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Soft and gooey Brown Butter Glazed Peanut Butter Blondies. Made with butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and even some chocolate – if you’d like that too. These bars are generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy brown butter maple glaze. There’s really nothing not to love about these peanut butter blondies. And the true secret? Brown butter and brown sugar. They keep these blondies incredibly flavorful, soft, gooey, and so delicious. They’re sweet, salty, peanutty, made in just 40 minutes, and every last bite is truly delicious.
I know you all know this by now, but peanut butter has always been an ingredient my family loves. Growing up in Ohio, the buckeye state, my mom would often make buckeyes. Also known as chocolate peanut butter balls. And her Special K-Bars (the third recipe I ever posted) well, those were in our weekly rotation. Sometimes two, even three times a week – depending on the week!
My mom kept the desserts very well stocked.
So, yes, peanut butter has always been a staple dessert ingredient. And I love to play around with new ways to incorporate it into recipes, both sweet and savory.
Since we’re in this weird time where we’re transitioning from winter to spring. Lately, I’ve mostly been experimenting with mixing lighter berry-filled sweets with the tried and true classics.
However, it’s been forever since I made blondies, so I thought it would be fun to reinvent them a bit.
Enter these extra peanutty, sweet, and salty blondies. They’re the easiest to make and so delicious. Perfect for the weekend!
The steps
What I love about this blondie recipe is just how simple it is. You don’t even need a mixer!
Melt the butter and peanut butter together until creamy and combined. Add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then stir in the flour with some baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Very simple.
Since we all love chocolate, I stirred in a handful of chocolate chunks before baking. Totally optional.
While the bars cool, make the glaze.
Most blondie recipes are not glazed, but I wanted these to be extra special and a little over the top.
I took inspiration from my apple doughnuts that I shared this past fall. I decided on a buttery maple glaze with vanilla throughout. It’s just browned butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Simple, but delicious.
And it really does make these bars.
I kept the glaze drizzly but still thick and creamy. That way it can really sink into all the nooks and crannies of these peanutty blondie bars.
Nothing fancy by any means, but total and complete perfection.
Here’s a little tip, let the bars cool for 10 or so minutes, then drizzle on the glaze and enjoy a few of the bars warm. There isn’t anything better. The glaze melts onto the chocolate chunks and pockets of peanut butter. Every bite is so delicious!
Looking for other peanut butter desserts? Here are my favorites:
Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Soft and Crinkly Brown Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Glazed Peanut Butter Blondies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Glazed Peanut Butter Blondies
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 232 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)
Brown Butter Glaze
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together the butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Stir in the brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chocolate, if using. 3. Press/spread the dough out into the prepared dish. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool. 4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Add the butter to a small pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Let set for 5 minutes. Cut into bars…snack and enjoy!
Notes
Storing: these bars keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
To cool the bars quickly for frosting: place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and glaze.
Loved this recipe, made it foe the first time today! The bars seem not to be holding together well, but may not be cool enough yet ☺️ Saving this one for future use!
Thank you for trying out the recipe Allison! xT
Just made these bars and they are delicious. I used white chocolate chips instead cause my brother is allergic to chocolate and he loved these bars. Will definitely make again.
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
I’m not much of a baker but these were pretty straight forward and so delicious. My kids were impressed! Will for sure make them again. Thanks!
So glad you are loving this recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
These bars are so moist and satisfying. I used tahini instead of peanut butter for a little different flavor and it’s what I had on hand. Delicious! My glaze never comes out as beautiful as yours. Mine is more of a clear soft glaze vs. a soft firmer white. Any suggestions to get it more firm and solid looking?
Hi Laura,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! I would try adding more powdered sugar! xT
can u use bread flour if that’s all I have
Hey Amber,
So sorry, I have not tested that, so I’m not exactly sure what your results would be! Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I just made these. They are great but a bit thin..I think I might make them next time in a 9 inch square for thicker ones.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday!😃 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
These taste great, but I am not fond of the texture of the bars. Kind of “grainy” instead of chewy. Maybe I added eggs when the butter and peanut butter weren’t cool enough? I will try again, making sure that things are cool before adding the eggs.
Hi Kim,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! You definitely don’t want the eggs and peanut butter to be hot, they should just be melted. Maybe that was the issue! Let me know if you try them again! xx
The glaze on these is delicious! My bars turned out ok, but were more crumbley than they should have been. Maybe I should have used a little margarine or Crisco instead of all butter.
Hey Caitlan,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you:) Sorry to hear they were so crumbly! xx
I would love to adapt this recipe (flavors and all) into a cookie. How would you recommend I amend the flour to moisture ratio?
Hi Shannon,
So sorry, I have never tested that, so I’m not sure what adjustments would need to be made. Let me know if you give them a try! xx
Loved the peanut butter blondie. I used your blondie recipe and made a peanut butter and jelly blondie. I added strawberry jam. I put half the dough in the pan. Then I spread 1/2 cup of strawberry jam on top. I dropped the rest of the dough on top in small pieces. It was great!
Hey Nancy,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! Wow, that sounds delicious!! xT
Wow! This was so amazing! It was a huge hit with all of our friends. I usually don’t go with blondies for dessert but with the peanut butter these are a new favorite!
Hey Heather,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
I’ve made lots of your recipes with the browned butter frostings and glazes, and every other time you’ve stated to chill the browned butter in the freezer until it cools and then adding the rest. I went with the directions in this one and didn’t cool it, and when I added the maple syrup the heat of the browned butter instantly solidified it and the glaze was so chunky and the butter wouldn’t combine with the other ingredients. Not sure if that’s an error in the directions or if I misunderstood a step, but I ended up just making a simple glaze with regular melted butter and everything else turned out 10/10! I adore your recipes!
Hey Lauren,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was tasty and thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
I had the same issue. It should suggest allowing the brown butter to cook a bit instead of adding the sugar and maple syrup directly to the pot. I ended up with a chunky mess instead of a glaze.
Hi Tieghan!
What other butters would you recommend instead of peanut butter? Do you think sunflower butter or cashew butter would work out?
Hey Kylie,
Totally, either of those would be great for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I wanted to combine this recipe with the brownie recipe and lightly swirl the two batters together in one dish. My only concern is the baking time is so different between the two recipes. If this baked for longer, do you think it would dry it out?
Hi Nicole,
So sorry, I have never tested this so I really can’t say how well it would work for you! Please let me know if you give it a try! xx