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:
Daisyheadfayzie
I just made these and they are way too sweet. If you add the white chocolate chips, definitely don’t use an entire cup. I also didn’t like the consistency which was more like fudge than cakey.
I made them for a party and was embarrassed to bring them but it was too late to get something else.
I won’t make these again.
Heather
blondies/brownies are not supposed to be cakey. if you want a ‘cakey’ dessert, bake a cake. know the difference.
Camilla M Coy
This was my first Blondie ever. Very yummy. First, I browned the butter. I only had about a 1/4 C of dark brown sugar but it was enough to improve the color. I did not use any white sugar, only the 1 1/4 C of brown sugar. I’m glad because that’s all it needs. I’m sure these would have been overly sweet had I used the additional sugar. I toasted my pecans for added flavor. And I only added a handful of white chocolate; not really a fan. All-in-all, I would make these again. Thx for all of your great recipes. And, definitely, thx for the cook- mode button.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Camilla! 🙂
Kristen
The texture of these are great, but they taste like pure sugar and I might toss them. Add ins are definitely necessary here.
Patricia Webster
I made a double batch of these far a church potluck. They were delicious and I received several compliments from this blondie recipe. Also, they are scrumptious cold from the refrigerator. I would most definitely suggest making these but I would make them again. I used white chocolate chips,butterscotch chips,heath pieces and chopped walnuts.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Patricia! 🙂
Simran Dawer
Hi, can I substitute walnuts with more choco chips?
Sam
Hi Simran! That will work just fine. 🙂
Michelle
I have started browning the butter not just melting it. It gives an extra buttery flavor!
Heather
I made this recipe with infused butter, if you know you know.
I ended up adding white chips and baking in individual loaf pans. This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!
I’m calling mine greenies tho 😘❤️❤️
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Heather! 🙂
Sarah
Thank you so much for including the metric conversions!
I can’t wait to taste these blondies. They are my son’s favorite and they look amazing!
Sam
I’m glad the weight measurements are helpful, Sarah! I much prefer them myself 🙂 I hope that you and your son enjoy the blondies!
Natalie
I used this recipe and it smells really good and looks really good
Joy
I love the metric measurements. These smell and taste amazing. I think next time I will use less sugar and half tsp almond extract to give it even more flavor. I added walnuts which made it scrumptious and crunchy. Used a glasspan and doubled the time just to leave space for error while using a combi microwave oven! Certainly would reccomend! Easy with no extra equipment.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Joy! 🙂
Lynn Larson Deer
They were delicious! I added toasted pecans and white chocolate chips and they are yummy. It was hard to wait the 10 minutes to dive in. LOL. My question is ….. will they freeze?
Sam
Hi Lynn! I haven’t frozen them myself, but I don’t think you’ll have any issues. 🙂
Nina Talkat
Excellent! I only used the brown sugar as the white chocolate chips are very sweet. The brown butter definitely enhances the blondies, worth the bit of extra time.
This easy and delicious recipe is high on my rotation list.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Nina! 🙂
Kelly
This truly is THE BEST Blondie recipe! I made them last weekend. Absolutely delicious! I love using parchment paper, makes things real easy. I think next time I’m going to reduce the amount of sugars (both) as it really doesn’t need that much.
One thing I did: instead of two tsp of vanilla extract, I did one plus 1 tsp of almond extract. This added some great flavor!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Kelly! 🙂
Tammy J Jones
This is a wonderful recipe. I use butterscotch and caramel bits with walnuts.
Sam
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Tammy! I’m so glad you enjoyed, thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Angel
Wow that was super sweet and I used less sugar than the recipe required. I think ice cream on top will balance it out.
Kelly
Yes I think next time I’m going to half both. Super sweet but still yummy!
Camilla M
Lol. More sugar to balance out the excess sugar?! I don’t get it, but I’m sure vanilla ice cream would be yummy here. I did leave it the white sugar tho, so it would probably just right.
Zach
Currently in the oven, gonna give 5 stars because of the weights with the ingredients. Definitely prefer precision when baking, I expect to have 0 issues 😀 added my own twist of caramel bits as per the girlfriend’s instructions so fingers croased!
Sam
I hope you love them! The caramel bits sound tasty! 🙂
Nimmi
Hi! Is there a substitute for cornstarch that you can recommend? I’m dying to try this recipe out but I’m out of cornstarch. Sigh.
Sam
You can use an equal amount of flour. 🙂
JPG
Have you ever doubled this blondie recipe and put it in a half sheet pan – if baking for a crowd?
Sam
I have not personally doubled it, but you shouldn’t have any issues doing so. 🙂
Victoria
Rarely does an online recipe ever work out for me. These were perfectly delicious!!
Bruce
Stick with Sam. Her recipes are thoroughly tested, and she has a wonderful sense of how things should be – both sweet and savory.
Lara Moreno
Crispy and chewy soft perfect. They look just like the pictures. Thank you!
Sigh
I accidentally used the wrong size pan and can’t get it to cook all the way through
Sam
O no! I’m so sorry to hear this. They should still bake all the way through regardless of pan size they may just need a lot more time. 🙁