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:
Joanna
I made a marbled version of these by adding melted chocolate into 1/3 of the batter. Delicious!!!
Sugar Spun Run
That sounds delicious, Joanna! Thank you for using this recipe as a base. I am so glad that they turned out perfectly for you!
Elina van den Berg
These blondies were DELICIOUS!!!! They were so easy to make, and we all loved them!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed them, Elina! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it! 🙂
Sooz
I made these yesterday – they’re delicious. I didn’t include the nuts. I did however, drizzle a mixture of white chocolate and milk chocolate on the top – once it had cooled. Delicious. Not overly sweet, which is great for us. They are ‘moreish’…My husband is going to struggle to ‘resist’ eating them all – I’m sure.
I hope the puppies are doing well – hopefully they’ve found loving forever family homes now.
Su, England x
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe and from the sound of it, so did your husband. Thanks for trying it and for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it, Sooz! 🙂
Gardyloo
Thank you for this great recipe! Wonderful flavor and super easy. Using Convection bake, I baked them for 40 minutes. My add-in was Nestle Espresso Baking Chips, and they really made the flavor pop. They also froze really well and will become one of my default sharing treats.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Willem
My first attempt an making blondies, wife and kids finished everything the first night 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that they were such a hit, Willem! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Applepuncher
These are good, the part that was frustrating was the cooking time. If you are going to make these, I suggest adding an extra 20 minutes to the cooking time.
Sugar Spun Run
I appreciate the feedback, I will look into the bake time and adjust if needed. 🙂
Cierra Brinkman
I haven’t made this yet, but want to add that if you overmix brownie batter it will become cakey. Maybe this is the issue? I am excited to try tjese
Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
Possibly, Cierra! I hope that you enjoy the blondies when you try the recipe. Thanks for commenting. Keep me posted on how yours turns out. 🙂
Deb King
Do you know what variation might be needed for high altitude? I live at over 5,000 feet. I’m wondering if the comments about the texture in some of the above posts might also be altitude related. I can’t wait to try these! My son wants Blondies for his birthday and this recipe looks Birthday-Worthy!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Deb! Unfortunately, I do not have experience baking at high altitude so I can not provide you with any recommendations. If you try the recipe, I’d love your feedback based on your conditions. I hope that your son enjoys his sweet birthday treat. 🙂
Deb King
These Blondies were so incredibly good! Please do some looking at adjustments needed for high altitude! I’m just betting some of the folks that had a problem with texture are baking more than 3,000 feet above sea level. I’m at a little over 5,000. The higher you get the more adjustment is required. The altitude effects dryness and texture and baking time and temperature. I googled high altitude adjustments just for brownies. Since there is so little leaven in the recipe to begin with I made the other suggested adjustments: I reduced the white sugar by 1/4 cup. I did use both types of brown sugar. Yum. I used a full extra egg rather than just the yolk (increasing the liquid). I baked at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. They were wonderfully soft and chewy. Not crumbly at all. The texture reminded me of a lemon bar. Thanks so much for the recipe! We had a Birthday blast with it. I hope this opens up a whole new world of knowledge for you about high altitude baking! Your other recipes look wonderful, too! Just FYI, I specifically googled for a high altitude recipe and yours came up as the second choice. The Birthday Boy said “You Rock!”
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the blondies were such a hit, Deb! Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing your adjustments made for high altitude. I appreciate it. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Arlene Nemec
Wonderful moist chewy blondes made exactly as directed. Used chopped pecans as ad in.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the blondies, Arelene! Thanks for trying my recipe and for taking a moment to leave me a review. 🙂
Tracey
I made them at work (I’m a cook in an assisted living hime(). We didn’t have chips or buts on hand so u used Chile’s Oreo cookies and they are very good. They were dense and chewy I’d like to try them with the nuts and choc chips. Thanks for the recipe; I really liked the texture —- not cake like st all.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the blondies, Tracey! Thanks for trying my recipe and for taking a moment to comment, I appreciate it! 🙂
Angie
Mine were cake texture too – I even measured the flour as per your video – taste was great but texture was soft and cakey.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Angie! I am so sorry that you experienced an issue. They definitely shouldn’t be cakey! Are you substituting any ingredients or using self-rising flour instead of all-purpose? It could be that the flour was over measured as well. This is common in baking so I’ve created a guide that can be used as a reference in the future. Regardless, I hope that they tasted delicious.
Sara C
I’ve made these twice now, and they’re delicious. Second time around I made them vegan by using vegan margarine and flax eggs, and it worked lovely. I did have to reduce the amount of fat by a fair chunk (down to 170g), however, as my first batch had a layer of butter at the bottom when baked. I also added little blobs of frozen Nutella (small spoonfuls pot in a sheet of greaseproof paper then frozen) which is once off my favourite blondie tweaks. They were very popular, and several people asked for the recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that you were able to use this recipe as a base and with adjustments, you had success making vegan blondies, Sara! Thank you for sharing your method. I am so glad that you enjoyed them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
P K
I’ve tried making these twice now but both times the texture is more like cake, where am I going wrong?
Sam
They definitely shouldn’t be cakey! Are you substituting any ingredients or using self-rising flour instead of all-purpose? I would make sure that you are measuring your flour correctly, and there is a video below the recipe that might be helpful to watch. I hope that helps!
Morgan
Wish I read the comments before using the last of our flour and brown sugar 🙁
I got a 100% dry cake texture as well. Not even slightly “fudgey” like a brownie. pretty bummed.
Sam
That’s very disappointing, Morgan! It might be helpful to check out my post on measuring flour properly. As you can see from the pictures and video, these blondies ought to be very dense and chewy and not at ALL cakey, so my best guess would be that the flour might have been over-measured (assuming that no substitutes were made). Here is my post on how to measure flour properly in case that is helpful. Also, this is the only comment out of hundreds reporting cakey blondies, the others have all had the dense, fudgy, buttery results so I think it’s likely that this was an anomaly. I am happy to help troubleshoot further, though! 🙂
Sherry
Oh, my, these are glorious! I made them with dark brown sugar along with the white granulated, pb chips and chopped,salted cashews. Quite excellent and VERY RICH. I will definitely be making these again.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Sherry! I am so glad that you enjoyed the blondie recipe! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Grace Miller
Hey, I just made these and the batter seemed very thick. It was like cookie batter… is that normal?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Grace! At the bottom of the post, just above the recipe, you will find a video that walks you through the process of making these blondies. In the video, you will get a better idea of the thickness of the batter. It is on the thicker side, almost cookie-like. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Stuey
I just made this recipe and ran into the same cakey texture a few others mentioned! Made sure to double check all measurements and even followed the flour guide in anticipation after reading the comment section. I didn’t use any add-ins. They were still delicious, but definitely more along the lines of a buttery cake than a gooey brownie-texture.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the feedback, Stuey! I appreciate it. Despite the texture, I am glad that they tasted delicious. 🙂