[This recipe got new photos in 2018, plus some expanded notes/Q&A at the end.]
I’m back! But not really, as I got home an hour ago, whipped up a batch of the only blondie recipe you’ll ever need for our favorite blonde’s umpteenth 25th birthday and now I have about 45 minutes to find something in my closet that camouflages my sling because ugh, it’s such an eyesore. (On the flipside, when I don’t wear it and someone bumps into me I get all outraged like ‘don’t you know my shoulder is injured?!’ Well, no Deb, they don’t.)
Although I am certain the last thing anyone wants to think about today is eating, baking, desserts or the next big cooking holiday, this recipe will usher in what I hope will be a month peppered with ideas for gifty kitchen confections. I know a lot of people this time of year make small gifts bags of baked goods, or larger tins for parties, and while I typically don’t, this gives me a chance, too, to try out a lot of bookmarked recipes while also never showing up at a party empty-handed. Also, I finally have an excuse to buy a candy thermometer.
Of course, this recipe is nothing new. I’ve been making it for nearly two years now because it’s simple the tastiest and easiest — one bowl! — baked goods to whip up for a party. It’s denser than chocolate chip cookies, more complex than brownies and in the classic Minimalist style, you’ve can customize it anywhere from a cranberry almond coconut bar to the gunky atery-cloggers I’m best known for. I typically load up on whatever chocolate I have around — tonight it was milk, white and bittersweet — finely chop some walnuts or pecans, use dark brown sugar, European butter and in something you will probably sense is a theme with me, add a splash of bourbon to boot. Gild the lily? Oh, not me. Never.
Finally, I double the recipe, baking it in a 9×13 pan (though really, just because I don’t have an 8×8 — yet) and cut the pieces really small, almost like cubes so we can rest assured that we’re not overdoing it. Oh no, not us. Never.
Blondies, Infinitely Adaptable
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (190 grams) light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups mix-ins of you choice (my favorite: 1 cup chocolate chips plus 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, see below for more suggestions)
Melt butter in a small saucepan; I like to keep cooking it, stirring occasionally, until it becomes toasty and browned at the bottom and has an unbelievable aroma. It’s definitely worth the trouble here. Pour into a medium or large bowl and whisk in sugar until smooth. At this point, it should be cooled to lukewarm, but if it’s not, let it rest for a few minutes until it is, then whisk in egg, vanilla, and sea salt. Stir in flour and additions of your choice.
Scrape into prepared pan and smooth with spatula; the batter is thick and will take some nudging. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned at edges but looks a tiny bit underbaked. (I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie.) Let blondies cool in pan, or just let them cool in it for 10 minutes and use the parchment sling to slide them onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 or more squares.
Leftover (ha!) blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Ideas for additions: Chopped nuts, toasting them first for better flavor; 2 tablespoons espresso powder; 1/2 teaspoon mint or almond extract in place of the vanilla; 1/2 cup dried fruit; 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey (increase the flour by 1 tablespoon); a mix of chopped chocolate or candy bars (toffee bits would be fantastic here); peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips.
Expanded notes, 2018: Here are some of the FAQ questions about these over the years: “Mine look smaller, why do yours look thick?” These are, in fact, a thin blondie, similar in thickness to the brownie recipes on this site. However the original images were a little confusing because for parties, I’d always cut them into little 1-inch squares as I believe that all foods eaten standing up, especially at parties, shouldn’t be more than a single bite, at a time or becomes complicated to hold your drink too, or worse, you get crumbs in it, which would be unacceptable. Rules are rules.
“Mine were so flat, why don’t you put baking powder or baking soda in them?” Blondies are also known as ‘butterscotch brownies,’ and brownies, I firmly believe, have no place for baking powder or baking soda in them. That would make them cake. I have no interest in either being cakey. I prefer them chewy, with just a little puff and crackle that comes from baking with an egg. If you must add baking powder, I won’t judge; the common measurement for a blondie recipe of this volume is 3/4 teaspoon. Stir it in with the flour.
“Mine took longer to bake.” My bad. I call these “infinitely adaptable” because they are, but failed to mention that wet ingredients (bananas, bourbon) will probably add baking time. Bananas are probably the riskiest of this, and I’m now nixing them as a suggestion, although I don’t think any harm would come from a couple tablespoons of mashed banana, if you so desire.
“Mine came out hard.” Don’t overbake these, just don’t. Like a good chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie, the way to have a slight gooey texture in the center when you’re done is to take them out before they look fully done. By the time they look fully done, they’ll cool off and seem a little crunchy.
