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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:Â these bars keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.Â
To cool the bars quickly for frosting: place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and glaze.
Loveee this recipe. Everything about it is amazing, but the best part is that you don’t have to use an electric mixer. These have become one of my family’s favorite and whenever I ask what I should bake, they ask for these! It’s so simple and so versatile, with all the different variations you can make. The glaze could be used on so many other things as well and the recipe is easily doubled for a bigger batch when you want to share. 10/10!
Hey Mackenzie,
Awesome!! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and love to hear that it is always a hit! xTieghan
I made this tonight with my daughter! Absolutely amazing! She’s picky and she loved it! You’re one of my favorites.?
Hi Savanna,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xT
Question! Can I freeze these with the glaze or will it be especially sensitive to heat after defrosting? Thanks!
Hey Cait,
I’ve not frozen these before, but I think they should be okay! If you wanted, you could freeze without the glaze and just make that fresh. Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it!! xx
Bangin! And fun to make. I undercooked mine and didn’t realize it until after I had poured the glaze on. I bit the bullet and put them back in for five minutes. They came out perfect, even the glaze kept soft and drizzly. I let cool for an hour before trying to remove the cut bars from the pan and they came out perfect. Delicious! My glaze came out much darker than pictured though, more of a maple brown. Wondering why this may be? Still super good, but the white is a much nicer visual.
Hey Mackenzie,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! Could have been your maple syrup, if it is super dark:) xxT
How do you keep the frosting from seizing up? Over the past 2 days I’ve remade the frosting a dozen times and every time, no matter how much I let the butter cool or heat the syrup or let it set at room temp, the frosting seizes when I make it as directed. I’ve now gone through about 4 pounds of butter trying to get it right. What am I missing?!
Hey Kendall,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear you are having some issues! So sorry, I am not sure what you mean by seizes up…can you be more specific? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Just needed to add some milk to mine. It also formed a dough ball for me. I used heavy cream and it was delicious!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I am glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Really great easy recipe, but way too much glaze. I had a lot of extra which I’m sure I’ll find a use for, but with the price of ingredients, I’d cut it down by half next time.
Hi Joy,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry about the glaze! Have a great Saturday! xx
I may or may not be saving this brown butter frosting recipe to put on EVERYTHING! ? loved these, thanks Tieghan!
Hey Sloane,
Lol right?! It’s the best! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
Made these for a spur of the moment get-together. They couldn’t be easier to make, and were delicious! I’ll be making these again for sure!
Hey Lynn,
Thanks for your comment! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed:) Have a great weekend! xxTieghan
Can’t stop eating these!! So good!
Hey Lauryn,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Made these tonight and they were so good!! The brown butter glaze really adds an extra layer of deliciousness. Tieghan never disappoints!??
Hey Amanda,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
Do you think these could be made into cookies?
Hi Rochelle,
Sure, that should work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I made these yesterday and they were amazing! Easy to make and that glaze! Im going to use that glaze on everything!
Hey Marika,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Very good! I added some flaky salt to the top because they were very sweet. Also I would half the icing next time. But I loved the texture of the blondie. 🙂
Hey Anna,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx
I’ve loved many recipes on this site but this is not one of them. Something about the flavor combination was off for me.
Hi Debra,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xx
Made these for a dinner party and everyone was raving! Had quite a bit of extra glaze – I think you could cut that in half if you want!
Hey Sydney,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx
Honestly: so. very. good! I’ve made these twice now, in as many weeks. 🙂 I added some flavored nut butters – a macadamia/coconut, and a pecan/caramel – and they worked beautifully. Based on personal sweetness preference, I drizzled on just a portion the glaze, and refrigerated what was left; saved well, and worked perfectly again today after a quick warming in the microwave. Next week’s flavor… Cinnamon Bun!
Hey Sharon,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out!! ?xx