The BEST blondie recipe lives up to its name! This recipe yields buttery soft cookie bars with vanilla-caramel undertones. It come together quickly, no mixer needed. Include your favorite add-ins (white chocolate, dark chocolate, nuts) or enjoy plain! This carefully tested recipe has been a fan favorite for years and has garnered hundreds of five-star reviews! ⭐️
Actually *Perfect* Blondies
Buttery, soft, chewy, loaded with your favorite add-ins, my blondie recipe is perfectly decadent. With hints of butterscotch, vanilla, and caramel, you won’t miss the chocolate. Serve slightly warm, topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a truly indulgent experience.
I spent a great deal of time developing this blondie recipe (you can’t imagine how many batches of not-quite-perfect blondies I had to eat, it’s a tough life 😉) and I finally have the perfect version to share. My recipe includes lots of tips and tricks so you’ll get perfectly soft, chewy and buttery results every time. No dry or cakey blondies here! Let’s get right to it.
Blondie Ingredients
We don’t need to cover everything, but let’s chat a moment about some of our key players:
- Butter. Melted butter is the key to a softer, chewier blondie recipe that stays soft and chewy (it’s also a key ingredient in my best chocolate chip cookie recipe, if you’ve tried that you already know what a game changer it is).
- Sugar. A blend of brown and granulated sugar works best here. The higher ratio of brown sugar works well to impart a deep, rich, and subtly caramel-y flavor that makes these irresistible.
- Eggs. An extra egg yolk contributes to the tender, dense texture of the bar.
- Baking powder. Blondies ought to be dense and leaning toward fudgy territory, but just a pinch of baking powder adds a bit of lightness to the bar so it’s not too dense or difficult to chew. Note that the omission of baking soda is intentional, baking soda would create a lighter airier, and more cakey texture that we’re actively trying to avoid.
- Cornstarch helps make the bars tender and chewy.
- Add-ins (use your favorites!). Truth be told, you can add nothing, no nuts, no chocolate, and you’ll still have a darn good cookie bar. But I prefer to dress things up a bit. White chocolate chips and chopped walnuts are my favorite, but swap out the white chocolate for semisweet or a chopped baking bar, swap out the nuts for a different kind of nut or more chocolate, or if you want to toast your nuts before adding them, that works just fine, too!
For the full recipe and the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to Make Blondies
The blondie batter comes together quickly and easily. No mixer needed, no fancy equipment.
Start by melting your butter. It doesn’t need to cool completely, but if it’s still quite hot when you add the butter you can expect your blondies to be a bit greasier on the bottom after baking and to take longer to bake.
Add the sugars, eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Stir it well, but don’t go crazy. Mixing well can help create shiny/crackly tops, but over-doing it could make the blondies a bit cakier than I personally care for them to be. I never use a mixer for this step.
Add the dry ingredients. Always whisk them together separately (to make sure the baking powder and salt are well-distributed through the batter), then stir them into the batter. Once again, don’t go overboard with the mixing. Any add-ins you’re using get stirred in last.
Bake & enjoy. The very edges will turn lightly golden brown and a toothpick should come out clean. A sprinkling of flaky sea salt while they’re still warm is optional, but strongly encouraged 😉. Let the blondies cool completely before you cut into them, otherwise you may panic that you completely underbaked them (you likely didn’t).
Tips & Variations
- When it comes to sugar, a blend is best. For the brown sugar called for in the recipe, you can just use light brown sugar, but I personally prefer a blend of light and dark brown sugar. I don’t care to use all dark brown, though, as I feel it makes things a bit too rich and butterscotch-y.
- Adjust the add-ins. You can add up to 2 cups of your favorite add-ins to this blondie recipe. I listed a mix of chopped walnuts and white chocolate chips in the recipe. I found that this combination provided a nice balance of sweetness and crunch. Feel free to use all walnuts, all chocolate (completely fine to make this recipe nut-free), or swap out some or either of these. A chopped semisweet chocolate bar is quite delicious, in my opinion.