“Can I double these?” Absolutely, in a 9×13-inch pan. They’ll end up a tiny bit thicker.
mmmmm, what a great sounding basic recipe – will try this soon! My search for recipes is always a search for the base to more complex things – like the basic pancake recipe, which can be spiced up, substituted and tweaked until the cows come home. It is so helpful to know the ratios that make everything turn out like the thing we expect them to be like (pancake-like, cookie-like, cake-like, quick-break-like, and so on)
Also, I’m about to cook a second batch, in 3 days, of your coffee cake…first one was for fiance back at the real home, second one for relatives at thanksgiving feast…that one goes very high on my baked goods list
I put in fresh raspberries and they were DIVINE. Shout out to this recipe. My mom tried them and said they were too sweet, but she says that about everything
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They ARE very rich. Be sure to pat the raspberries dry after washing/cutting in half to reduce moisture inherent to fresh berries. Also, they break when mixed in, so you should mix some in the bowl and then push some into the mixture when it’s all set to be baked in the pan. Yummy! 9/10
This is very interesting that you melt the butter and the sugar… I like when things get intriguing. Is this dark or light brown sugar– have you made them with both??
Peanut butter is also a great addition, can help to make them even chewier.
yum, right this minute I was thinking I need something sweet-if only…and now this-perfect.
I made this with chopped up Reece’s peanut butter cups and Hershey bars left over from Halloween. So good!!
Wow, and I like one bowl!
Rachael – If you like adapting recipes, you should really check out How to Cook Everything. Alex bought it in his woebegone bachelor days, heh, and the entire book is recipes and then endless adaptation. The instructions are so clear and simple, and really, it has a recipe for almost anything. Of course, one of the problems with this approach is that you have to guess when, which and how many additions will be beneficial, and when you should just stick with the core recipe. Should you use ½ cup or 1 cup of chocolate chips? It’s a big range. Of course this was an easy choice: all of the above! But would all of those additions be good in a cookie? Probably not.
Glad you loved the coffee cake.
Shuna – See, I found that step brilliant. One, I wholly admit that I love the laziness involved in only having to melt and not cream room-temperature butter, because when is it ever room temperature when you need it? But two, because when you’re making a cookie, you shouldn’t really need all that air beaten into the butter that you would need when making a cake, right? I’d think that the lack of creaming would make for a more crisp cookie. I’ve made it with both light and dark brown sugars – this time, I used both because I only had some of each – and each way, it’s wonderful, the darker of course having a more intense flavor. I applaud your suggestion of peanut butter.
Elle – And so easy! Let me/us know if you try it.
Tanna – Me too! I love it when a recipe-writer tests it both ways, and realizes you lose nothing by saving a dish – perfect, as our sink is already stacked with stuff we didn’t get to washing before running out for the weekend. Blech!
“you melt the butter and the sugar;” maybe this is my problem? I melted, and tried to brown, the butter and then added that to brown sugar in a bowl, and beat it. Should I have added the brown sugar to the pan after the butter was browned, to melt the sugar in, and then transferred that to a bowl and beat it?
Hi JP, if you may attempt this recipe again, just melt the butter alone, not with the sugar. Sugar just needs to be stirred in :).
I made it last night for my ceramics class and everyone loved it! Used Whole Foods 365 dark chocolate chunk. I like my blondie a little more cake-like but not too much, so added just under a 1/4 tsp baking powder. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
I made these last night — very tasty, and very easy!!! My husband thanks you immensely!
allana
I’m glad to have this in the arsenal–the America’s Test Kitchen blondie recipe made some great bars, but seemed awfully fussy to me (though that’s sorta why I love them, too).
This holiday is going to be my first excursion into the world of giving seriously high-quality but not-requiring-backbreaking-kitchen-labor home-baked gifts, so I’m looking forward to all of your posts for the next few weeks! (And beyond, of course…)
Even though I just ate my breakfast, this recipe made my stomach growl loudly. I may have to make them as soon as we run out of Thanksgiving pie and birthday cake.
Those Blondies sure went well with my hangover on Sunday!
THANK YOU!! For everything. It was a great night, although I am still trying to piece together what happened.
I have one silly question, when a recipe calls for butter is it always assumed to be unsalted butter? These blondies are in the oven right now, I can’t wait to taste them.
I made these using unsalted butter, dried blueberries, chocolate chips and walnuts. My six year old tried some after dinner, and came to me and said, “Mom, these are the BEST DESSERT EVER.” Then I got a big hug and “Thanks so much for making those.”
This is the kid who won’t touch nuts, by the way. And i have never gotten a HUG for making cookies before. Definitely a keeper–easy recipe! Thanks!
Deb, thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I absolutely love dried cherries, so I tried the cherries, white chocolate, coconut and walnut version. They were to die for. I love this recipe because it can be made quickly with whatever ingredients I happen to have on hand and with very little clean-up.
This definitely sounds like a keeper. I´ll have to make it very very soon.
