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!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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:
Ariana Mundy
Oh.My.Lord. SAMMM. These are incredible. I love to brown the butter when a recipe calls for melted butter and the result when I did so here was absolute perfection. Because brown butter cooks down a bit I put my melted browned butter on a scale and added regular butter until the scale read 226g. These brownies are so soft and fudgy with a chewy edge, my perfect consistency! I cooked them for just under the minimum cooking time, let them cool for a bit on a rack in the pan and then lifted them out of the pan onto the cooling rack, letting them cool completely on the parchment. the flavor , especially with the two brown sugars ( GENIUS IDEA using this in everything now) and browned butter, goes perfect with a cup of boilo or tea! I’ve had several prior to and during writing this comment 😂😂! Home run Sam!
Sam
Thank you so much, Ariana! I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Marie
Hello. I want to make these a day ahead for an early get-together. I was hoping to bake them fresh so I am wondering if they will be any different if I make the batter today, store it in the fridge overnight, and just toss it in the oven tomorrow? What do you think?
Sam
Hi Marie! I haven’t tried refrigerating the batter like that, but I think it should work just fine. 🙂
Nick Rubenstein
Fantastic recipe!
I made with deeply browned high quality butter, and since this recipe is so butter-forward I think it really made a difference. I added salted caramel chips to dark chocolate chips and walnuts.
I’m having trouble exhibiting any self control… it’s a battle to not eat the whole batch, haha.
Annemé Smit
Simple recipe, easy to understand and make, even for the amature cook. Basic ingredients that are affordable. End result is delicious! This recipe is a keeper.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them so much! Thank you for coming back to leave a review ❤️
Vanny
I’ve made these twice now, and they turned out delicious and chewy every time. My family loves them! It will be my go to recipe from now on for blondies! Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks for your review, Vanny 🥰
Sharon C.
I made this recipe for my family. They love it.I just put a batch in the oven. I will be adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream and Carmel sauce to elevate my blondes.
Shawna
I had this amazing white chocolate ginger blondie at this cafe in the UK and had to recreate it. I used this recipe as a base and for add ins I used 90g of white chocolate, about 2/3 cup of macadamia nuts and 2/3 cup crystallized/ candied ginger- they were spot on. Absolutely amazing. If anyone wants a bit of a spice kick or warming flavour in their blondies I highly suggest adding in a half cup to 2/3 cup of candied ginger- so amazing!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds divine, Shawna! We’ll have to give that a try 🥰
Gina
Does the crystallized ginger melt or get soft? That sounds delicious
LuAnne
I’m making these again today, for the third time. They’re amazing and everyone loves them. I follow the recipe except I brown the butter. It takes it them to the next level! Thank you!
Laurie Smith
I have made these several times now and each time they turn out amazing. My husband, who is a die hard chocolate fan, thought these were every bit as good as brownies. Thank-you.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks so much for trusting our recipe, Laurie 🥰
Bobbie
Do you have adjustments for high altitude? We live in NM at 6500 feet. I enjoyed these Blondies while visiting California. They were amazing. I would love to make them at our altitude and have them come out the same. Thanks.
Sam
Hi Bobbie! Unfortunately I am not very familiar with high altitude baking so I’m not sure of any adjustments that would need to be made. 🙁
Jen
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! 1c chopped walnuts and 2/3c toffee bits gave me the treat I’d been craving! 😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad they hit the spot for you, Jen! Enjoy ❤️
Judy T
These are delicious! I used butterscotch instead of white chocolate. Moist, chewy, heavenly! Thank you as this will be a recipe I use over and over.
Nola
Recipe looks amazing and tastes good but even though I baked it in a normal baking pan, it took forever for the blondies to bake! I had it in for probably 35mins before taking it out and letting it cook but it did not harden at all. While the top was turning light brown and hard, the inside towards the bottom was still super gooey which was disappointing since once the batter was finally cooked, the top was super hard 🙁 for someone who was baking blondies for the first time, this was a bit of a let down 🙁
Sam
O no! I’m so sorry this happened, Nola! Is it possible your oven may be running a bit warmer than it says or they weren’t quite baked in the center of the oven? I’ve had an oven that baked unevenly and it was frustrating. I would see these issues sometimes. 🙁
Dianne
I had the same problem. If I make them again am going to tweek it a little, use a little less butter and maybe combine my sugars differently. I used all dark brown. My oven is perfectly set, I bake desserts for several local cafes and have to keep a thermometer in it to avoid these issues. When I get the perfect blond brownie my plan is to pop a whole pitted cherry into the top of each one before baking. Works beautifully with chocolate brownies now just to perfect a cherry vanilla brownie.
Jamie
I had the same issue. I bake quite a bit and have a secondary oven thermometer in my oven too so it isn’t a matter of oven temp. I used stoneware. Tasted great when done. I am not a fan of the crunch top on a blondie. I’ll have to work on this one.
Kay Bertholdt
My grandson requested these for his return trip to college. They ship beautifully. I usually cut them and package in small bags from the Dollar Store. They are a dorm hit!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That is so sweet! We’re honored that you use our recipe, Kay ❤️
Alexus Vanheusen
Just wanted to thank you for adding this Blondie recipe. I used to shop at Trader Joe’s for Blondie bars but the store for some reason stopped selling them. Now I can make my own. Thank you so much.
Sam
You’re welcome! 🙂
Ginger Hackney
Delicious! Took a batch to a church picnic this afternoon & they were a HUGE hit! Followed the recipe exactly as written. Thanks Sam!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We appreciate you coming back to leave a comment, Ginger ❤️
Amy
So delicious! I had to use dark chocolate chips as I didn’t realize my white ones had been used up. I also tossed in a few dried cranberries because….I wanted to. I used a glass dish and they ended up taking about 45 m to bake. Will definitely make again.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like they still turned out great regardless, Amy! We’re so happy you liked them 😊
Sherr
Thank you for this old time classic favorite Blondie Recipe! I’ve been trying different bases of this recipe In hopes to find the flavor in one or my great aunts recipes & this one did it for me!
I made it exactly as you have it because why not eat a whole pan while testing lol (throughout a week of course lol)Love it! Absolutely perfect! Thank you again