These blondies are loaded with everything I love: a tender, buttery brown sugar base, plenty of peanut butter chips, and ribbons of Nutella throughout.
A super-soft, caramel-tinged dough forms the foundation. The batter comes together in one bowl in about five minutes and doesn’t require a mixer, which makes this an ideal quick-bake when you don’t want a sink full of dishes.

I started with my reliable blondie base that always performs well. It’s forgiving, adaptable, and ready fast — perfect for vacation baking when I want something simple that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
While traveling in Aruba I spotted peanut butter chips in a local store and couldn’t resist, even at a premium price. If you don’t have peanut butter chips, plain chocolate chips work beautifully and are a more economical swap.

Swirls make everything better, and Nutella adds a lovely chocolate note that complements — rather than overwhelms — the rich brown sugar and butter flavors. If you don’t have Nutella on hand, homemade peanut butter or a homemade chocolate-peanut butter blend are good alternatives.
As the blondies bake, the butter and brown sugar caramelize, producing warm caramel and vanilla notes. The result is a moist, dense bar with a soft, almost fudgy interior.

These bars are especially tender and slightly gooey when baked in very warm, humid conditions; in a typical kitchen they’ll still be soft and chewy but a bit firmer. The peanut butter chips provide little pockets of flavor that pop without turning the bars into straight peanut butter blondies.

The recipe is flexible and forgiving: swap chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, or use peanut butter swirls if you prefer. They keep well stored airtight at room temperature for up to a week or frozen for several months.

These blondies are a little messy — in the best way. Napkins are recommended.



Nutella-Swirled Peanut Butter Chip Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- about 1/3 cup Nutella (or homemade peanut butter or homemade chocolate-peanut butter)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
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In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter (about 1 minute on high). Let it cool briefly so the egg won’t scramble.
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Add the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla to the melted butter and whisk until smooth.
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Stir in the flour until just combined; don’t overmix. Fold in the peanut butter chips.
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Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
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Drizzle Nutella over the batter in five wide, parallel lines running the length of the pan. Rotate the pan 90 degrees and drag a toothpick through the lines in evenly spaced strokes to create a marbled pattern.
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Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter. Allow the bars to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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What’s your favorite quick go-to dessert? How do you like to use Nutella or peanut butter chips?