The most delicious high altitude recipe for peanut butter blondies that are soft, moist and chewy, frosted with peanut butter frosting and finished with chopped peanuts.
You might also love this no churn chocolate peanut butter cookie ice cream, easy 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies, and chocolate peanut butter cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s high altitude of 5,280 feet, so home bakers can bake with confidence in their own kitchens.
Easy to Make. The batter for the blondies comes together quickly with just a bowl and spoon.
Soft and Moist for Days. These are the softest, most moist peanut butter blondies you could imagine! The peanut butter keeps them moist and chewy for days after baking.
Salty, Sweet, Creamy, Crunchy. With the crunchy, salted peanuts, sweet frosting, and chewy peanut butter cookie bars, this dessert hits all the best notes.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Blondies
- Butter. I use unsalted butter, to better control the saltiness of the blondies.
- Peanut Butter. Use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, whichever you prefer.
- Sugar. A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Eggs. A whole egg plus a couple of extra egg yolks adds moisture and structure, as well as keeps the cookie bars soft and chewy.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Flour. All purpose flour adds structure and strength.
- Corn Starch. Tenderizes the dough for a very soft blondie.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
Frosting
- Butter. In the frosting, too, use unsalted butter.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Peanut Butter. Creamy peanut butter makes the best, fluffiest frosting.
- Peanuts. To finish the blondies, sprinkle them with salted, roasted peanuts.
Instructions
Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with non stick baking spray.
- Melt the butter (either on the stove or in the microwave) and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter to the hot melted butter and stir until smooth.
- Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, corn starch and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until everything comes together into a soft dough.
- Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for about 28 minutes, until the top is golden brown and slightly puffed. The blondies will still be gooey and underdone inside while hot, but do not over-bake them, or they will end up dry.
- Cool completely in the pan before frosting and cutting into squares.
Frosting
- In a bowl, combine the soft butter, powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat for several minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
- Add the peanut butter and fold it in with a spatula.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled blondies and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of peanut butter should I use?
For baking, I usually choose a creamy, no stir peanut butter, which is more stable. You can use creamy or crunchy, though, whatever you prefer. If it’s a really salty peanut butter, you may need to reduce or omit the salt in the recipe, though.
Can I use all natural peanut butter?
You can use all natural peanut butter in the blondies, but I don’t usually recommend it for buttercream, since it’s not very stable.
How should I store the leftover blondies?
Store leftover peanut butter blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3-6 months, and they will stay soft and fresh tasting.
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High Altitude Salted Peanut Butter Blondies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8 inch baking pan
Ingredients
Blondies
- ½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks (save the 2 extra whites for another use)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup lightly salted/roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with non stick baking spray.
- Melt the butter (either on the stove or in the microwave) and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter to the hot melted butter and stir until smooth.
- Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, corn starch and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until everything comes together into a soft dough.
- Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for about 28 minutes, until the top is golden brown and slightly puffed. The blondies will still be gooey and underdone inside while hot, but do not over-bake them, or they will end up dry.
- Cool completely in the pan before frosting and cutting into squares.
Frosting
- In a bowl, combine the soft butter, powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat for several minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
- Add the peanut butter and fold it in with a spatula.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled blondies and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
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