Best Blondie Recipe (one bowl!)
Posted: 04/11/2022
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Simple to make, this scrumptious blondie recipe is sure to be a favorite. Gooey blondies melt in your mouth with buttery caramel flavor. Try them today!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: These blondies are a classic treat and are so easy to make.
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
Table of Contents
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I’m a blondie fan. No, I’m not talking about Blondie, the popular American rock band. Blondie brownies!
Have you ever tried a blondie? You may think a brownie without chocolate is missing something essential and would be kind of boring. 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.
Today’s blondie recipe is a classic. Plain, no frills, perfect just the way they are.
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, peanut butter cup blondies, snickerdoodle bars, and caramel Biscoff brownies. So good!
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!
But today I’m bringing you the purist version, straight up blondies. I know you’re going to love them.
P.S. They’re the perfect blank slate for add-ins. We’ll talk about that soon!
About This Recipe
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. These bar cookies are so delicious! Why not give them a try?
I’ll run through the recipe here and give you lots of extra tips. As always, you’ll find the printable recipe card near the bottom of the post with complete instructions and nutrition information.
What You’ll Need
- 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.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar, doesn’t matter. Dark brown sugar has a deeper molasses flavor.
- Egg: Just one egg is all you need.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Use 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: For a bit of leavening.
- Salt: To keep the blondies from tasting flat.
How To Make This Recipe
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.
Next, you’ll want to melt the butter. I usually use my microwave. 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 the brown sugar to the butter and blend them together.
Stir in an egg and the vanilla.
Top this mixture with the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix it all together until the batter is just combined.
Pour the mixture into a pan, pop it in the oven, and just wait for the delicious smells to come wafting out. Wasn’t that easy?
Bet you can hardly wait to try them! Your house will smell like a bakery.
When they come out, let them cool a bit before pulling them out by the parchment paper. I place it right on a cutting board and use a large knife to cut them.
Is It A Blondie Or A Brownie?
What’s the difference? Blondies are blonde brownies, that is, brownies without the dark brown cocoa. Instead of chocolate, blondies get their rich caramel flavor simply from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
FAQs
Are blondies supposed to be gooey?
Ideally, blondies should have much the same texture as a brownie, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. Don’t overbake them. If you use a larger pan than 8×8 inches (we don’t recommend this), they won’t need as much time to bake. 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.
Why are they called blondies?
Apparently they started out as blonde brownies, that is, brownies without cocoa which gives them a dark brown (brunette?) color. That name was soon shortened to blondies.
What’s the difference between a blondie and a cookie?
A blondie is a cookie bar which is usually softer than a cookie and cut into squares. A cookie bar is sort of a halfway mix between cookies and cake. If you like cookie bars, try Vanilla Bean Cookie Bars or Frosted Oreo Cookie Bars.
Make It Your Own
Blondies are pretty delicious just the way they are but if you’re looking for ways to make this recipe your own, here’s a few ideas.
- Add butterscotch chips to enhance the caramel flavor of blondies. White chocolate chips would be good, too. See some other options above. Or stir in colorful jimmies, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, or another candy you like.
- Stir in toasted walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.
- Replace half or all of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
- 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 a little caramel sauce over it all. Try this homemade caramel sauce or bourbon caramel sauce.
Storage Tips
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 Easy Desserts
Looking for more dessert ideas? Here’s a few for you:
- Oh Henry Bars, topped with a layer of peanut butter and chocolate
- Apple Crisp, with ginger and lemon
- Peach Blueberry Crisp
- Pink Lemonade No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
- Kahlua Brownies with cinnamon
- Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Air Fryer Hand Pies
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
bars
Simple to make, this scrumptious blondie recipe is sure to be a favorite. Gooey blondies melt in your mouth with buttery caramel flavor. Try them today!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (one 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.
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and stir until well combined.
- Measure out flour, baking powder and salt. Put into bowl right on top of wet ingredients, then stir until just combined.
- 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. 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
- If desired, add 1 cup butterscotch or white chocolate chips, or ½ cup colored jimmies (sprinkles), or 1 cup chopped walnuts. Mix into batter after adding dry ingredients or sprinkle on top.
- Store in an airtight container once the bars have completely cooled. They can be frozen for up to three months.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1blondie, Calories: 183kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 78mg, Potassium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 256IU, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
denise says
looks delicious!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks so much!
Vilysiana Suryametta says
Hi, can I use cassava flour?
Rachel Gurk says
I’m not sure familiar with baking with cassava and haven’t tested it with this recipe so I can’t advise. Let me know if you try it though!
Linda says
I found a very similar receipe recently and it was a big hit! My Mom made “blonde brownies” and I’m looking for her receipe…I think I found it! Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
That makes me so happy! Glad you liked this recipe, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Dave says
Exactly as you said: super easy and delicious. Didn’t even have to buy any ingredients – already had everything in the kitchen.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked these! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Marie says
Have just made these now! Smell amazing and my 5 year old is a keen baker and he enjoyed making them with me. We are using up the Christmas chocolate bars, so we’ve chopped some up and sprinkled them on top.. mixture of chewy, caramel and chocolate
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you liked them! I’m loving the idea of the chopped up Christmas bars on top – yum!!
denise says
Love a good blondie!
Unrelated, but when I was a kid, I would come home from church and watch the old B&W Blondie movies–based on the comic strip–starring Penny Singleton. When I hear “blondie” I think of her.
Love the band, too.
Rachel Gurk says
:) I love that!