a cooling rack and plate.

    More Peanut Butter Recipes

    • No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls
    • Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
    • Halloween Candy Monster Cookies

    Recipe

    peanut butter blondies on parchment paper and cooling rack, cut into squares.

    Easy Peanut Butter Blondies

    Author: Sarah Jenkins
    These EASY Peanut Butter Blondies are ready in under an hour and are chock full of peanuty flavor. Gooey on the inside, crispy on the edges, these blondie bars will be your new favorite peanut butter treat!
    5 from 43 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Cooling Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 bars
    Calories 639 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup butter
    • 1 ½ cup dark brown sugar
    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter Use a processed peanut butter, not natural
    • 2 large eggs
    • ½ tbsp vanilla extract
    • ½ tablespoon molasses
    • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup heath bar candy chips

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8 pan or baking dish, or line with parchment paper to prevent the bars from sticking and for easy removal.
    • In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and combine the brown sugar. Heat until melted, whisking continuously.
    • Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then whisk in the peanut butter, molasses, and eggs, (whisk in one at a time) followed by the vanilla.
    • In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredeints to the flour mixture and stir everything well to combine. Fold in ½ of the health bar chips into the batter, then spread the batter into the pan.
    • Sprinkle the remaining heath bar chips over the top of the blondie batter.
    • Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Watch them carefully and don’t overbake.
    • Transfer the blondies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before slicing into them.
    • These blondie dessert bars can be stored covered, or in a container, at room temperature for up to 1 week.

    Notes

    • Important! Let the blondies rest before cutting into them. I know, this is absolute torture, but if you cut into them as soon as they come out of the oven they’ll be a crumbly mess. These blondie bars need time to rest so that they can firm up a bit in the center. Don’t worry - it’s worth it once you bite into that gooey center!
    • To freeze: Allow the blondies to cool completely then freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw completely before serving. 
    • Use a processed peanut butter. Natural is not a great option for baked goods since it tends to dry them out. Use a processed peanut butter for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 639kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 11gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 430mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 3gSugar: 55gVitamin A: 375IUCalcium: 67mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword blondie brownies, dessert bar, easy dessert, heath bar, peanut butter dessert, quick dessert
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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    Comments

      5 from 43 votes (42 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kristen says

      April 26, 2023 at 3:34 am

      5 stars
      OMG-these peanut butter blondies are the BEST! I love the addition of the heath bars.

      Reply
      • Sarah Jenkins says

        April 26, 2023 at 5:53 pm

        Yes - the heath bars add such a nice little crunchy surprise!

        Reply
    Sarah Jenkins

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I love creating dishes based on what's in season and using local ingredients as often as I can. I hope you'll find some new to you recipes here that will inspire you to make something delicious!

    More about me →

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