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:
FGC
I tried your recipe and it turns out good a little hard but eatable…haha….
But now I need to figure out changes to make it vegan, any suggestions?
Sam
Hmm they should be really soft. Is it possible they were over-baked? I’m not sure how to make this vegan. 🙁
FGC
Yes, I think over-baked, but still very tasty. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
If I figure out how to make them vegan, I will let you. Have a good day.
April Osborne
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! Instead of putting any nuts or chocolate pieces in the batter, I cut up a handful of Rolos into bite size pieces and mixed them into the batter. Mmmmmm mmmm!!! Delicious. Thank you for this recipe! Will keep this in my book of favorite recipes to continue to use and to use in the future!
Sam
That sounds excellent! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, April! 🙂
Michaela
Awesome recipe, very easy to follow! Thank goodness I worked out the cm of the pan, us South Africans only work with cm and kg/gr.
I’m certain my friends are going to want this recipe😁😁😁😁
Kalika
Hi, anything I could use to eliminate 1 of the eggs? We can handle some egg, but not too much. Thanks
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t know of a good substitute. 🙁 You won’t be able to taste the eggs here.
JRC
Flax meal is a good substitute for eggs. It acts as a binder the same as an egg and you can’t taste it.
I.Watkins
These taste just like how you describe a blondie. It’s the opposite of a brownie. Rich and chewy butter goodness. I added pecans and OMG. I love it. This will be my go to quick non chocolate recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
vanessa hdez
The recipe is really good, however is way too much sugar I think maybe you can change it to 1 of brown sugar and 1/4 of normal sugar. I think that will be better. Also add another 1/3 cup of chocolate chips will give the niche smush from the inside and more flavor.
Sam
Never too much sugar! 😉 Glad you still enjoyed overall, Vanessa!
Kathy Welch
I’m the baker for our church Awana Kids program. WHAT FUN! Anyway I want to use your recipe for our Christmas gifts but I have to, at lease, multiply the recipe by 7. Can I throw everything in all at once or do I have to do separate recipes?
Sam
That’s a lot of blondies! You should be able to do it all at once. As long as your bowl is big enough you shouldn’t have any issues. Just be prepared for an arm workout. 🙂
April Osborne
I did a double batch and it turned out perfect! Just took a little longer to cook.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, April! 🙂
Elle
Hi Natasha!
Love these blondies and would love to make a pumpkin version, do you know the ratio of pumpkin I’d need to add?
Thanks
Hannah
I’ve spent sooo long trying various blondie recipes trying to find the perfect one! This is it🙏🏻
I have made this recipe probably 6/7 times now, changing the flavour but always using the recipe as the base. I bake mine for 20-25 mins and I then leave them to cool in the fridge overnight. They are honestly amazing, and I get rave reviews from all my family and friends, they are my most requested bake so thank you so much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Hannah! 🙂
Natasha
I don’t have corn starch so I have to use this or is there anything else I can use
Sam
Hi Natasha, you can leave it out or substitute with additional flour. The blondies won’t have quite the same chewiness to them but they’ll still be delicious.
Katrina
I used whole wheat flour and it was delicious! I didn’t have the rectangular baking pan so I used my cast iron skillet. Turned out perfect with the brown edges.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Katrina! 🙂
Carol
Will doubling the recipe alter the out come?
Sam
Hi Carol! You shouldn’t have any issues doubling it. 🙂
Natalia
Hi 🙂 Was wondering if I can half the recipe in a 13×9 pan? Will I need to change the cooking time? TIA
Sam
This is made in a 9 x 13. If you cut it in half and use the same pan your blondies will be super thin and you would definitely need to reduce the time.
Kimberly
Do you think your blondie recipe would be a good base for a version of cranberry bliss bars? Not sure, but I think I’m goingto try it.
Sam
Hmm sounds tasty to me. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Josh
We are a commercial catering company- and this is our go-to recipe for Blondies. We added dried Cranberries to this recipe today (with the white chocolate chips), and they were perfect!
RBCox
Great twists on a classic
Facundo
Been waiting 50 minutes and it’s still raw. But it’s burning on the top. I don’t know how it has so many good comments. Looks like is not working at all, and I followed the recipe very closely, the only difference is instead of mixing flour and baking powder, I used a flour that already comes with baking powder in.
Sam
Are you sure it’s not baked through? When you say raw, is the toothpick coming out with wet batter still? Something most definitely went wrong, it may be that the flour is the problem (did you use a different amount than called for, too?) or that something was mis-measured, I’m not sure but would be happy to help troubleshoot further if you can give me a bit more info about what you are experiencing. It might be helpful to watch the video, too.
Facundo
Alright so I understood what happened. I didn’t understand this has to be baked in a 13X9 pan because I have no idea about US sizes, so I just skipped that and I baked it in a pan of small and high dimensions, also consider that this is a US recipe and something exotic for me (I am from Argentina) so the size of the pan is not something obvious. So basically since the pan I baked this in was so high, it took ages to cook (toothpick was coming out with liquid dough) and at some point I just took it out because it was getting burned outside. I waited for it to cool down and the result was for sure different from how it was meant to be (looks like a loaf of bread with lots of butter and a thick crust) but still tasted very good I have to say! Thanks for you reply and your concern, maybe I could advice you to write also the sizes in centimetres and put more emphasis on that! Hopefully I can do this again with adecúate pan:)
Sam
Good suggestion for including the centimeters (this would be approximately 33x23cm), thank you for writing back.
Dina
Oh my 😋 sooo good and easy ! Thank you for sharing !
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Dina! 🙂