These blondies are for serious peanut butter lovers. They’re for that nut job who gets a hankering for peanut butter and ends up driving to 3 different grocery stores to find “the right one” (cough cough, me).
If you don’t really love peanut butter…well before we have a serious discussion abut the future of our friendship…just consider yourself warned.
Everyone else? Well, I knew we were friends for a good reason!
I first had these peanut butter blondies a year ago. I won a free treat at the local vegan bake sale via a Twitter competition. When I went to choose my treat, I zeroed right in on these. Boy, I wasn’t sorry!
They were so tender and had that perfect “inner cookie” brown sugar texture. And most of all, they were straight-up peanut butter. Smack you in the face, can barely finish it, peanut butter goodness. But you will finish it, and come back for another in the middle of the night (I know you; we’re friends, remember?)!
Snacks at midnight?! Totally makes me think of Nigella. And well, heck, if these make me think of Nigella, then that makes them like eleventy million times better.
And because the original encounter with these blondies made me buy a cookbook and crave them a year later, and absolutely die upon making them and finding them to taste just as I had remembered…you know they’re pretty amazing!
Oh, and can I tell you a secret? I used that amazing coconut peanut butter! Oh yes I did! And coconut oil! AND (Oh, please stop! Right?) I added mini chocolate chips to the top. Yup, you’re welcome.
Ultimate Peanut Butter Blondies (vegan)
(makes 8 very large blondies)
¾ cup creamy peanut butter (Earth Balance coconut peanut butter)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated Stevia
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour (gluten-free flour mix, or flour of your choice)
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
3 Tbs. dark chocolate chips (vegan, optional)
~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment, sprayed with nonstick spray (leave parchment overhanging to make it easier to remove the bars after they’re baked).
~In your mixing bowl, with a sturdy fork, mix together the peanut butter, coconut oil, and brown sugar until creamy. Then, add the Stevia and almond milk and mix thoroughly; then add the vanilla. Finally, add the flour, salt and baking powder. Start mixing with your fork, and if you need to switch to kneading with your hands to incorporate the flour, do so. Turn the blondie dough into your lined baking dish and press it into an even layer. Sprinkle your peanuts and chocolate chips (optional) over the top and press them into the dough.
~Bake the blondies for 22-25 minutes or until slightly golden. Let the pan of blondies cool on a wire rack completely before removing the blondies (using the overhanging parchment) and cutting them (tip: it is SO much easier to cut these if they’re cold, so I recommend putting them in the fridge for an hour before cutting). Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
NOTE: I’m really excited because I was asked to donate some vegan treats to this year’s bake sale! the very one that had me reeling over Peanut Butter Blondies for a year afterward! I’ll be making and donating some goodies to benefit the Humane Society. Exciting!
YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
Peanut Butter lovers unite!!! 🙂
These looks delish! Thanks for an awesome recipe! Going to pin to make soon 🙂
Thank YOU! You’ll love them! Let me know when you’re done making them and dying over how good they are 😉
Mmm so many blondies turn out dry but these look perfect! Especially with the peanut butter
Oh girl you have no idea!! I hate when I buy a Blondies and they’re a crumbly dry mess. Ugh total bummer! These are so m**** that they’re like eating an underdone cookie. SO perfect!!
YUMM!!!
Thanks girl! I’m totally addicted to these! You have to try them! 🙂
Wait. You’ve combined two of my favorite things into one amazing bar. With the COCONUT peanut butter? Oy. I just don’t even know what to do with myself.
Um, YES!!! Just for you 😉 Seriously, to die for!
Way to make me salivate 😉
Yea!!! I hope there are more of these at the bake sale this year cause I’m bringing plenty of cash to buy one of each sweet throughout the night! Ha!! Thanks again for baking something for the sale!!! 🙂
Stop teasing me!!! 😉
I’ll give you my address and you can ship them, because we are friends 😉
When I am an OLD GRANNY and I could give a rats patooti about stomach pains and possibly dying from eating the foods that cause problems for me, I will be SHOVING THESE in my face!!!!
Omg girl, stop you’re killing me! I was already giggling at the thought of you scouring your city for mysterious peanut butter, then I laughed out loud at, “I know you; we’re friends, remember?)!” BUT I seriously lost it when I read, “eleventy million times better.” Bahaha! Omg, I’m dying!
I already knew this recipe was meant for me…I mean, duh, you practically spelled out my name in the first sentence, but the fact that you made them with the HOLY FREAKIN’ GRAIL OF PEANUT BUTTERS?!!? makes me love you even more! Marry me! We’ll have all the Greek food and peanut butter chocolate wedding cake we can stand…and then we’ll go out for fro-yo afterwards! 😉
Yum these look delicious!
I made these and wow. Honestly I made a more green version using coconut cannaoil. Which was great except so many people wanted to keep eating them because they were so good! Making a drug free version now just to have some delicious treats around the house
Too funny! So glad everyone liked them! I’m pretty sure I ate an entire batch of these too. So yummy.