I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but it’s hard to get me away from peanut butter. In fact all nut butters: almond butter; cashew butter; even sunflower butter. I love the stuff.
So, the idea of a gluten free peanut butter blondie version of a brownie was very intriguing for me. Even better: sprinkle some chocolate on top and it might just be the perfect dessert combo!
And what better day to try out a gluten free peanut butter blondie than on National Peanut Butter Day (January 24th)?
I can tell you I was not disappointed with this recipe. The only bad part was that I had to refrain from eating the whole pan because it had to be photographed! Seriously deliciously addicting!.
Don’t they almost look fudgy in this picture? Well, truth be told, they are a bit fudgy in all the right ways, but not too thick or dense or anything. These gluten free peanut butter blondies are actually a little cakey, too! And with the crunchy crumble topping on top (which is completely optional, BTW), they have all kinds of texture boxes ticked off.
I’m sure this easy recipe would work with another nut butter, but on National Peanut Butter Day, I had to go with the peanuts! Please let me know in the comments if you try them out with sunflower nut butter or almond butter or cashew butter or soy nut butter or any other nut butter!
Enjoy celebrating!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blondies
These yummy peanut butter blondies with or without the crunchy crumble topping (with or without the chocolate) definitely take blondies to the next level!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup creamy ANY nut butter (Earth Balance® Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/3 cup mild oil like coconut oil (melted) or other vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar or unrefined coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 KIND Bars, chopped (I used Peanut Butter-Dark Chocolate + Protein flavor) OPTIONAL
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil and line with parchment an 8×8 baking dish and set aside. (parchment makes it easier to remove the blondies and easier to clean the pan!)
In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, oil and brown sugar. Once mixed, add in milk and vanilla extract.
Slowly stir in Jules Flour and baking powder. While the mixture will be thick like dough, not like batter, it should hold together and not be crumbly.
Press gently into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Chop 2 gluten free granola bars and sprinkle over the dough, if using, pressing any larger chunks gently into the top of the dough.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are just barely browning. Remove from oven to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Makes approximately 25 blondies.
Nutrition Information
Yield 25 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 124Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 2mgSodium 61mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 2g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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These were fantastic! Super easy and very yum. The pan was gone in a couple of days, and there’s just the two of us. I didn’t do the topping but used HU dark chocolate gems and dotted those on top.
They look DELISH, Anna!!! Thanks so much for sharing your yummy pic! I love the chocolate toppers!
~jules
Is there anything else that could be substituted for the granola bars?
Hi Jenny, you don’t have to use anything at all, or you could sprinkle granola or quick oats rolled in a little maple syrup or chocolate chips or whatever you like. But the blondies don’t NEED anything on top if you’d rather enjoy them that way.
~jules
Can any other brand of granola bars be used?
Absolutely, Sherna! Just make sure they’re gluten free. Enjoy!
~jules
Would I be able to use a nut free version like Sunbutter or Wowbutter?
Hi Heidi – absolutely! Some of those non-nut butters can be thinner though, so you may need to add more flour.
~jules
Hi Jules. Made these today using Wow Butter. Added just a bit more flour as suggested and they just crumble when cut. Is there supposed to be an egg in the recipe?
Hi Patti – there’s no egg in the recipe. Was the dough as described or was it crumbly and dry before baking? All those nut and non-nut butters are different and have varying amounts of oil, so it’s hard to make a recipe perfectly proportioned for every brand of nut/non nut butter. It’s best to get the dough to hold together and not be crumbly before baking, whether that means adding slightly more flour or more liquid. I hope that helps for next time! Can you at least sprinkle the broken bits on top of ice cream for a yummy treat now?
🙂
~jules
The dough was not crumbly. It was actually very easily put into the pan. When it was totally cooled it held up a bit better but you gently eat a square. We did have it with ice cream and it was great! Again, great minds….. 🙂
The ice cream fix is one I never forget. Makes nearly anything better! 🙂
You could certainly try an egg next time, but I’m curious as to why they were so dry since they aren’t when I make them. Maybe try cooking them for a lot less time. I know you like experimenting – another thought is to cut a square out early in the bake, and other a bit later and then bake the pan itself for 5-10 minutes less and see if one of those bake times works best for you. Everyone’s ovens are different, too. You just never know!
~jules
Hi Jules, I was wondering if you use a baking dish as in a ceramic oven dish, or a baking tin? Is it okay to use a tin?
Thanks,
Melinda
Hi Melinda, either would work fine, but tin would work great with this recipe. Enjoy!
Just made these for big football game tonight. They are delicious (couldn’t wait). Was wondering if a tweek in the recipe would make them more cakes and less gooey? They seem hard to hold and eat since they are very soft.
Hi Debbie, you could add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more of my flour next time to make them more cakey.
Oops, forgot to add that bonus answer is pizza cutter.
The lighting alone on those yummy looking bars is enough to make me want to indulge! Nice job.
Thanks Laurie! I far prefer to use natural light whenever possible. There’s no sub for mother nature smiling on food!
I shared this yummy recipe on Facebook and Pinterest . Also love u on Facebook and follow u on Pinterest
Bonus answer is pizza cutter
Thanks Jules
I don’t just LIKE your FB page…I LOVE it!
Bonus – pizza cutter!
Bonus answer: pizza cutter
Would love to try your favorite peanut products in a flour less cake!
Love you site.
Your flour is the best!
So are your recipes!!!!
Thanks Sooo much!