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This Peanut Butter Blondie recipe is as easy as it gets, calling for only 6 ingredients that you probably already have on hand. They are unbelievably decadent, while being naturally-sweetened and flourless!
What’s the Difference Between a Brownie and a Blondie?
If you’re not familiar with “blondies,” they are basically brownies without cocoa powder added in. They remind me of a deep dish cookie, with more of a buttery, brown sugar flavor. And they’re even more like a deep dish cookie when you add in some chocolate chips!
How to Make Gluten-Free Blondies
These peanut butter blondies are naturally gluten-free because they use NO flour– and you don’t even miss it! They are inspired by the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, which lays out guidelines for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (also called SCD, for short).
This special diet may help to heal the intestine (including yeast overgrowth, like candida) through avoiding certain types of starches and sugars, while embracing others. Honey is one of the recommended sweeteners for the SCD, as it’s a monosaccharide, and can be used by the body very quickly without expending much digestive energy.
I’ve also included a vegan option using coconut sugar if you prefer to use that. (You can find my substitution notes directly under the printable recipe in this post.)
How to Make Them
Making these flourless peanut butter blondies couldn’t be easier. Simply stir together the peanut butter, honey, egg, salt, and baking soda, and pour it into a pan to bake.
Just 20 minutes later, it’s like a rich deep-dish cookie!
I like to add some dark chocolate chips to these for extra decadence, but that’s totally optional. (And chocolate is not SCD compliant if you follow that protocol.)
It’s important that you let these blondies cool completely before slicing and serving them. They are very tender when they are warm, and will be difficult to hold without them breaking.
I recommend placing them in the fridge to cool down faster, and I even keep mine stored in the fridge because they last longer that way.
Which Peanut Butter is Best for Blondies?
I use all-natural peanut butter when making this recipe, which has no added oil or sugar. (You can make homemade peanut butter in just 5 minutes, too!)
If you want to use a peanut butter like Jif or Skippy, that will most likely work, too, but I haven’t tested those myself. (But let me know if you try it so I can hear how it goes for you!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter (preferably organic)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 whole egg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt , plus coarse salt if desired as a topping
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8" square pan with parchment paper. (Pro Tip: Grease the pan with a little spray oil first to help keep the parchment paper in place when you add the batter)
- In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, egg, salt and baking soda and stir well, until a thick and sticky batter has formed. Fold in the dark chocolate chips, if using.
- Use a spatula to pour the batter into the prepared pan, then use it to smooth the top. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top of the batter, if desired. (I highly recommend it!)
- Bake at 350ºF until the top is a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the blondies cool completely, as they are very fragile when warm, then cut into squares and serve. I like to store mine in the fridge in an airtight container, for a really firm texture and longer shelf life.
Video
Nutrition
How to Make Vegan Blondies:
To make this recipe vegan, replace the egg with a chia egg, and replace the honey with 1/2 cup of coconut sugar. Check out my Almond Butter Blondies, which are naturally vegan & paleo friendly for this method.
As always, feel free to experiment with other nut butters and sweeteners. If you try something different, please leave a comment below letting me know what worked for you! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite healthy sweetener? Dates have been my other go-to sweetener lately, so be sure to try my Date-Sweetened Brownies and Date-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies!
Girl, this recipe is genius. I mentioned you and linked back to it in this blog post: http://casamoses.blogspot.com/2012/11/032-fat-friday-you-wont-believe-it.html
Thank you for sharing your genius. Because of you, I didn’t have a dessert-less Thanksgiving.
These are the best. I made them with macadamia nuts for my father-in-law who can’t do chocolate-delicious!
These were super yummy! Thanks for the recipe! When do you usually eat desserts like this according to the food combining rules? Is it the same as the fruits…only by themselves or before a meal? Or is there not a good time and these are just a splurge?
These are a bit of a splurge, so I would enjoy them after a veggie-centric meal, like a large raw salad dressed with a tahini dressing and maybe some steamed veggies. Eating the raw veggies first will help these treats digest better!
I forgot to mention that super-strict food combiners will only eat desserts first (including fruit), at least 30 minutes before a meal, but I have a hard time doing that myself. Why would I want anything else AFTER dessert?! So, I stick to my vegetable-centric meals and indulge in my desserts afterward, even if it isn’t perfectly combined that way. 😉
I added these to myfitnesspal and figured out the nutritional value (following the recipe exactly -using an egg)…thought I’d share. Thanks for the recipe!!!
16 servings:
cal/ carbs. fat/ protein
Total: 2755 261 170 68
Per Serving: 172 16 11 4
These are one of the best sweet treats I’ve ever had! Sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty. I have many friends with a variety of diet restrictions; I will be pulling out this recipe often!
Hi,
I just found your blog and i am so obsessed! I actually just made your almond cookies and they are yum, but i really want to make this.
By natural pb, do you mean also no sugar added? Thanks!!
Yes, the ingredients in the peanut butter should just be peanuts. Hope you enjoy them!
Finally got a chance to make this. Out of the oven the top got dark, but the inside is very very gooey. Will it firm up a bit? or should i put it back into the oven a little longer?
The middle shouldn’t be too gooey. Since oven temperatures vary, perhaps try lowering yours and baking a little longer? (You can cover the top with foil to avoid burning.)
Also, if you used a flax egg instead of a whole egg, the insides tend to be more gooey… but, of course, then you don’t have to worry about under-baking it! 😉
I ended up putting them back in the oven and covered the top with foil. Just needed a bit longer. They are awesome!!!! I have done recipes like this before but they all call for brown sugar and besides for the fact that i prefer to use honey, the brown sugar makes the texture more crunchy. I just love these and they were so so simple to make. Which isnt good b.c then i’ll want to make them too often!! Thanks so much!
Made these this weekend w/maple syrup instead of honey. They are WONDERFUL! They’re really good w/vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream on top. :0)
I made these last night and they are delicious! I used almond butter instead and added a tablespoon of ground flax meal and they are simply delicious and so easy to make!!
I made these with organic peanut butter, they tasted so amazing and everyone in my family loved them. Now I am making them with almond butter. I can not wait to taste. This is a must make recipe
Made these a couple days ago…delicious!!!