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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!
Making tomorrow for sure!!! What’s net carb in this?
Please see my FAQ page regarding nutritional information: https://detoxinista.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Hi Megan! I made these yesterday using tahini instead of peanut butter, and I added some peanuts in addition to chocolate chips that I made by cutting up a half of a dark chocolate almond bar. I must admit, I started to worry when they had not “set” after about 20 minutes in the oven, but then I turned down the heat a bit, covered them with foil, and let them stay in maybe another 15 minutes. And . . . they are PERFECT! I love the “burnt sugar” flavor that the honey imparts, and the tahini “nuttiness” is delicious! I’ll definitely be making them again to test out peanut butter and almond butter variations. Yum, and thanks! 🙂
Hi Megan. I made these tonight. I substituted peanut for almond butter and instead of honey used Grade A maple syrup. They were tasty, but my batter tended to be very thick and the center was not as gooey as I liked. I think I will reduce the amount of almond butter or add some coconut oil. Thoughts?
I just made them. Many thank from me and my kiddos-Delicious!!
hi, tried these this morning but they turned out very dry and crumbly. my barter was pretty thick, not flowing like yours in your picture. thoughts on what I could add to make them more moist? thanks! 🙂
I’ve had different results when I change peanut butter brands, since some tend to be more oily than others. Next time, I’d try reducing the amount of peanut butter (maybe 3/4 cup?) to see if the batter is more runny that way.
I made these for a potluck and they were such a hit! I added an extra egg white because the batter seemed too sticky at first (maybe my eggs were too small)–they came out great and now my friends think that I can cook 🙂 Thank you!
I just made these, and they are delicious!!!! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
These were sOO delicious. I am addicted to detoxinista. I must try more recipes!!! Thanks so much!
I’m going to try these…but I have no chocolate chips, so hope it is okay anyway. Also, they won’t be eaten right away, but maybe tommorow…will they still be okay??? and how should i store them? Thanks.
Just made these with maple syrup instead of honey, the taste was great but they never set. Do you use a specific brand of peanut butter?
Did you use a real egg or a flax egg? Flax eggs tend to make brownies and bars never “set” completely, so that could be one possible reason. As far as peanut butter goes, I usually use Trader Joe’s creamy organic or the organic brand that Whole Food’s carries with a bright green plastic lid (can’t remember the brand name at the moment).
I actually used a chia egg, not a real egg. I’ll try again and do tge peanut butter cookies with the real egg. Love your website though!