Softy chewy, and studded with crunchy Reese’s Pieces in every bite, these Peanut Butter Blondies are a peanut butter lover’s dream dessert! Easy to make, they bake in 30 minutes or less and require no chilling. Throw them together for holiday treats, bake sales, and weekday treats.
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It’s not exactly a secret that we love dessert, and peanut butter-flavored varieties are some of our favorites! Just take a look around our site, and you’ll find lots of options like our Soft Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Lovers’ S’mores Dip, and Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms that are so tasty you’ll want to make them all year long.
However, these peanut butter blondies are one recipe we come back to again and again. Even better than your traditional blondie, they’re a family-friendly recipe we know you’re going to adore!
What Are Peanut Butter Blondies?
Traditional blondies are a type of dessert similar to brownies. However, unlike brownies which are made with a rich, chocolate batter, blondies are slightly lighter, because they’re made with brown sugar instead of cocoa powder. Because of this, they’re sometimes also referred to as blonde brownies.
Similar in texture and density to brownies, blondies are golden brown in color and made with a simple base of butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and flour in addition to the brown sugar mentioned. In addition, many recipes also include additions like chocolate chips, nuts, and dried fruit.
Meanwhile, peanut butter blondies contain the same simple batter with the addition of creamy peanut butter! As a result, they’re much richer in flavor with a distinctly nutty taste.
No matter what ingredients are included, blondies are always super simple to make, being mixed in a single bowl. Then, they’re baked in a pan and sliced into squares just like brownies. The end result is a golden brown dessert that is thick, chewy, and sweet.
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Blondies
- They’re soft, chewy, and sweet
- Reese’s Pieces candies are packed into every bite just like our Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats
- The batter is combined in a single bowl and bakes in 30 minutes or less
- A crowd favorite, peanut butter blondies are great to make ahead of time for family gatherings, holiday parties, and more
- You can easily customize the mix-ins to satisfy your flavor preferences and make these peanut butter blondies festive for every holiday
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Light Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is used over white sugar for its richer, caramel-like flavor. It also contains more moisture which helps keep your blondies soft, moist, and chewy like we want.
- Butter – Melted or browned butter is used to contribute to the chewy texture just like it does in other baked goods like browned butter chocolate chip cookies
- Eggs – Two large eggs add structure to the blondies helping them hold their shape.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a high-quality pure vanilla extract.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is used to add structure to the brownies. Make sure to use a food scale or the spoon and level method to measure accurately! Otherwise, your peanut butter blondies could turn out either too dry or too chewy. If needed, swap it out for a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose alternative.
- Baking Powder – Helps the batter rise. Make sure it’s fresh!
- Salt – Used to balance out the rest of the ingredients and enhance the sweet flavors.
- Smooth Peanut Butter – Believe it or not, we don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter for these blondies. While we love it and always have a jar on hand to drizzle over pancakes, it doesn’t work super well when baked as it can cause your blondies to become a bit dry. Instead, we recommend using a store-bought processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jif, and make sure it’s smooth!
- Add-Ins – Reese’s Pieces and mini peanut butter cups are included to take these blondies from good to great, ensuring you get pockets of chocolate peanut butter goodness in every single bite.
How to Make the Best Peanut Butter Blondies
- Prepare. Preheat your oven, and line a baking pan with aluminum foil or
parchment paper . - Make Browned Butter. Melt the butter over medium heat until it is browned. Remove it from the heat, add the brown sugar, and whisk to combine.
- Create the Peanut Butter Blondies Batter. Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl with the butter mixture, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients just until they’re smooth. Fold in the Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips, incorporating them evenly.
- Layer. Add half the peanut butter blondies batter to the baking dish, and spread the peanut butter on top. Then, pour the rest of the batter on top, and smooth it out evenly.
- Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven until your peanut butter blondies are golden brown and the edges are firm. Sprinkle the peanut butter cups on top immediately after removing the dish from the oven.
- Serve. Set your blondies aside to cool. Honestly, we cheat a little and cut them while they’re still warm because we love them soft and gooey. Whether you wait or are impatient like us, all that’s left to do is slice and dig in!
Baking Tip: It’s way easier to pour and spread your peanut butter if you melt it for 30 seconds in the microwave first.
Add-In Variations
Clearly, we didn’t hold back with the mix-ins for these peanut butter blondies. However, the batter works well with a variety of flavors! If you want to switch it up, try swapping out or adding to the Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips with options like:
- Chopped Nuts
- M&M’s or Peanut Butter M&M’s
- Oreo Pieces
- White Chocolate Chips
- Pretzel Pieces
- Marshmallows
How to Store
These Reese’s Peanut Butter Blondies are best prepared ahead of time so that they are able to cool completely before being sliced. This allows them to solidify and hold their shape.
However, they also store well if you happen to have leftovers.
- Room Temperature: Cover your blondies with plastic wrap. Or, place them in an airtight container, and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Refrigerator: Place your blondies in an airtight container, and refrigerate them for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Wrap each blondie in plastic wrap, and transfer them all to a freezer-safe container. Keep them frozen for up to 2-3 months. To eat, thaw them in the fridge overnight, and let them come to room temperature before digging in.
Common Questions About Peanut Butter Blondies
Yes! The best blondies are firm around the edges but gooey and soft in the center. If you want your peanut butter blondies to be even softer and richer, feel free to add an extra egg yolk.
Yes, the tops of the blondies should harden a bit and become more firm as they cool. However, the center should still be soft. If it is not, your blondies have been overbaked.
Neither! A blondie is a sort of cross between a cookie and a brownie and is a unique, delicious dessert all on its own.
More Peanut Butter Filled Desserts
Love peanut butter as much as we do? Satisfy your sweet tooth with more of our favorite desserts!
- Brownie Peanut Butter Pudding
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Oreo Peanut Butter Bars
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Reese’s Peanut Butter Blondies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup Reese’s pieces
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 12-16 Reese’s mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil or parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized pan over medium heat, melt the butter just until it has browned.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the sugar until well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt just until combined. Gently fold the Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips into the batter.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
- Heat the peanut butter in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt. Pour it over the blondie batter, and add the remaining batter on top.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until the edges are firm and golden and the center is still soft.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the peanut butter cups on top.
- Set aside to cool and set. Slice into bars, and serve!
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