I tried these today and they turned out way too gooey(and I like a gooey center as much as the next person) even after I practically doubled the baking time. I’m thinking my oven temperature is really off or my mistake was the fact that I mixed the other ingredients into the saucepan I melted the butter in and it was very warm(the chocolate chips ended up melting almost immediately). Did everyone else cool the butter to room temp. or cooler first?
Deb. first time poster here and wanted to tell you the combo I came up with for these, since you were the inspiratin not only for the blondes but the flavor…. dark chocolate chips and candied oranges (done as you did for the orangettes). fabulous and a major hit with the party I made them for. thanks for the recipe-s! I love your site, your writing, your photos, the inspiration… oh, and the recipes!
Deb, just wanted to say thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! I whipped up a double batch of these bad boys and threw in some nuts and dark chocolate for my company Christmas party. Not a crumb was left! :)
i tried the kitchen sink blondies from soupersalad and FELL IN LOVE. I searched far and wide for the recipe, i even went as far as emailing, mailing and calling to company to see if they would give it to me….they wouldnt.
So i tried ever god damned recipe i could find to see if they were similar. didnt work, this is the closest ive found so far!!!
i melt white chocolate and butterscotch (8 oz) and add it to the recipe and then mix in chocolate chips to the batter…so scrumptcious
Wow but 1/4 cup of bourbon was way, way too much. I had to toss these and make another batch.
Oh no! That’s terrible. My first thought was “god, Deb, not everyone loves bourbon the way you do. For real!” but believe it or not, those are Mark Bittman suggestions from his cookbook, not even mine! Good to know for the future. Sorry you learned the hard way.
Interesting — I made these for the first time yesterday, with the suggested 1/4 cup bourbon & extra TBSP of flour (and only diced quality white chocolate as a mix-in), and they came out fine. I cooked them the max 25 minutes, possibly 1 minute longer, and they came out very good indeed: fully set when cool, with a strong toffee aroma and a lot of crunch in the bottom and (especially) edges. LOTS of butter on the bottom, but that mopped up nicely when I slid them off the parchment, and didn’t make anything soggy.
They are *very* sugary-sweet, which makes me think that they could use something to balance against all that sugar in the absence of cocoa. My goal was to have a no-chocolate no-nuts result, so I’ll have to ponder what else can do the trick there.
I found this recipe (and everyone’s helpful comments) a few weeks ago. Now it’s all my husband asks for! Thanks Deb and commenters!
Chocolate chips and pecans are part of the basic version for us, but as we’re big bourbon and espresso fans, I’ve been playing with those two add-ins. When I used 2T of espresso, the bourbon got lost. Halved the espresso and it disappeared, leaving us with bourbon cubes (not that we minded). Tonight’s plan is to try 1.5T of espresso and a scant 1/4c of maker’s. Cross your fingers please.
Hi, I was having a massive food craving last night and was desperate to find something I could bake with the ingredients on hand. This recipe did the trick. I actually have “How to Cook Everything” but can’t currently find it.
I added 1/4 cup of light rum and 1/2 cup of coconut to the basic recipe and my husband was delighted.
Thank you so much.
heeeeeeeeeeeey these are lush! i am baking them for the second for my best friend to give her on her 18th birthday! i used white chocolate buttons and they look delicious! thankyou xxxxx
Oh my god, I made these as a quick dessert, as well as something non-chocolate so my dad could eat them. I added dried cherries and pecans and they were awesome! Thanks!
WOW…this sounds yummie! When adding cocnut how much should I add? Going to also add pecans and chocolate chips. Can’t wait to make this for the family…and me too!!!!
Wow! Who knew blondies were so easy/so few ingredients? I’m definitely going to have to try these!
I’ve got this recipe in the oven now… looking at the software list, it reminds me a lot of the recipe for “Butterscotch Bars” that my grandma swiped out of an old Better Homes and Gardens book. The only real difference being that recipe included baking powder, so the blondies have a bit more “loft” than these probably will.
Anyhoo, it was the variations that hooked me to try this one – I put bourbon in my blondies ;-)
Cheers, kids…
I used a couple of the add-ons (whiskey and butterscotch chips in place of chocolate chips!) and made what my husband now calls “Tullamore Scotchies”! Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made these last night and brought them in to work — everyone loves them… and hates me for ruining their diets! :)
I just made these for a blonde friend who is recovering from surgery… she loves Blondies – I added chocolate chips (she does not like nuts) – They smell scrumptious and if I wasn’t on a weight loss mission they would most definitively be some missing from her care package… thanks for the recipe! Happy Baking!
I made these the other day as a surprise for my mother and they were FANTASTIC. We knocked out the whole pan in a day (sorry diet!). They were perfectly moist. I added dried cherries, white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Thanks so much for the recipe! They were quick and easy to make but tasted as if I slaved over them all day.
