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:
Chelsea
I absolutely love your recipe I’ve made it several times. I was thinking…. I made some homemade caramel. Could I swirl it into the batter or drizzle on top before baking? Would it mess it up..
Sam
Hi Chelsea! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much! Without having tried the caramel myself, I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Kendra
Do you by chance have a butter substitute that you would recommend to make this dairy free?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kendra! We don’t have experience with dairy-free baking, but we have had a reader successfully make this recipe with Earth Balance soy-free spread. Hope that helps!
Mercy
The blondies were delish 😋. I’ve been wanting an alternative to fudgy brownies and a little something to satisfy my sweetooth. I also want to say that if you don’t want an arm workout you can use the paddle setting on the mixer. I don’t know if it was just me put my blondies looker a bit raw but it tasted fine, this is all I want to say. THEY WERE DELISH!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Mercy! 🩷
Diane Schmidtke
Could the mix work for 2 8×8 inch pans?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work fine! Enjoy, Diane 😊
Megan
Yum! I used butterscotch chips. Easy peasy, and I was asked for the recipe multiple times.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! We are so happy they were a hit, Megan 🥰
Tim
I want to use this recipe as part of a multi-layer brookie bar and I will be using an 3″ deep 8″ X 8″ pan. What would you suggest as a possible baking time given this pan size and depth? Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tim! If you halve the recipe, it should fit in your pan. Unfortunately, we haven’t baked this recipe in that size pan, so we can’t advise on a bake time 🙁
Tim
Thank you!
Heather
“Best Blondies Ever!” The words spoken by my husband who is a blondie snob – lol, they are his favorite. So many possibilities of add-ins or leave them plain; I used white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, baked for 30 minutes in an 11×7 pan for extra think blondies. Thanks for sharing your recipe, it’s a keeper!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe was a winner, Heather! We appreciate you coming back to leave a review ❤️
Jennifer S.
Would these be good with butterscotch chips instead of white chocolate chips?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We think that sounds tasty! 😋
Saisha
Awesome recipe! They came out perfect, first try! This is my family’s new favorite homemade treat!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks for trying our recipe, Saisha! ❤️
hannah
so good
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re happy you enjoyed them Hannah 🥰
Sonya
Brown the butter, use toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks. Sublime!
Kelsey
Hi, Megan! Love all of your recipes, first time poster. I am wanting to make a lemon blackberry Blondie going off your incredible base. I am going to make sure the liquids don’t change much, since I am sort of mashing two recipes together and hoping for the best. I am concerned about too much sugar once I add in the blackberries. Do you have any suggestions adding fruit to your blondies? Thank you so much!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kelsey! Unfortunately we haven’t tried adding fruit to this recipe, so we can’t say what alterations would be needed 🙁
Sally A Russell
So delicious and pretty easy to make, I love how the ingredients are under the directions so you don’t have to constantly scroll back up, it’s so thoughtful! Love the recipe!
Beatrix
I swapped the white chocolate for caramel chips, nixed the nuts, and added a bunch of rainbow sprinkles, and I will fully admit I caved to my evil side and ate the “ugly” one that fell apart when cutting. So so sooooo good. Such a good deep brown-sugar-vanilla flavor in the batter. I’d love to eat some more, but I GUESS I’ll save them for my friends at the party tomorrow…
Thank you for the recipe. Definitely will save it and try more mix-ins and maybe experiment with other flavors besides vanilla.
Sam
can you double this and bake it on a cookie sheet?
Sam
Hi Sam! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. I would make sure to not overfill your pan and just keep an eye on it as it bakes. 🙂
Angie
just tried this – used peanut butter chips instead of white chocolate. gives it that salty sweetness. my husband prefers this to a chocolate brownie. will be saving recipe to cook again!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Angie 😋
KikiNSeattle
Great recipe! As usual, I like to put my own twist on things so here are the substitutions I made:
1 T. Summer Blonde Whiskey instead of vanilla
Pecans instead of walnuts
Butterscotch chips in addition to white chocolate chips.
They turned out fantastic!
Hannah
I’ve made these blondies twice, and they’re absolutely delicious! I love adding strawberries as well!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing, Hannah 😊
Kaia Readhead
Amazing and so easy to make
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you enjoyed the blondies, Kaia! Thanks for the review ❤️
Alli M
This is the best blonde recipe of all times!! I was able to make them with no trouble following the recipe!! I used all dark brown sugar bcuz that’s all I had in hand, and I waited for like 4 hours for the eggs to get room temp (I didn’t check them in between those 4 hours, maybe the wait time could be in the recipe for beginners like me?!) and my hubby likes them (he don’t have a sweet tooth like me) and I love them so much I’m about to make some more!! Thanks Sam for your very yummy and easy to follow recipes!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Alli! We’re so happy you enjoyed them. Next time, follow our trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature–it will save you a lot of time 🥰
Lorraine C Liggera
For bringing eggs to room temperature, just take them out of the refrigerator, put them into a bowl and cover with warm water. It should only take about 10 minutes.
Ruth Halsall
Did you use granulated as well as the mixed of light and dark brown sugar?
Carol
Hi, was making this again and saw your review. I put my cold eggs first thing in a bowl of really warm water and they are room temp by the time I need them. Maybe you could try this, it works for me.