Easy Peanut Butter Blondies

This delicious peanut butter blondie recipe produces soft, fudgy pieces packed with chocolate chips, with a wonderful hint of sweet and salt. Quick and easy, this is a wonderfully mess-free, minimalist bake made with one bowl and one spoon!

Easy Peanut butter blondie recipe 

Peanut butter is such a symbol of American food, that it seems a perfect match for blondies, a classic American style bake.

Blondies are great fun to make, not least because they are so easy that they never, ever go wrong. I have been baking them a lot recently, and this is a delicious variation on my easy blondie recipe.

I like the subtle hint of saltiness in a sweet recipe that comes with using peanut butter, much like the addictive quality of salted caramel.

This peanut butter blondies recipe is just right for a regular 8″/20 cm square pan, and uses one egg, making 16 pieces.

Why you will love my peanut butter blondies

• They are very easy to make, with minimal washing up!

• No need for an electric mixer!

• They are absolutely delicious.

• Make from scratch in about 45 minutes.

• As with all blondies and brownies, they’re ready straight from the baking tray. No assembly required.

• Blondies keep well – about 5 days in a tin.

• It’s easy to scale the recipe up for a party.

Ingredients 

• Flour – You can use self raising but I use plain flour with added baking powder.

Pro Tip – Why Bake with Plain Flour? 

I’m often asked why I bake with plain flour and add a raising agent rather than use self raising. 

First – I don’t bake that often, and the raising agent in the flour can go off. If you use a separate baking powder, it is really easy to check that it is still fresh. 

Secondly – My kitchen is tiny! By not using self raising flour, I gain some much needed cupboard space. 

• Soft brown sugar – This has a good flavour and light soft brown sugar gives a good golden colour too.

• Golden caster sugar – This lighter sugar provides balance.

• Peanut butter – I’ve used smooth, but crunchy will work just as well. Every day supermarket own brand works perfectly – don’t use a posh peanut butter that separates!

• Butter – Regular supermarket butter, not butter substitute.

• Egg – Large free range

• Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract is real vanilla. Vanilla essence is usually synthetic, so avoid it. I like vanilla paste with visible vanilla seeds. Adjust the quantity according to how potent it is.  

• Baking powder – Leave it out if using self raising flour. If you have had your baking powder for a while, check that it is still fresh. It usually lasts for months, if not years past the expiry date, but it is best to check.  

Optional

• Chocolate chips – the blondies are very good without, but chocolate adds another layer of indulgence.

Easy peanut butter blondies recipe – step by step

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4. Prepare an 8″/20 cm square baking tin, lining it with baking parchment, and then greasing with butter, cake release spray or a light neutral oil.

I favour foiled parchment for lining tins. It is a little more expensive but it is so much easier to use, and it stays in place when you fold it.

This recipe may look long, but every step is really easy!

Step One – Melt the butter and 50g of the peanut butter together. You can do this in a saucepan or in a large bowl or jug in the microwave. Don’t overdo it. You want it to melt but it shouldn’t be hot. Stir so they are well combined.

Top tip
I find the easiest way to melt butter is in the microwave. Depending on the power of your microwave, half melt it and then take it out and stir until it’s all liquid. By doing this rather than trying to melt it all, you avoid burning or heating it.

Step Two – Now add the two types of sugar. Stir them in well.

Step Three – Add the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in well.

Step Four – Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate chips. Fold them into the wet ingredients to form a glossy well mixed batter.

Step Five – Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Give it a gentle shake to level it out.

Step Six – Heat the remainder of the peanut butter in the microwave for about 10–20 seconds. It should be melted and runny, but not hot.

Pour the melted peanut butter over the blondie batter. Swirl it in, making sure you get it into the corners. I like to use the handle of a teaspoon to do this.

Step Seven – Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the edges have risen, become crinkly, shrinking away from the edge of the pan. The centre will still be soft, and will wobble slightly if you (gently) shake the tray.

Turn the pan halfway through cooking if your oven doesn’t cook evenly. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.

Allow the blondies to stand in the tin for 10–15 minutes on a cooling rack. The centre will continue to firm up in the residual heat it cools.

Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely before cutting

Step Eight – Finally, cut the cool peanut butter blondies into a 4×4 grid to make 16 pieces.

Peanut butter blondies FAQs

Hints and tips for blondies

• Store for up to 5 days. Wrap the peanut butter blondies in the baking parchment you used to line the pan. Then seal them in an airtight tin. For a fresh from the oven taste, microwave for 10 seconds to warm up and restore that delicious gooey centre.

• You can also wrap well and freeze for 3 months, but we never had any left over after a few days.

• To double the recipe – use a 13 x 9″ baking pan. The blondies will be a bit deeper and need a few minutes more to cook.

• Take time to stir the flour in properly to prevent any separation and greasy blondies.

• Use butter! You don’t want baking spread for blondies. It just doesn’t taste the same.

• Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while essence is often synthetically made and contains little or no actual vanilla. Use real vanilla!

• Add some chunks of dark chocolate for real indulgence!

More Blondie Recipes

• Classic easy blondies – gooey, fudgy, buttery and so so good

• Coffee blondies – rich buttery blondies with added coffee – perfect with your mid morning pick me up

• Biscoff Blondies – the classic fudgy blondie laden with Biscoff spread, swirls and topping as well as crunchy pieces of Lotus biscuit.