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:
Mike
Worst Brownies Ever!! Entirely too cakes, and not moist at all. Tried making for my wife’s birthday. Would write more but I need to go to a bakery to buy some brownies.
Sam
Hi Mike! I’m sorry you had issues with these blondies. Did you make any alterations to them? They are not meant to be a brownie. 🙁
Tae
Hi when do you add the brown sugar? Did I skip that step?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Step 2 😊
Christine L. Jefferies
Once the batter was together, I added cocoa powder to half of it and layered the blondie batter on the bottom and then the half with the cocoa powder on top. It was delicious and looked so pretty with the two different colored layers. Added a chocolate glaze on the top after it was cool.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! Sounds divine, Christine ☺️
Serina
If I half the sugar, will it affect the blondie’s texture? Any suggestion for how to make blondies that is not as sweet?
Sam
Hi Serina! I haven’t tried cutting the sugar in half so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. 🙁
Kaitlin
Holy cow these were delicious 😋. My 5 year old wanted to bake with me so i looked for and wasy fun recipe, abd this was just that. Soft and buttery. I added chocolate chips cus… why not 😆. Soooo good so easy.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kaitlin! We love lots of recipes that are fun with kids–let us know if you try any others 😊
Angelina
I followed the recipe but they came out weirdly gooey and the top was hard like a crust, what could have happened?
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened Angelina! I’m wondering if all of the ratios were correct here? It’s an interesting issue that I have not encountered before so I’m a little stumped. 🙁
Lisa Dobson
A baker for 50 years, I’d never made bloodies. This recipe is a winner! I substituted Trader Joe’s salted caramel chips and sprinkled some coarse sea salt over the top before baking. Bars were a huge hit. I believe this recipe could be the base for any sort of mix in. It’s a latecomer in my go-to repertoire but here to stay.
Lisa Dobson
Autocorrect being cute and I didn’t edit before send….”blondies”.
Lisa
Followed perfectly, but they came out more cake like than blondie like.
Sam
Hi Lisa! If you’re running into an issue with cakiness I would check that the flour is being measured properly and that the blondies are not being overbaked. Those are the most likely culprits. I hope that helps!
Margaret
Sam, I need help deciding!
First, I’ve been baking like crazy for friends/family, and using exclusively your recipes. Thank you for everything – people have been raving, and I always refer them to your page.
My birthday is this week, and I’m pretty healthy but I plan to indulge. What’s your recommendation: white chocolate brownies, or blondies? I’ve made the blondies before and they’re 11/10. I’m thinking to serve a them little warm, maybe with a little scoop of ice cream. I respect your opinion, so I’d love any input. Merry Christmas!!
Sam
Hi Margaret! First of all, Happy Birthday!!!! Secondly, thank you for trusting and sharing all of my recipes. I think you are on the right path with a slightly warmed blondie and some ice cream on top. YUMMMMMMM! 🙂
Kim
Have you ever added cranberries, white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to your blondie recipe?
Sam
Hi Kim! I have personally not tried it, but I don’t think there would be any issues doing so.
Maya
This came out great! I omitted the nuts, used a 9×9 pan, and baked it for 25 minutes – expecting that I would have to add another 5-10 minutes to the total bake time. Good thing I started with 25 minutes, because they were done, even though I used a smaller pan. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have the nuts. These came out so good, and will become my go-to recipe for blondies moving forward. Thank you!!!!!
Karen
Hello! I only have an 8×8 pan. Would it come out very thick compared to the ones in the photo?
Sam
Hi Karen! They would probably be about 50% thicker and the bake time would definitely change.
maby
could these be made without cornstarch?
Sam
You could substitute flour, but I recommend the cornstarch as it really helps make these soft and chewy. 🙂
Tracy
Can you use gf flour in this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tracy! We haven’t tried it, but we think a 1:1 gluten free flour would work fine. Let us know how it goes 😊
Xannie
Made these a a little special if you know what I mean and they’re a hit! I’ve added all sorts of toppings and fillings from a cheesecake filling to make cheesecake swirl blondies, caramel blondies, blueberry blondies etc and they’re great! I put them in a 9×9 to make extra thick slices 😉 thanks for the recipe!
Michaela
This is AMAZING! I’ve saved the recipe to my bookmarks! Quick question: does it need to be completely cooled before you take it out or can it be warm?
Sam
Hi Michaela! They are a little more likely to fall apart if they are warm, but I do take them out when they are slightly warm. 🙂
Bella Roberts
Are these Blondies freezeable
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Bella! Yes they are. Just allow them to cool, cut them, 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! 🙂
Kati
I was unsure if these would have the same “chewy” and crisp top like chocolate boxed brownies have. But OMG…… these are going to be a problem. I made them to exact recipe and that’re to die for!But then again everything she makes is delicious. Thank you Sam, this one is a keeper !!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for letting us know how you liked them, Kati! Enjoy 😊
Anne
Well, that worked! Made half batch. Added 1/4 cup pomegranate arils and 1/4 cup pecans. 6 people are the whole thing! Only feedback (other than moans of pleasure) was to add more pomegranate next time, but that’s my fault- the recipe is solid.
Robert
Tried making them yesterday. So good! This really is the best.
A Lawson
This is awesome!!! I made it with a chewy and cream cheese topping and I was in heaven!!! The family ate the entire pan in like less than two days. Going to make it tomorrow using butterscotch morsels. Can’t wait!!! Thank you for this recipe. Endless dessert and snack possibilities.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, that sounds amazing! Enjoy!!
Raff
Hi! How long would you suggest if baked in a 8×8 pan?
Sam
I haven’t baked it in an 8 x 8 so I can’t say for sure how to alter the bake time.