- Pay attention to your pan. A metal pan is best for this recipe and will ensure the quickest and most even baking. If you opt for a glass or ceramic pan, your blondies will almost certainly take longer to bake, and exactly how long will vary. I haven’t tried this blondie recipe in a silicone pan, but am not sure I’d recommend it.
- Brown your butter for a gourmet flavor. Brown 1 cup of butter (you do not need to brown extra to accommodate the lost liquid from browning). You will want to make sure it’s cooled a bit before adding the eggs, so the eggs don’t cook prematurely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blondies are occasionally referred to as “blonde brownies”. They are made without cocoa powder and without melted chocolate and aspire to a rich, buttery brown-sugar-vanilla flavor rather than a deep chocolate one (so you can expect a higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated here).
White chocolate brownies are closer in nature to brownies than blondies are, while blondies are more similar to chocolate chip cookie bars.
Most often this is due to over-baking. Baking for too long or on too high of a temperature will quickly change the texture from fudgy/borderline gooey to crumbly and dry instead.
Other culprits include accidentally mis-measuring an ingredient, using the wrong kind of flour (you need all-purpose, and please do not use self-rising!), accidentally using baking soda instead of powder, or over-measuring your flour.
First, check your pan. If you used a glass, ceramic, or silicone pan the blondies will take longer to bake, and exactly how much longer can vary greatly depending on the particular material of your pan (some people have needed over 45 minutes to bake!). If you use a smaller pan, even if it’s metal, the blondies will also take longer to bake.
If you substituted or accidentally mis-measured any ingredients, this could also cause this issue.
Wait for the blondies to cool at least mostly before cutting into them, if cut into while warm they’ll look quite underbaked.
If a visual is helpful, see the video in the recipe card for exactly how this blondie recipe look in my kitchen every step of the way.
I’ve been in love with this recipe for years and am so excited for you to try it yourself. If you do, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
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Best Blondie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) brown sugar firmly packed (see note)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour (note that in the video I accidentally said 2 ½ cups flour, that is incorrect, you only need 2 ¼ cups as written here)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (115 g) white chocolate chips (see note)
- 1 cup (130 g) chopped walnuts (may omit, see note)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 13×9 metal baking pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour the pan).
- Combine melted butter and sugar in a large bowl and stir well.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup (250 g) brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until completely combined. Set aside.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually stir the dry ingredients into wet until just combined.
- Fold in white chocolate chips and nuts, if using.⅔ cup (115 g) white chocolate chips, 1 cup (130 g) chopped walnuts
- Spread blondie batter into prepared pan and transfer to oven.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few fudgy crumbs.
- Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying
Notes
Brown sugar
I like to use half dark and half light brown sugar in this recipe for a perfectly balanced flavor with butterscotch undertones. If you don’t have both, you can use just light brown sugar.Add-ins (nuts & chocolate), and making this recipe nut-free
You can use up to 2 cups of your favorite add-ins, feel free to swap out the white chocolate chips and nuts for your favorite additions (semisweet chocolate chips, pecans, a chopped baking bar, etc.). This recipe can certainly be made nut-free, just swap the nuts for an equal amount of white chocolate chips or your preferred add-in.Pan note
A metal baking pan is recommended. Using a glass, ceramic, silicone, or other material will increase the time needed to bake, sometimes significantly. Please also note that if you opt to use a smaller pan the baking time can be expected to be longer.Storing
Cover tightly (or cut and transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. These blondies may also be sliced, tightly wrapped and frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
More Cookie Bars to Try:
Annabel
I forgot about the vanilla! 🙁 I just realized now and they are in the oven. Hopefully it turns out fine 🙏🏼
Sam
They should still be pretty tasty. 🙂
Andrew R.
I made these with a flavor twist of my own, adding freeze dried strawberry powder to them, halfing the vanilla, and using mostly white sugar so as not to overpower the strawberry flavor or color. They came out deliciously soft but dense, just like I prefer my brownies. Great recipe!
