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 lovers!
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper (or aluminum foil with cooking spray). Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 375° F (190° C) for high-altitude baking.
Sift flour (1 cup) and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl mix the soft butter (½ cup) and egg (1) together. Stir in the peanut butter (½ cup), brown sugar (1 cup), vanilla extract(1 tablespoon), and mix. You can do this by hand, with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer.
Add sifted flour and stir with a spoon until no more flour streaks show. Then Stir in chocolate chips (½ cup).
Spoon batter into the prepared 8-by-8 pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
Distribute the peanut butter cups (about 16 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups) evenly over the surface of the batter, pushing each cup down so the top is even with the surface of the batter.
Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips (1 tablespoon) on the surface between the peanut butter cups.
Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, avoiding the chocolate chips.
Allow bars to cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Or cool completely. Fresh Tip, use a plastic knife to slice the blondies cleanly. Serve with milk or ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe doubles for a 9x13-inch pan; you may need to bake them for a few extra minutes.
Make a peanut butter cup pie! Spread into a 9-inch pie plate, press the peanut butter cups in and bake! Bake a little less time. TOP TIP: Don't overbake these blondies! They should lose their gloss on the top and barely turn golden brown.
Storage Tips
These peanut butter blondies are best when stored in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days. Freeze for longer storage | Cool blondies completely, then wrap tight in plastic wrap (TIP: wrap individually for quick thaw and grab and go treats), then place in an airtight baggie. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
Variations & Substitutions
Malted Peanut Butter Blondies | Add ¼ cup of malted milk powder for a malty flavor! Use the thin peanut butter cups instead of miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups.Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars | 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.Low-Carb Peanut Butter Bars | Replace the peanut butter cups with a no-sugar peanut butter cup and chop into chunks. Use all almond flour and replace the sugar and chocolate chips with sugar-free substitutes. I like Lakanto brown sugar and Lily’s sugar-free chocolate chips.