I’ve made two batches of these so far and they are awesome! Has anyone noticed that they taste even better after about 3-5 days of being left at room temp? I think the flavors really have a chance to meld together. I know it’s not easy to wait that long but save at least one and try it!
Oh my! I have had this recipe printed out for a few weeks, and was just waiting for a reason to try it out. I decided that reason was going to be the celebration of my husband and I recovering from the flu! I used walnuts and semisweet chocolate chips, and they are absolutely to die for! So easy, so quick, so delicious. Now I just can’t wait to get to the grocery to make those cherry-coconut-almond ones you mentioned above. Thanks for yet another foolproof recipe, Deb!
these are in the oven baking right now. i went with white chocolate, craisins, and a splash of chambord. can’t believe there’s no baking powder or soda, or leavening of any kind – but they smell divine. baby fell asleep in the kitchen, so i must bake! at this rate, i’ll never lose the baby weight.
These are such great blondies! I’ve been making them for months and decided to leave some love. I added some coconut and peanutbutter :D
I am absolutely in love with these! I’ve made two batches in the last two days — pistachio and butterscotch almond :)
I made these the other day for my family. I got up that morning and decided I wanted to make blondies…which I had never made before! I looked up a few recipes and decided to settle on yours. I doubled the batch and added chocolate chips. They were delicious (and they went fast)! The only thing I plan to do differently next time I make them is add even more chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
These are delicious. I’m on my second batch inside a week. Both with dark chocolate chunks, pecans and dried sour cherries. They feel positively healthy compared to my favourite brownie recipe (which uses a pound of dark chocolate, close to a pound of butter and 8 eggs!). Trisha, how an earth did you discover they taste better after 3-5 days? These are out of the oven and gone! Thank you for an amazing blog (deliciously tempting photos) and a great recipe.
Unbelievably easy. I wish I had found this recipe before. I was just tasting blondies and had to make them. I didn’t have the whiskey or the bourbon but I did have some Grand Marnier (orange liqueur). I put a shot of that in the recipe with milk choc chips, semi sweet choc chips, and walnuts. Unbelievable. Especially with some fresh chocolate chip ice cream. Thank you so much. I’m making a batch for my mom next week.
Just phenomenal and so easy! I threw in a good 3/4 cup of toffee pieces and a little over 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Baking took more like 35 minutes and the center was still on the gooey side, but the end product was worth the wait!
I made this recipe this afternoon after stumbling upon it from Google. I made mine a double batch, and I used dates and walnuts for add-ins. They’re delicious.
http://fatduc.blogspot.com/2008/06/so-i-made-some-blondies.html
I made these over the weekend. They are great. I just added good chocolate chips and toffee bits. Thanks
I was wondering how much Peanut Butter to add and how much butter to take out if I wanted to make PB chocolate chunk blondies?
Megan — I haven’t tried it that way, so cannot attest to the best measurements. However, I have a Peanut Butter Brownie (with chocolate chips) recipe on this site I urge you to try–it’s delicious.
I stumbled into your site whilst trying to decipher what the heck went wrong with the ratios in the blondie recipe I was working on. My friend shot me a recipe for coconut blondies, but it was more like a mediocre coconut cake, with the butter and sugar creamed and all that. Anyhow, those hit the bin, and it was time for round two! I used your base recipe with a smidge of coconut cream and a whole lot of shredded coconut. As soon as my knife cut into these, I knew they were gonna be great!!
http://sweetcharitypie.blogspot.com/2008/06/coconut-blondies.html
By the way, your blog is going in my bookmarks for gratuitous food porn- I love it!
I have a batch of these in the oven right now, plain with some dried cherries. The batter tasted insane (I am an obsessive-compulsive spoon licker!) and I can’t wait for the finished product. My coworkers are going to love me tomorrow!
Thanks Deb!
hi, I found your site by way of notmartha.com, I made a batch of these for a family get together over the weekend and they were a huge hit! This recipe is dangerously easy! I doubled the batch and added semi sweet chocolate chips. I’m making another batch tonight, they are simply delicious. Now to go check out those peanut butter brownies… your site is great, I know I’ll be making more of the recipes you have listed, for sure!
How long should they cook if you are doubling the recipe?!
Yeeks — it’s been a long time since I’ve made these and can’t remember. I would start checking at 30 minutes (the thickness will have a lot to do with baking time, of course) and then go every five minutes from there when they’re not done.
My new favorite “late night and in the mood for something sweet and easy” recipe! These are delicious with some Ghiradelli chocolate chips and a handful of mini marshmallows. Thanks for the new recipe staple!
I just made these last night and doubled the recipe. In a 9 x 13 ” pan, they were done at 30 minutes (they come out a little thinner then the ones pictured). I added dried cranberries, chocolate chips, a tablespoon of espresso powder and about a shot of whiskey. They came out very moist and very very good (melting the butter helps with that). Next time will try the espresso and white chocolate.
