Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies are plant-based and gluten free bars packed with peanut butter flavor. These bars are an indulgent, yet healthy treat for peanut butter lovers.
Mmmmhhhh peanut butter. I love peanut butter so much that I don't need to even read the next three paragraphs of me convincing you how good these bars are. I'm just skipping to the bottom of the page to read the delicious recipe...
Don't actually do that though! I'd love to tell you about how amazing these bars are. They have double, yes double, peanut flavor AND chocolate chips to make that amazing chocolate peanut butter combination.
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What I love most about these bars though, is that when I'm biting into one, I feel like I'm eating a decadent treat. But when I take a look at the ingredient list, I realize how healthy these Peanut Butter Chip Bars actually are. Real, whole food ingredients. No sugar, no gluten, no oil, butter, eggs, milk. Only ingredients you can actually feel good about eating. Yet the bars taste delicious.
Why I love these Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies
- Dietary needs - this recipe is plant-based, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free.
- Rich and fudgy - the key to a deliciously fudgy texture in plant-based baked goods is an ingredient like chickpeas or sweet potatoes that adds some density in what would have otherwise been a dry, boring bar.
- Secretly filled with fiber - I used chickpeas as the texture-making ingredient in this dish, giving the blondies a healthy serving of fiber. But you'd never know there are chickpeas in these peanut butter blondies!! You can't taste them.
- Easily customizable - I added chocolate chips and peanuts to these blondies, but there are endless flavor possibilities. You could use white chocolate chips, pretzels, a swirl of jam - anything you'd like!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Chickpeas: chickpeas are the KEY to a fudgy blondie. You wont taste them but you'll love the texture of the finished blondies. Alternatively, use an equivalent weight of baked or steamed sweet potato - it works the same!
- Oat Flour: I used homemade oat flour, which you can make by blending rolled oats in a food processor. You can also use store-bought oat flour.
- Peanut Butter: use natural peanut butter, where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. If you want, use crunchy pb for some extra peanut bits in the blondies
- Maple Syrup: maple syrup is my go-to sweetener for baking recipes like this. BUT if you want a completely fruit-sweetened dish, you can use date syrup. Since these blondies are light in color the date syrup will turn the bars a brown/red color
- Flax Egg: a mixture of ground flaxseed and water. The flax egg does what a real egg does in baking - it helps to bind the batter together
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Add-Ins: I used vegan chocolate chunks and peanuts
How to make Peanut Butter Chip Bars
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2. Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and peanuts to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Step 3. Stir in the chips and peanuts.
Step 4. Press the mixture the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean and the blondies feel firm to the touch. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into bars. Enjoy!
FAQs & Expert Tips
I used an 8x8 pan for THICK blondies. But a 9x9 pan or even a regular cake pan works too.
This recipe uses oat flour. Oats are naturally gluten-free and are therefore a great option for those avoiding gluten.
If you are allergic to gluten, make sure to buy certified gluten-free oat flour to avoid any trace amounts of gluten that can be added to oats during processing.
Don't want to add chocolate chips & peanuts? Here's a few other fun ideas:
- White Chocolate Chips
- Pretzels
- Jam
- Nothing! These blondies are delicious without anything added
Recipe Prayer
Thank you, God, for indulgent treats that we can feel good about eating. Let us spend some time enjoying the food you give us. Amen.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 15 Ounce Can Chickpeas drained and rinsed OR 15 Ounces Mashed Steamed Sweet Potato
- 1 Cup Homemade Oat Flour
- ⅔ Cup Natural Peanut Butter
- ½ Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Flax + 2 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips or Chunks
- ¼ Cup Coarsely Chopped Peanuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and peanuts to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Stir in the chips and peanuts.
- Press the mixture the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean and the blondies feel firm to the touch. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into bars. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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