Best Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Blondies

This one-bowl peanut butter blondie recipe makes drool-worthy, soft, and chewy bars stuffed with peanut butter cups no less – perfect for peanut butter bar lovers! 

It’s a delicious balance of salty and sweet with a peanut butter blondie base, peanut butter cups at the surface, and melty chocolate chips throughout!

Try my popular Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies, this scrumptious blondie recipe and these famous Scottish Shortbread cookies. 

I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!

How to Make Peanut Butter Blondie Recipe

Get started by preheating the oven to 350° F (175° C) and lining a 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Then, sift the flour into a small bowl and set it aside.

Add the room-temperature butter and egg to a large bowl and combine using a spoon, hand mixer or stand mixer. 

Next, mix in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Carefully add the flour to the wet ingredients and combine with a spoon. Try not to overmix!

Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and use the back of the spoon to smooth the top.

Now, place the peanut butter cups on top of the batter evenly. Push the cups down so the top of each is even with the surface of the blondie batter, and sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.

Slip the square pan into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (try and avoid the chocolate).

Then, remove the blondies to a wire rack and allow the peanut butter bars cool in the pan at least 15 minutes before slicing. I recommend using a plastic knife to slice your blondies cleanly,  Satisfy your chocolate and peanut butter craving with this delicious blondie recipe!

Next time you crave salty and sweet peanut butter treats, try my Easy Buckeye Bars, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, or these indulgent Chocolate Fluffernutter Whoopie Pies – Yum!

Variations

Peanut Butter Bars Gluten Free

Replace the flour with ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour and ½ cup of almond flour or oat flour; make sure the rest of your ingredients are gluten-free and bake as directed. Note: All Reese’s are gluten-free, except for their seasonal shapes, such as Christmas trees or eggs.

Low-Carb Peanut Butter Bars

Swap out the peanut butter cups for a no-sugar alternative chopped into chunks. Replace the flour with almond flour and use sugar-free substitutes for the brown sugar and chocolate chips. Not guilty pleasure!

Malt Peanut Butter Blondies

Add a quarter cup of malted milk powder for a delicious, malty flavor. (Note: Malt is not usually gluten-free.)

Gooey-er Peanut Butter Blondies

Use slightly cooled melted butter for the recipe instead of room temperature butter. Similar to this chewy blondie recipe. 

Substitutions

• Use the thin Reese’s cups instead of miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups.
• Switch the creamy peanut butter with crunchy peanut butter for extra texture.
• Try my Homemade Bourbon Vanilla Extract Recipe, or try another extract, like almond.
• Replace the semi-sweet with white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or dark chocolate chips.
• You can substitute all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Butter can be replaced with margarine or a dairy-free butter substitute for a vegan version.
• If you’re looking for an egg-free option, consider using applesauce, flax egg, mashed banana, yogurt, or commercial egg replacers to maintain moisture and binding.
• Use Reese’s Pieces instead of the peanut butter cups, or add them to the recipe for extra Reese’s flavor!

Peanut Free Blondie Cookie Bars

Use other nut butter for this recipe, like sunflower seed butter (nut free) and purchase sun butter cups; or try almond butter or cashew butter if there is no tree nut allergy.

Storage Tips for Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Countertop – Covered or sealed in an airtight container, the brownies will keep on the counter at room temperature for up to four days.

Refrigerate – Store leftover blondies in the fridge in an airtight container or tightly sealed with plastic wrap for five to seven days.

How to Freeze Blondies – Once the recipe completely cools, wrap it in foil then place into an airtight freezer baggie; freeze up to three months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight to enjoy the following day. Thaw on counter. Or wrap individual blondies in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container, then it becomes a lunch treat or grab-and-go snack.

Cookies for Kids Cancer

This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Food bloggers gather to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give every year.

This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.

Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.

Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.

Best appetizers to serve with peanut butter bars

Balance the sweet with these amazing appetizers! Our popular Cranberry cream cheese dip, this easy Cowboy crack dip, this festive Cranberry Jalapeno dip and these creative Charcuterie cups.

Best drinks for peanut butter chocolate bars

Try these peanut butter bars with something creamy and warm, like this White Hot Chocolate Starbucks Copycat recipe, my new copycat recipe for McDonald’s Eggnog Milkshake, or this Christmas morning Chai Latte (not just for Christmas morning).

More Easy Dessert Bars

• Browned Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting
• Lemon Cranberry Bars
• Easy Snickers Candy Bar Fudge Recipe
• Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
• Best Banana Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

I hope you loved these Peanut Butter Blondie Brownies— if you did, would you share your creation on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest? And be sure to comment below!