OH my gosh !!! Need I say more ?
wow! so easy and delicious, as everyone has already observed. I put in half a cup of toasted pecans, 1/4 cup of bourbon and 1/3 cup of bittersweet choc chips. I did think I could have left them in the oven another five minutes (I baked them for about 25 mins) but maybe that’s just my oven. deb, maybe i too love bourbon too much, but i didn’t find 1/4 cup to be too much. though licking the mixing bowl was a, um, heady experience.
I made these yesterday and they turned out yummy! My variation was to mix in approx. 3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, approx. 3/4 c. walnuts, 1/2 c. dried cherries (snipped, so as to mix into the batter more evenly), 1/2 tsp. almond extract, and 2 T. bourbon. I didn’t add extra flour, since I didn’t add the full amount of bourbon. Also, I used a 9×9 inch pan, since that’s what I have. In spite of an oven that has the world’s craziest thremostat, the blondies came out perfect! I probably baked them for about 21-22 minutes. I will be revisiting your blog often and trying other recipes soon. Thanks!
I topped mine with chocolate chips and eagle brand. I wanted it to be a bit more like a magic/monster bar
I made these with my 5 year old daughter twice. So easy to double and yummy! We throw in whatever chocolate we have on hand, this time it was semi-sweet and white. They were great. Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe!
It was a lovely one, and I’ve put it on my blog too! :)
i came across this recipe and really want to try it but i was wandering if you or anyone could tell me the equivalent weight of a tablespoon of butter in either grams or ounces. I am English and am not familiar with these types of measurements, so if anyone could let me know that would be great! :)
Eight tablespoons equals four ounces in weight. So one should be 1/2 oz.
Vita — A tablespoon of butter is 1 (one) ounce. An American stick of butter is 8 ounces, 8 tablespoons, or half a pound of butter. Hope that helps!
Happy Baking. I’m making these myself this evening. Let the Christmas Cookie Baking BEGIN.
2/1/17 Just saw this recipe reposted on Facebook by Deb. Your information on butter is incorrect: one stick of butter=4 ounces=1/4 pound, so 1 Tb.=1/2 ounce.
Wow, I just stumbled upon this recipe from http://www.stumbleupon.com and I am going to make them. I am visiting my daughter and family for Christmas and she has given me strict instructions I have to make something to take, so this will be it.
Merry Xmas to all.
They are in the oven as we speak, I am sending them to my husband in Herat. He loves blondies!! Will let you know how they fair in the mail.
Thank you so much for this recipe. They are D E L I C I O U S! My husband’s co-workers have even offered to pay me to bake this recipe for them.
Thank you for the recipe! I made if for my family as a surprise and everyone loved it. That’s a pretty hard task considering all the different tastes we have. It’s now the only recipe I use for Blondies and when I need something quick, tasty and still impressive.
I made this recipe just now, using butterscotch chips instead of the other additions listed. Just waiting for them to finish cooking so I can see how my attempt came out. I love to experiment with my desserts and constantly add extras in brownies and cookies to give ’em an extra kick of some kind.
Thank you for the recipe!
I’m making these today because we’re snowed in near Boston – my family’s been waiting for two boring days for me to bake something and now here it is – all the ingredients on hand and easy cleanup. Thanks Deb!
I made these last night, and they were so good! Very easy and even better the next day. I love your blog! I’m planning to make the Cranberry, Caramel and Almond Tarts today for Christmas. Hope it works!
The best blondies I’ve ever had were served at a meeting in Chicago seven years ago. I’ve checked every bakery I’ve stepped foot in on the west coast since then, and none have even sold blondies. I’ve done several Internet searches for recipes and decided on this one…based on the ease of the recipe and everyone’s positive comments. My two 8×8 inch pans of blondies are in the oven baking right now–one with about a cup of butterscotch chips and the other with butterscotch chips and chopped pecans. I didn’t go the bourbon route–the only liquor in this house is tequila, but I did use some imported Mexican vanilla that has a pure, wonderful flavor.
Thanks for your site, and all the tips and suggestions. Happy new year to all.
I was so excited to make these blondies. First try I doubled the recipe and used cherries, walnuts and chocolate chips. They were flat and a kind of dry and ordinary. I tried again thinking that maybe I shouldn’t double up. I used an 8X8 pan and used mashed bananas, walnuts and chocolate chips and a T. of brandy. Still flat and less than impressive. What happened? Could it be the weather or that I used room temperature butter instead of melting it? Maybe they’ll taste better in the morning.
