Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This scrumptious blondie recipe is sure to be a favorite, and it’s easy to make. These gooey blondies melt in your mouth with buttery caramel flavor.
How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, 25 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: 8-inch square pan, mixing bowl, oven
Servings: 12
Classic Blondies
I’m a blondie fan. No, I’m not talking about Blondie, the popular American rock band. Blondie brownies!
Today’s blondie recipe is a classic. Today I’m bringing you the purist version: straight up blondies. I know you’re going to love them: no frills, perfect just the way they are.
You’ll Love These Blondies!
Blond, but not boring! You may think a brownie without chocolate is missing something essential and would be kind of unexciting. Not true! These gooey treats are pretty much irresistible and not boring at all. Without the chocolate, the caramel flavors of butter, brown sugar, and vanilla shine through.
Super duper easy! This blondie recipe is almost embarrassingly easy to make. I bet you have all the ingredients you need to make this recipe right now. It will take you about 5 minutes to whip them up, all in one bowl, and the blondies bake in less than a half hour. Bar cookies are so easy and delicious! (If you like cookie bars, try vanilla bean cookie bars or frosted Oreo cookie bars, too!)
Customize them. If you take a look at my recipe files, you’ll see that I’m kind of crazy about blondies. One of my most popular and requested recipes is for these chocolate chip blondies. You’ll also love raspberry white chocolate blondies, and snickerdoodle bars (cinnamon sugar blondies). And then there’s the super easy cake mix blondies. You can whip those up in less than five minutes and make them festive with lots of sprinkles. They’re very fun! Sweet/tart lemon brownies are basically blondies with lemon added.
“This recipe scores on all counts. It’s so simple to make and they are ever so good!”
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Normally unsalted butter is what you need for baking and that’s just what you need for this recipe. If you only have salted butter, omit the added salt. Since the butter is melted for this recipe, you don’t have to worry about softening it ahead of time.
- Brown Sugar: Use either light or dark brown sugar, it doesn’t matter. Dark brown sugar has a deeper molasses flavor.
- Egg: Just one egg is all you need.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Choose a good vanilla, not imitation vanilla. It’s one of the main flavorings in the blondies so you wouldn’t want to skimp.
- All-Purpose Flour: Make sure you spoon the flour lightly into a dry measure measuring cup so the flour is accurately measured.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is added for for a bit of leavening so your blondies aren’t too dense.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt keeps the blondies from tasting flat.
How To Make Blondies
Prep work. Preheat your oven and prepare an 8 inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and spraying it lightly with cooking spray. I usually give the pan a light spray before putting in the parchment paper so the paper stays put. Leave little “wings” of paper on two sides so it’s easy to lift the blondies out of the pan to cut them.
Melt the butter. I use my microwave oven. Place the butter in the mixing bowl you’re using and melt it at 50 percent power, thirty seconds at a time, stirring well each time.
Add sugar. Add the brown sugar to the butter and blend them together.
Add egg and vanilla.
Stir in dry ingredients. Top this mixture with the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix it all together until the batter is just combined.
Bake. Spread the batter (it will be thick) into a pan, even it out, and pop the blondies in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes.
Baking Tip
Don’t overbake the blondies. Ideally, they should have the same texture as a brownie, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. Take them out of the oven when they look slightly underdone in the middle. They will continue to cook a bit even after you take them out.
If you use a larger pan than 8 x 8 inches (we don’t recommend this), they won’t need as much time to bake.
Cut into squares. When the blondies come out of the oven, let them cool a bit before lifting them out of the pan, using the parchment paper handles. I place the blondies right on a cutting board and use a large knife to cut them. They’re easiest to cut when they are completely cool.
Is It A Blondie Or A Brownie?
Blondies are blonde brownies, that is, brownies without the dark brown cocoa. Instead of chocolate, blondies get their rich caramel flavor from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. They originally were called “blonde brownies” but that name was eventually shortened to simply “blondies”.
Recipe Variations
- Stir in ideas: Add butterscotch chips to enhance the caramel flavor of blondies. White chocolate chips are good, too. Try colorful jimmies, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, or another candy you like.
- Add nuts. Stir in toasted walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. Toasting the nuts first greatly enhances their flavor and is easy to do.
- Make them whole wheat. Replace half or all of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
- Turn blondies into a dessert. Blondies are considered a bar type of cookie but they can be a delicious, easy-to-make dessert too. Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a blondie and drizzle caramel sauce over it all. Try this homemade caramel sauce or bourbon caramel sauce. Sprinkle on spiced pecans or vanilla bean candied walnuts for an extra flavorful dessert.
After the blondies have completely cooled, cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter, a week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
More Cookies & Bars
Best Blondie Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. (I usually spray the pan lightly before I put the parchment paper in, too. It keeps the paper in place.)
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and stir until well combined.½ cup unsalted butter, melted, 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, 1 large egg, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Measure out flour, baking powder and salt. Put into bowl right on top of wet ingredients, then stir until just combined.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs. The blondies will be slightly browned around the edges. Don't overbake the blondies. They'll continue to cook a bit more even after you take them out of the oven.
- Cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before lifting the blondies out of the pan by grasping the edges of the parchment paper. Set on a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Add-ins: If desired, add 1 cup butterscotch or white chocolate chips, or ½ cup colored jimmies (sprinkles), or 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans. Mix into batter after adding dry ingredients or sprinkle on top.
- Storage/freezing: Store in an airtight container once the bars have completely cooled. They can be frozen for up to three months.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
This recipe scores on all counts. It’s so simple to make and they are ever so good! I’m adding them to the cookie table for my niece’s wedding celebration.
So happy you like them! I’m honored to be a small part of her celebration!
If I double the recipe , can I bake it in a 9×13 pan?
Definitely! Plan on increasing cook time a little!
I’m in charge of the cooking and kitchen for VBS at our church. I made these, in a triple batch, and received rave reviews! The kids and adults alike loved these. Best blondie recipe I’ve ever used. Thank you!
So glad they were a hit! Thank you for the kind review!