Sam
They sound awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed them, Andrew! 🙂
Sandy
How should these be stored? Room temp vs fridge. Also would these be ok to 2 day ship? Ty
Sam
Hi Sandy! You can keep these at room temperature. They are pretty sturdy so while I haven’t tried shipping them, they may hold up in the mail. 🙂
Hidayah
I made Blondie for the first time and I’m still new into baking. It turned out absolutely awesome and my whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe and I followed your tips on using the scale more for baking instead of measuring cups.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Hidayah! 🙂
Tails
Hey can I put something else instead of cornstarch because you can’t find that easily in Europe
Sam
Cornflour is the same thing as cornstarch. 🙂
Erin
Did the exact amount of flour listed and came out more like a cookie bar/cake than a blonde. Luckily my kids love cake lol. Next time I’ll add much less flour. Still good!
Sam
Hi Erin! Did you happen to weigh the flour? I’m glad everyone still enjoyed them! 🙂
Marie
Do you measure the butter before you melt them or do you measure them once they’re melted?
What’s the best way of melting the butter?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Marie! One cup of butter is two sticks, or 16 tablespoons of butter. The best way to melt it is to take those two sticks of butter cut it into small pieces (about tablespoon sized pieces) and put it in the microwave. You will want to cook it for about 10 seconds pull it out of the microwave and stir it so the butter doesn’t explode in the microwave. Repeat the microwaving for 10 seconds and stirring until the butter has completely melted and you don’t see any more lumps in the butter. 🙂
Anna
Haha I stick to a saucepan bc I have had many butter explosions
Sarah
Hello! I don’t have any baking powder. Could I use self raising flour instead?
Thanks!! Xx
Sam
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately that would make them too cakey. You could leave out the baking powder, which will make them more dense, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 🙂
Beth
Wow literally the best blondies ever! Can honestly say I have attempted to make blondies on 8 different occasions with different recipes and they never work! Either they are raw or overcooked. Found this recipe as my last try before giving up and they worked! I baked on 175 for 37 mins as 30 the skewer was still very wet but 7 mins later it was moist crumbs. My friends and family who tried them said they were utterly amazing! Thank you! Fab fab recipe and over the moon!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Beth! 🙂
Amber
Hi Sam,
Would you say the egg yolk is essential? I’m looking to half the recipe.
Thanks
Sam
Hi Amber! Yes I would say the egg yolk is essential. You can weigh the egg yolk and just use half of it, or break it into a bowl and use your best judgement as to how much half is if you don’t have a scale. 🙂
Leah
Well I have yet to taste these baked but it was so easy to make and the raw dough is delicious!!!
Can’t wait till they’re done!
Sam
I hope you love them, Leah!!
Shirley
Okay, so I have been trying out several different recipes of all my favorite desserts during quarantine, and this is by far the best blondie recipe I have come across. I have made Blondies I’d say about 15 times in the past 3 months (I have a big family), this includes my own recipe that I’ve made several more times. None of them compare to this recipe however. The texture is perfect and nearly cookie like, while still being a little gooey. I only put white chocolate chips in it because I didn’t have any walnuts, but I’m dying to try it again with them in it as I’m certain they will still taste delicious with a perfectly balanced flavor. 10/10, 5 stars, perfect recipe.
Sam
Wow, that is so great to hear!! Thank you so much for letting me know what a hit this recipe has been for you, Shirley, I really appreciate it!! 🙂
Mel
Can I make this without the corn starch?
Sam
Yes they just won’t be quite as chewy.
Mel
Great thank you !
Hannah Lane
Hi there,
The white sugar you use, is that granulated or caster?
Thanks
Sam
I use granulated 🙂
Emma
Followed it exactly and it came out way too similar like bread. Not like a brownie in the slightest
Sugar Spun Run
I am so sorry that you are experiencing an issue, Emma. It sounds like too much flour was added. Over measuring your flour is the biggest mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that can be used as a reference for next time.
Amelia
Absolutely love this recipe! It has been my go bake during lockdown in the UK – can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
How long to do you recommend keeping these Blondies? Should you keep refrigerated and how many days should they last? 😊
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you loved them, Amelia! I reccomend storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will remain fresh for up to 3 days or up to one week if stored in the fridge. 🙂