WOW! These are delicious! I used 1/2 c. pumpkin and a handful of chocolate chips. I thought they’d be more cookie like in their consistency and they were more cake like but still wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe!
these sound especially delicous! I’m planning on attempting them tonight… let’s cross our fingers.
I made these with bittersweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and almond extract. They were AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to try the other combinations.
I have been baking these blondies for about two years and yet each time I am suprised by the insane taste and ease of making this recipe. When I make them I suddenly become Mommy again to my 15 and 18 year old boys. Thanks again for this madly delicious recipe!!!
These are crazy business. I doubled the recipe and threw in chocolate chunks and white chocolate drops. AMAZING! I had used another recipe and was really sad that they came out more like scones, so trooped on and found yours! I was gloating for about two days. Well, this is the second day so it hasn’t really stopped. Next time I’ll kill the bottle of Woodford on the bridge and try caramel bits with almonds. Thanks so much! I’m going to have to bake these for my parents. I usually make dumplings on Chinese New Year but this may be my new tradition!!
P.S. I forgot and actually creamed the butter and sugar, but it came out as gorgeous as the pics so dont worry if you did accidentally. I’ll follow the next time..
Just made these with sliced almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and some finely diced pear soaked in Calvados. The flavors are complex beyond words. Love your blog, love Mark Bittmann, keep up the great work.
i tried baking using this recipe for my bestfriend’s birthday and it turned out to be simply delicious ((: i added white choc chunks into the batter and sprinkled the top of the batter with a whole lotta choc chips XDDD
I recently baked blondies from a recipe I found some where else and they weren’t so great. Last night, I decided to try once more and searched online for a better recipe, coming across this one I just knew I had to try it. I doubled the recipe for my 13 x 9 pan and used about half a cup of butterscotch chips, a cup of chocolate chips and about a half of a cup of hersheys chocolate chunks, I also added 1/4 cup of whiskey. My boyfriend, being very impatient ate them fresh out of the oven and said ‘they are ..good’. Haha. I had some after they cooled completey and they are by far the best I have ever had and so very delicious. I can’t wait for him to try them again so he can tell me what he really thinks of them! Oh and my mom adored them! This is a great recipe and I can’t wait to try other options like the dried cherries! I also love using one bowl! Woohoo! well done!!!!
I love this recipe! I used dark chocolate and white chocolate chunks, and instead of bourbon I used Amaretto and served them with caramel sauce and ice cream. The first time I made them I added walnuts and cherries but I found them to be better without. I love the variations and that they are a people pleaser and so easy!
I just discovered Marble Blondies! I used the recipe stated above, but I melted the butter in the microwave in the mixer bowl. Then I added the other ingredients, but when I added the chocolate chips, they melted due to the heat of the bowl from melting the butter. So they are now Marble Blondies,delicious!
I was excited to try these but I was sort of disappointed with the results. I think I was expecting them to be sweeter than they are.
I made these the other week and they turned out amazing! I loved these so much I wanted to send some to a friend in a care package but I’m not sure how long they’ll last and if it’d be something safe to send (I wouldn’t want it to spoil right as it made it there). Do you have any ideas?
I made these today with brown butter, toasted walnuts, espresso powder, semisweet chocolate and some chopped up Milk Duds at the end (ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for candy). The brown butter was AMAZING in this! Thanks so much for posting the recipe – if only it didn’t take me almost three years to get around to baking it…
I am going to try these out this week, thanks for posting it. They look great. However, I own that cookbook and can not find the recipe anywhere in it. do you have an older version that maybe has different recipes than the newer copy? Or am I just totally blind? also I was wondering if you are supposed to use unsalted butter? I am assuming that you are.
Bittman calls them “Butterscotch Brownies” but I find that name confusing. You can use unsalted or salted, depending on your taste. I like more salt in sweet things so I use salted.
I tried this recipe yesterday … I wanted to give it a chocolaty hint, and instead of regular chocolate chips, I chopped a bar of Belgian milk chocolate and added it to the dough. It was SOOOOOOO good!
I LOVE your blog.
Regards from Costa Rica!
Hi!
I have one RAVE and one quick question. I just made these because a coworker requested Blondies. I had never made them, I always felt like blondies were brownies without the good part (chocolate!).
That said, I mixed in a good cup or so of coconut flakes, ghiradelli white and semi sweet choco chips and walnuts and its crazy good!!! My roomate just said that she is no longer a brownie girl but a blondie girl so they are definitely up for the task of satisfying friends.
My question is that most other blondie recipes I saw included baking powder/soda. Why did you choose to leave them out, are they substantially cake-ier with those ingredients? I was so surprised at how very very thick and goopy the batter was before baking up. They turned out amazing but I’m wondering if i’ll get more of a brownie consistency if i add 1/2-1 tsp of baking powder/soda.
