Peanut Butter Blondies

These peanut butter blondies are soft and gooey, and filled with plenty of chocolate chips! They have no flour in them and need just five ingredients.

I love peanut butter desserts.

Seriously, add peanut butter to anything, and I will enjoy it. We’ve added it to cheesecake, made classic cookies with them, and even made delicious no bake bars with it.

Inspired by my classic peanut butter jelly bars, these peanut butter blondies are a winner.

Today’s recipe was inspired by Trader Joe’s peanut butter blondies. As one of my favorite all-time desserts, I knew I had to recreate them. These have a delicate texture- soft, chewy, and loaded with peanut butter flavor. 

Table of Contents

1. Why this recipe works
2. Ingredients needed
3. How to make peanut butter blondies 
4. Tips to make the best recipe
5. Dietary swaps and substitutions
6. Storage instructions
7. More delicious ways to use peanut butter
8. Frequently asked questions
9. Peanut Butter Blondies (Recipe Card)

Why this recipe works

• They use simple ingredients. No flour or grains are needed, so this recipe is pretty much foolproof.
• Gluten-free. A perk of flourless desserts is that they are suitable for celiacs, as they don’t contain gluten in them!
• 5 Ingredients. Peanut butter, eggs, maple syrup, baking soda, and chocolate. That is it!

Ingredients needed

As mentioned earlier, you only need five ingredients to make these blondies. Here is what you will need.

• Peanut butter– You must use a smooth and drippy style of peanut butter with no added sugar. The peanut butter I use has a little salt added to it, which helps bring out the flavor of the blondies. 
• Maple syrup OR honey– For thicker blondies, use honey. For ultra-gooey blondies, use maple syrup. 
• Egg– Room temperature eggs. 
• Baking soda– Gives the blondies a little rise.
• Chocolate– Chop up a good quality chocolate bar with at least 70% cocoa content. Chopped chocolate works much better than chocolate chips, as they melt well. 

How to make peanut butter blondies 

Make the batter: In a mixing bowl, add all your ingredients, except for the chocolate, and mix until combined. Fold through your chocolate, reserving a few to top the blondies with.

Bake: Next, transfer the batter into an 8 x 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Bake the blondies in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for 20 minutes.

Cool then slice: Remove from the oven and allow the blondies to cool in the pan completely before removing and slicing up. 

Tips to make the best recipe

• If your batter is super thick, you can add an extra egg to it. I’ve never had this issue, and often, a thicker batter is due to thicker peanut butter. 
• Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the mixture if you use unsalted peanut butter. 
• Do not overbake the blondies. They continue to cook while they are cooling down.
• For cakier blondies, reduce the maple syrup by two tablespoons.

Dietary swaps and substitutions

The beauty of these blondies is that they can fit almost any diet out there…with just a few tweaks!

Sub out the peanut butter: If you are allergic to peanuts or don’t want to use peanuts, try almond butter or another nut/seed butter, like tahini.

Make them eggless: Swap out the eggs for an egg substitute. You may also prefer to make vegan blondies.

Cut the sugar: You can easily switch out the maple syrup for sugar free syrup or even sugar free honey. Also swap out the chocolate for sugar free chocolate chips.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Blondies will keep for up to 2 weeks. 

To freeze: Place blondies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw the blondies overnight in the refrigerator before eating them.

More delicious ways to use peanut butter

• Chocolate peanut butter cake
• Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
• Peanut butter cornflake bars
• Peanut butter chocolate bars

Frequently asked questions