The Best Blondie Recipe
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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 1/2 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)
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Exactly what I was craving
I used chunks of white kit kat and lindht’s coconut white chocolate instead of white chocolate chips and nuts.
Amazing recipe! Went down really well with the boyfriend, only regret is that I didn’t make more! Will be using this recipe again very soon.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Alex! 🙂
that is so smart i think i am going to try that
I just made these. Thanks for the tip about glass pans. I did not know that. That may explain why all my previous recipes were under-baked. I also don’t have toothpicks so I never can check them.
I made mine with Ghirardelli white chips and macadamia nuts. This is really quite a tasty dessert. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
I made these for my mother, grandmother, and swim coach for mother’s day! They all lovedddd them 💜 so easy to make although i don’t use parchment paper a lot so I had to get used to it :). even my grandfather, who doesnt like sweets a lot, thoroughly enjoyed the blondies. thank you so much! (I’m 13, and the recipe & instructions were very easy to follow for me).
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Amelia! 🙂
I made these as directed, minus the nuts. They remind me of shortbread—good, tender and moist, but less like a cookie, more like a cake. Maybe it’s just me, but I expected them to be sweeter. I even used Ghiardelli white chocolate chips, but they still seemed a bit bland. Then I slightly melted some all-fruit seedless raspberry jam (20 seconds tops in microwave) and drizzled it on top. THAT made it for me! Thanks for a good (and foolproof!) recipe.
Would it be possible to make the batter, split in half, and add cocoa powder (1/3C?) to one-half to make brownies? I have two kids and obviously they each prefer the opposite.
Hi Jay! I have never tried it. I would be worried that adding the cocoa powder would dry them out. 🙁
Hi Sam, quick question – can I make these ahead and freeze them? If yes, how do I go about freezing them?
Hi Kiran! They may be frozen, just allow to cool, cut, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and toss them in an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze. They should keep for several months. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you! I made these for a dessert competition at work and these won 2nd place! I am now making them to add to gift boxes that I will be handing out early next month. Hope they turn out just as good the 2nd go round!
That is so awesome! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
My first time making blondies. These were very delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Amber! 🙂
Hello, i wanted to ask when should i put my large chocolate chunks in the batter if i want them to not melt with the batter and keep their form slightly. Thankyou
I would stir them in at the end if you want them to keep their shape. 🙂
Best blondies this family has ever tasted!!! With the white chips and nuts, just such flavor and the texture is moist and will stay moist several days. Hahaha it’s just my husband and me here! Thanks for this recipe! It’s my only Blondies recipe – I just deleted the other 3 I had! If I share it with friends or family, I always add the site info. 🙂
Again. Most excellent recipe!
Thank you so much, Laura! I’m so glad you enjoy them so much. 🙂
I will try this. It looks so Delicious.
This is my go-to cookie recipe! Discovered it about three weeks ago and have made it at least four times since. 🙂 Can’t believe the difference two little teaspoons of corn starch makes. Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kathi! 🙂
These are delicious! Can you substitute all brown sugar for the granulated sugar?
Hi Shelia! That will work fine the blondies will just be a little sweeter. 🙂
can you reduce the amount of the sugar then, if you are using granulated sugar if so by how much?
Hi Liz! You can reduce the sugar, but that’s a too taste reduction. For best taste I recommend not reducing the sugars. 🙂
I blame this recipe alone for the quarantine weight I gained! I discovered this recipe a few months ago and I can’t stop making them! So so good!
I will say to watch out and make sure you don’t put in more flour than the 2 1/4 cups or youll have cake bars and not cookie bars!
🤣 I’m so sorry!
Hello Sam! I’m Only 14 and I love to cook. The question Here is, Can I make it without The white chocolate and can I make It in a 8 x 8 baking dish?
You could leave out the white chocolate chips if you’d like, but they add a nice extra bit of flavor. You can bake them in an 8 x 8 but your bake time will be different. 🙂
How Much Time Do I Have To Bake It For?
I’m not sure. I haven’t done it in an 8 x 8. You will want to keep an eye on it.
This looks delicious. I don’t have cornstarch tho, will they still holdup well without it ?
Hi Liz! They should still work. You may need a touch more flour. The cornstarch adds to their great texture. 🙂
These were delicious! I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the white, and maybe next time i would reduce the sugar a bit, but the texture and consistency were perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Liz! 🙂
Baking these now.
I love recipes with out the biggy heavy mixer involved !
I hope you love them, Wendy! 🙂
Made these today and they are amazing!!!! Next up are the double chocolate muffins!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Pam! 🙂
Can you make this in a baking pan like your blondies and they turn out ok?
Hi Kristy! I’m not sure I understand the question here.