Some blondies recipes have baking powder/soda in them, others do not. Same with brownies — in fact, two of my favorite brownie recipes don’t use baking powder/soda at all. The inclusion makes it more of a cake (brownies/blondies are technically in the cookie family, believe it or not). There’s no harm in including it if you’d like it better, of course.
Was wondering if you’d ever tried the blondies with pineapple and coconut?
Thanks so much for this great recipe. It was so easy to make that my son (4 years old) practically did all the work and everyone is loving them!!
First time I made the base recipe it was a little too gooey for me, but the second time: Bourbon Pecan Blondies! I made these as above, with the following adjustments: I added 2T bourbon and 1/4 cup flour, plus toasted chopped pecans and used 1/2 t vanilla instead of 1t. So easy that I’m already thinking up new versions; subbing some maple sugar and adding dried blueberries comes to mind…Thanks!
Yum, these look delicious, and I love how you can add things according to your taste. I’ll probably go all chocolate… hehe. About how many do they make?
This recipe is the perfect blondie recipe. I have made it twice now. Once I used chopped dates and dried cherries. They were delicious! Last night I used 1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and I chopped about 8 ounces of dark chocolate up. That batch turned out the best! I’ll definitely be making these regularly.
Can I just tell you: this has become one of my signature desserts. I never used to like blondies, but these are just so darn easy and so very delicious. I use 3 Tbs bourbon, 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate, and 1/3 cup chopped milk chocolate. The bourbon is just so fruity and boozy and the milk chocolate is caramel-y and the dark chocolate is just a little bit bitter and oh jeez I think I’ll go make some right now!
I needed a dessert that will travel well with me on a bus.
I made a double batch with slightly less than 1/2 cup Jim Beam and 1 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Baking just over 30 minutes.
The bourbon is not too strong at all and I sprinkled the top with an extra ounce while they were still warm. Most people will probably not even be able to tell what it is, just a little extra flavor. My boyfriend guessed they had banana in them.
Overall very easy to make but I still prefer my one bowl Baker’s brownies for flavor. The blondies stuck terribly to the pan despite liberal buttering.
I will make this again if I am in the mood for blondies. If I put alcohol in I will use even more. Grand Marnier brownies are one of my specialties so I do love baking with alcohol.
Was having a discussion with my sister and cousins about blondies, i think Dunan Hines used to make a mix when we were kids, my Aunt Judy always had them, alongside of brownies.
Anyway. Had to do a search for a recipe, to make a double batch for work… thanks Deb, Molly and Emily… Looked perfect just a little after 30 min, and i used a disposable pan (hello, not doing washing up at work, LOL).
I’ll let you know how they are received. But they smell amazing, and I wish I made a batch for us at home… we are dying to try them. Thanks!!
these are definitely the best and most easy to make blondies! they vanish in one day! i added chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
this is a great gooey chewy recipe- 99% of people loose their minds over these…however I am one of the few in the minority and I like a cakey, light, blondie (crazy, i know) but with full flavor. any suggestions?
You can always add an extra tablespoon or two of flour and bake it longer. You also might be interested in just using a more classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, and pressing it into a pan instead.
The recipe should have stated Dark brown sugar, tightly packed. Light brown will work too, but dark brown is more molasses-y, and has more flavor. I love the idea of adding a sweet liquor, like bourbon or rum, and will definitely try that. yum! Also, I add butterscotch chips, a whole bag, whenever I make these. Underbake a little for a gooey sugar treat. And I love the idea of combining chocolate and butterscotch chips, and will try that too.
Has anyone tried adding kahlua?
I don’t know about the mint…
Also, I’ll bet coconut would be great in these, or as frosting, but I don’t know how much to add. Has anyone tried this? I could make a buttercream and add coconut, but how much could be added before they fall apart/don’t bake together?
thank you. Just discovered this website, and I love it already.
Deb, I had a serious chocolate/cookie craving today, so I googled “blondies recipe” and of course your wonderful recipe came up! I made these tonight and they were killer (and most importantly, my craving for sweets is satiated!)…thanks for an amazing recipe!
Deb
After years of buying recipe books and fostering a severe baking addiction I started trawling cooking blogs a few months ago and discovered your site. It has been bookmarked for a while now and I really enjoy trying your recipes. I just wanted to say what a big hit this recipe has been. I have made it with all sorts of additions. My work colleagues are generally the recipient of my baking endeavours and the most sweet-toothed of them tells me that this is his favourite of all the treats I have brought in. Particularly popular are blondies with white chocolate, dried sour cherries and pistachios. Have run out of sour cherries and the batch currently in the oven includes white and 70% chocolate chips, dried pear and pistachios.
Anyway, thanks for introducing me to such a versatile, delicious and easy recipe.
