Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

Blondies are one of my favorite things to make and eat and this version is seriously delicious. Sweet and salty, these chewy bars are the perfect snack, lunchbox treat, or party dessert.

If you’ve never had a blondie, it’s a bar that has a similar texture to a brownie, but it’s not chocolate. In this case, it’s a brown sugar blondie with swirls of peanut butter and jelly running throughout, topped with flakey salt for the perfect flavor combo. It comes together easily and it makes a ton of bars- let’s get to it!

How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

This recipe uses melted butter which makes it super easy to stir together by hand. Otherwise we’re working with a pretty simple mix of ingredients for this recipe, and you can use any type of jam you prefer here.

We’re starting out by mixing together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. You can use dark or light brown sugar in this recipe- I just happened to have light brown sugar on hand.

Once that’s been stirred together, add in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and stir everything together until you have a smooth mixture.

From there, it’s time to stir in the dry mixture, which is just flour and salt for this recipe. There’s no baking soda or powder used here, which helps create that chewy, fudgey texture that we’re looking for in these bars.

Since this recipe uses melted butter, the dough will firm up as it sits. You want to spread it into your prepared baking pan right away so it’s easy to work with and spread around. Then it’s time to dollop peanut butter and jelly all over the top of the bars. You can use any combination you like of jam plus smooth or crunchy peanut butter, but I recommend sticking with classic instead of natural peanut butter here.

I’m using a butter knife to just gently swirl the peanut butter and jelly into the batter. You want to have a good amount of both running throughout the bars, but it’s ok to have areas where there are large pockets of peanut butter or jelly here!

Once you’ve sprinkled on some flakey salt, it’s off to the oven to bake until the blondies look golden brown all over and the center has mostly set. Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving!

Tips & Tricks for Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

Here are my tips to help along the way to making these peanut butter and jelly blondies!

• Start making the batter while the butter is still hot from melting. This helps dissolve the sugar slightly, plus it makes the batter easier to mix.
• Do I have to stir this recipe by hand? No, you can use an electric hand mixer if you prefer here!
• Do I need to use dark or light brown sugar? I’ve made this recipe with either, and it works perfectly with both. Whatever you have on hand will work here!
• Can I use natural peanut butter here? I recommend using classic peanut butter instead of natural here- natural peanut butter will kind of melt into the batter and won’t be very noticeable in flavor or texture for these bars so classic works best.
• Can I use other types of jam? Yes, use whatever kind of jam or jelly you prefer here! I love raspberry in this recipe, but strawberry or grape would also work perfectly here for those classic flavors.
• How do I know when the blondies are finished baking? The blondies should look set, and the edges should be a light golden brown. A toothpick inserted about 2 inches from the edge of the pan should come out with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

Servings 18 bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter creamy or crunchy
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1-2 tsp. flaky salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease a 9×13 inch pan, optionally lining the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the flour and salt to the mixture, and stir until combined. The batter will firm up as it cools, so moving quickly you’ll want to spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking sheet.
4. Dollop your peanut butter and jam all over the top of the blondie batter. Using a knife or an offset spatula, gently swirl the peanut butter and jam into the blondie batter.
5. Sprinkle the flaky salt over the top of the batter evenly. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserting about 2 inches from the edge of the pan comes out clean. Cool completely, slice, and serve!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!