Gluten-free, rich, fudgy, and easy to make in one bowl:
I owe each and every one of you a very sincere apology. I’ve been blogging on Food to Feel Good for about 4 months now and this is my first post that contains both peanut butter and chocolate – one of the most amazing sweet treat combination of all time. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to feature this match made in heaven but I promise you my recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies will totally make up for the delay.
I love peanut butter and chocolate together SO much. When I was a kid, my hankering for a treat would lead me to scoop peanut butter into my favorite (Genie from Aladdin) cup, top it off with some chocolate chips, and dig in. Not sorry ‘bout it. This is actually something I still do from time to time! My portion control has most definitely improved, though, and now I use natural organic peanut butter or almond butter, a cute jar, and add some sea salt, because, you know, I’m an adult and stuff.
My skills in the kitchen have improved somewhat since I was 7, so I took that craving to the next level with these Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies. Kids and grown-ups will equally love these tasty bars, plus they are a breeze to make – almost as easy as peanut-butter-and-chocolate-chips in a cup.
A little heads up for those of you who are Paleo – peanut butter is technically not a Paleo ingredient since peanuts are a legume, but everything else in this recipe is. Many people who eat Paleo still enjoy themselves a little PB once in a while, it’s your choice! I’m including this recipe in my Paleo category for this reason but feel free to move on if you don’t indulge in peanuts at all.
Since the whole purpose of this blog is to provide you with delicious, HEALTHY food, let me point out some highlights of this recipe that sets it apart from more traditional options.
Something I’d like to note right up front – these aren’t super sweet. They definitely have a sweetness to them, but they aren’t as sweet as your “normal” blondies. When you start eating whole foods and making recipes like this with real ingredients, you learn to enjoy the true tastes of things without tons of added sugar, salt, and artificial flavors.
Peanut butter is most definitely one of those items you should buy organic. Studies have shown more than 8 different types of pesticide residues can linger on conventionally grown peanuts, some of which are known hormone disrupters, neurotoxins, and carcinogens. Um, ew! Another thing to look for with peanut butter is added ingredients – many of the traditional brands add oils and sugar – avoid these! Peanut butter doesn’t need these ingredients to taste delicious, you might just need to retrain your taste buds a bit.
Usually the jars of peanut butter that say “No-Stir” contain those extras to make them smoother and sweeter, while the “Natural” peanut butters are often just peanuts and salt. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule to this so I always suggest reading the labels and only buying straight up real peanut butter without the oily, sugary, nonsense. I’m not afraid of a little salt, though sea salt is always a better option.
For this post, I used Maranatha’s Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter with a Hint of Sea Salt, which is pretty easy to find, and I highly recommend it for these Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies. I’ve tried this recipe with the bulk fresh-ground organic peanut butter that I usually buy, but honestly, the creamy/crunchy balance of the Maranatha made these WAY better.
For the cocoa kick in my Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies, I used Lily’s Stevia Sweetened Dark Chocolate chips, which are kind of an addiction for me. I am sensitive to sugar, despite my ever-present sweet tooth, and I find these are a great way to get my chocolate fix without feeling a huge sugar crash afterward. Plus, since chocolate chips are usually being added to a recipe that already has some type of sweetness to it, I like that these don’t contribute more sugar overall. Some people really dislike stevia but I honestly don’t even notice it in these tasty tidbits. Obviously, you can use any chocolate chips you want for this recipe, I just at least recommend a good quality dark chocolate to get a richer taste with less added sugar.
Another thing I like about this recipe is that even though it is definitely a dessert it is high in protein, from the eggs and peanut butter. That makes these blondies really filling and satisfying. The fact that they contain a decent amount of protein along with some fat means the sugar they contain is more slowly absorbed in your body, so no blood sugar spikes and easier portion control!
You can find both the peanut butter and chocolate chips I’ve mentioned above through these Amazon links. Friendly tip, though, I think I found them cheaper at my local markets. As part of the Amazon Affiliates program, I do get a small commission for anything you purchase through these links, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra!
Are you ready to get down to it? Prepare yourself to be amazed.
Preheat your oven t o 325 F and line a bread pan with a sheet of parchment paper. I found that a bread pan provides the perfect amount of thickness for these blondies. Put all your ingredients except the chocolate chips into a bowl. Grab your hand mixer and mix away.
The batter will be creamy and then it will turn into a sort of soft crumbly mix, this is normal. This Flourless Peanut Butter Blondie batter will also be super thick, that’s okay too. Once everything’s blended together, fold in your chocolate chips, then scoop it into your bread pan. You’ll have to use a spoon to really smear the dough around and get an even flat top.
It’s ready to bake, aren’t you excited?! I am. Pop that pan into the oven and set your timer for 40 minutes. While you wait, you can let your dog lick some peanut butter off a spoon, I promise this will make you both happy.
See my notes in the recipe about substituting honey for coconut nectar or using a different sized pan. The result is still delicious but the texture is much more cake/muffin like.
When they’re done, allow them to cool in the pan for a couple minutes and then use the sides of the parchment to lift it out of the pan and place on a cooling rack. Let your super delicious Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies cool for another few minutes before cutting… sorry Ryder, the final product is not doggie safe (but I did let him lick the peanut butter spoon!)
A sprinkle of course sea salt on top adds a special touch and a nice contrast to the sweet, peanut buttery, chocolatey-ness of it all.
Serve these up with some almond milk, coconut ice cream, or even a cup of coffee, and enjoy!
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What’s better than a thick, fudgy, bite of peanut butter and chocolate? Nothing. These Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies are super easy to make, plus they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo(ish), and unbelievably satisfying.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 jar Maranatha Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 Tbsp coconut nectar
- 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/3 cup Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips
- coarse sea salt to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper, allowing some to pop up over the sides.
- Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla extract, fine sea salt, baking soda, coconut nectar, and coconut sugar to a large bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, blend well until the batter turns into a soft, crumbly mix. Batter will be very thick.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a bread pan and use a spoon to push and evenly flatten all over.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on the level of softness you prefer in the middle of your blondies.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool several minutes before cutting.
Notes
Using honey instead of coconut nectar makes them way lighter and fluffier, with more of a muffin texture. Its kind of like peanut butter bread, which is still delicious!
Baking these in something other than a bread pan will also alter their texture. The bread pan is thick so it allows them to bake for a longer period of time, producing a denser, browner blondie. Using one of those brownie pans with the individual squares, or a muffin tin, will make them more of a muffin/cake texture and they will require much less time in the oven.
Thank to my bestie Kaalyn for being an excellent recipe tester and helping me figure this out!
What’s your favorite baked treat? Is there one you’d like to see me make into a gluten-free, dairy-free, healthified mouthful of flavor? Let me know in the comments below!
What can I replace the nectar with? I follow THM low carb.
Hey Kari! I wasn’t familiar with the THM diet, so I just checked them out. It looks like they’re only okay with extremely low to no-calorie sweeteners. I haven’t used anything like that in this recipe, so I’m really not sure how it would turn out. My suggestion would be to find the green powdered stevia, which is the least processed and more gentle on the digestive system than sugar alcohols, and add a tiny bit at a time until you find the desired sweetness. With that being said, this recipe does have raw eggs in the batter, so sample at your own risk! I often find combining a little natural sweetener like honey or coconut nectar with stevia provides any recipe with a more natural taste. Thanks for commenting, let me know what works for you!
Trying this one
This one looks like a keeper. Everyone loves peanut butter at my house
It’s a hard thing not to love Adele!