Blondies

Published May 25, 2023

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The best Blondies recipe! Made with sweet, vanilla flavor, they’re soft and moist in the center yet slightly crisp on the outside. Studded with gooey white chocolate chips in every bite, they’re sure to satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. 

Stack of blondies with white chocolate chips.

What Are Blondies? 

A truly mouthwatering dessert, blondies are often confused with brownies and are even sometimes called blondie brownies. To be clear, blondies and brownies are not the same things, but they do have similar ingredients. 

Both desserts are made with a base of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. However, blondies do not contain cocoa powder, which is a key contributor to any good brownie recipe. Instead, the star of the show in blondie recipes is browned butter which is made with butter and brown sugar.  

As a result, blondies have a rich, indulgent flavor and a soft, slightly chewy texture. They’re typically baked into bars and often contain a variety of different mix-ins. You’ll find white chocolate chips and walnuts in this easy blondie recipe.

No matter how you prepare and serve them, blondies are truly a unique dessert that is perfect for every occasion from holiday parties to afternoon snacks. 

Ingredients needed to make homemade blondies bars.

Blondie Recipe Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour: I use unbleached flour although bleached would be fine. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work with a 1:1 alternative. Please let us know how it turns out if you do. 
  • Salt: Regular table salt works well here. 
  • Baking soda: There’s just a hint of this used in the recipe for a denser bar, similar to a brownie. You can increase to 1/2 tsp for a fluffier blondie.
  • Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter to avoid overpowering the flavor but salted can be used as long as you reduce the amount of extra salt included. 
  • Light brown sugar: This is used to create browned butter, creating the distinct, decadent flavor blondies are known for having. 
  • Eggs: These help provide structure to the recipe, allowing the bars to hold their shape. I haven’t tested these blondies with any vegan substitutes. I’m not sure how well it would work since most of them tend to require a lot of liquid. 
  • Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract and not imitation varieties. 
  • White chocolate chips: Include whatever brand you like best.
  • Walnuts: Although optional, these provide a nice crunch to offset the delicate texture of the blondie bars.

Six photos showing steps of making blondie cookie bar batter.

How To Make The Best Blondie Recipe

  1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish, arrange parchment paper on top and butter the paper liberally before setting the dish aside. 
  2. Whisk dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until smooth. 
  3. Brown butter: Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and melt it in the microwave. Set it aside to slightly cool. Then, stir in the brown sugar. 
  4. Mix wet ingredients: Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl with the butter sugar mixture. Break the yolks with a spoon, and stir just until the ingredients are combined. 
  5. Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gently pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir just until they’re smooth. 
  6. Fold in extras: Mix the white chocolate chips and walnuts into the blondies batter, distributing them evenly. 
  7. Bake: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish, and bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  8. Serve: Set your white chocolate chip blondies aside to cool before slicing and serving. 

Four steps showing how to finish batter and spread and bake.

Possible Variations

  • Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips if preferred.  
  • Replace the walnuts with chopped hazelnuts, pecans, or almonds. 
  • Sprinkle in pieces of a candy bar. 
  • Add butterscotch or toffee chips. 
  • Top with colorful sprinkles before baking.

Helpful Tips 

  • Avoid over-mixing: For the best blondies recipe, it’s imperative that you mix the ingredients just until they are smooth and no streaks remain. Continuing to stir will overwork the gluten in the flour causing the blondies to become tough and dense once baked. 
  • Keep an eye on the oven: Blondies are a bit temperamental, and every oven bakes differently. Given that we want the center to still be slightly gooey, it can be difficult to judge when blondies are done baking. For the best taste and texture, remove them from the oven as soon as the top looks set, and insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, they’re done. If it’s coated with batter, pop the baking dish back in the oven for a few extra minutes. 
  • Cool completely: It can be tempting to dig in right away, but it’s important to allow enough time for the blondies to cool and set completely so they don’t fall apart. 

Blondie cookie bars on a baking sheet.

How long do white chocolate chip blondies last?

  • Transfer cooled white chocolate chip blondies to an airtight container. 
  • Store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.  

Should you refrigerate blondies? 

It’s not necessary to keep them fresh, but refrigerating leftover blondies can help extend their shelf-life, allowing them to last for up to 1 week. 

Can I freeze them? 

  • Yes, kept in a freezer-safe container, blondies can be frozen for up to 3 months. 
  • I like to slice the bars and wrap them individually or place a piece of parchment paper between them to prevent them from sticking together before transferring them to a sealable bag or container. 
  • To eat, let frozen blondies thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, enjoy them cold, set them out to come to room temperature, or warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave. 

Close up photo of fudgy chewy blondies.

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Stack of blondies with white chocolate chips.
5 from 2 votes

Blondies

The best Blondies recipe! Made with sweet, vanilla flavor, they’re soft and moist in the center yet slightly crisp on the outside. Studded with gooey white chocolate chips in every bite, they’re sure to satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. 
Servings: 15
Prep15 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Ready in: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, line with parchment paper and butter parchment paper, set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
  • Place butter in a large microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave until melted. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Add brown sugar to butter and stir mixture with a wooden spoon to blend.
  • Add eggs and vanilla. Break yolks with the spoon then stir mixture just to combined.
  • Pour in flour mixture then fold and stir just to combined.
  • Mix in white chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
  • Spread batter into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until set (top should no longer appear raw), and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes.
  • Let cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Notes

  • Only 1/8 tsp baking soda makes for a dense blondie similar to a brownie. If you want fluffier bars you can increase to as much as 1/2 tsp baking soda.