Made this recipe twice recently. Both times I doubled everything and baked in a 13 x 9 inch pan for 35 – 40 minutes. I added shredded coconut, almonds, and some chocolate chips. My brothers and boyfriend love them and they are so easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
I had never had a blondie until I made these. I added butterscotch chips, roasted pecans and some *couch* scotch. Yum! Can’t wait to try new flavour combinations!
These are cooling off right now!!!! Smells like heaven! So easy!!
I knew you’d have the recipe I was looking for tonight! Yippee for blondies and a movie!! ^_^
Oh my goodness! I just made these with chocolate and peanutbutter chips and they’re absolutely divine! I’m supposed to bring these to a picnic I’m going to in a few hours, but I already ate three and the others may not stand a chance either. Thank you for sharing!
Made these last night, delicious! Used coconut sprinkled on top along with cashews, whiskey, and shaved dark chocolate in the batter. Could’ve had more chunk to the final product but it was still delicious.
Oh Deb, these really are heart-breakingly good. I made them with Amaretto, bittersweet choc chips, and big chunks of pecans. They blew our minds. I’ve made them at least 4 times since. Most recently I doubled the recipe and made them in a 9×13 pan… they came out a little thicker and oh so divine… we’re more in love than ever (with both the blondies and each other… he loves when I bake).
And I must add that this isn’t the only recipe of yours we’ve adored. It’s gotten so that when I say a new recipe is from Smitten Kitchen we have great expectations!
I’ve made double batches of these on several occasions: twice with 1 c. toasted hazelnuts, 1 c. chocolate chips, 3/4 tsp hazelnut flavoring and 1/4 c. bourbon (my Nutella-loving friend couldn’t get enough), and once with 2 bananas, chocolate chips, and 1/4 c. bourbon, baking ~30 min. They never last longer than 2 days!
Just made these — added dark chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, and coconut, as well as a little splash of chocolate extract. YUM.
I made these a few weeks ago for friends. Everyone was dying over how delicious they were… of course that might be because they were buzzed from all the bourbon I put in (just kidding). I doubled the recipe (including the bourbon at about a 1/2 cup!) and cooked it in a 9×12 pan. I also added toasted pecans, plus white, milk and dark chocolate chips. It needed to cook quite a bit longer than the time stated (almost 40 minutes) and tasted VERY strongly of bourbon when it came out of the oven. However, when it cooled they were to die for! My husband even put them out for a poker game (figuring bourbon soaked anything was a perfect choice) to rave reviews. I had said that the next time I made these I would cut the bourbon in half, but everyone who ate them said not change a thing! Who am I to argue with the will of the people?!
I’ve made these often, but a recent careless mistake turned into a favorite new variation: instead of just melting the butter, try simmering it with the sugar and salt for a few moments until darkened in color and bubbly, and then let cool and proceed. The texture of the finished blondies will be chewier, and the flavor has notes of caramel and brown butter – absolutely wonderful with toasted pecans or hazenuts added in, along with dark chocolate.
Have a batch in the oven with cognac, cranberries, dark chocolate chips, coconut, and swirled some homemade caramel on the top and cracked some smokey salt as a finish. They look wonderful and smell better. I’m sure they will be exquisite. Been dying for a good blondie for a week now and this basic recipe was just what I needed. Thanks!
I just made your crispy, chewy chocolate chip cookies today. Again. But these are next. With butterscotch chips. I have a feeling I will be in heaven.
Seriously yummy made with butterscotch chips and macadamia nuts. Thanks!
OMG! I’ve juste made them, only with chocolate chips added, and they are so delicious!! Thank you!
I made these yesterday with chocolate chips. They were fantastic! Sadly, there are no leftovers. Guess I’ll be making them again soon. Thanks again for another fabulous recipe.
Oh Heavens! I just made these with coconut, golden raisins, and chocolate chips. I only had 3/4 cup of brown sugar so I added 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. I also don’t have an 8×8 so I used a 9-inch cake pan. The edges were a little more done that I would prefer, but it was easy to trim the crust and cut the rest into bite-size pieces. YUM!!!
This recipe is so simple but gosh, the blondies turned out so well! LOVE IT! :D Thumbs up from me and my friends! This is a total keeper! (:
YUM! I’ve had your recipe bookmarked for months now, and finally made blondies last night. they were so good and so simple and just what I needed! I had a question – was your brown sugar packed? I packed mine and my blondies turned out to be considerably sweeter than I’d have liked. I did also simmer the butter and sugar together halfway to butterscotch sauce, so I don’t know if that’s the reason they were too sweet.
Fatima — Yes, brown sugar is always packed in recipes. You might dial it back next time to suit your tastes.
8:05pm I was feeling like a brownie but my husband wanted a chocolate chip cookie. We decided on a blondie as a compromise. I looked up a few recipes and settled on this one. I love all the feedback, that was why I chose this recipe. 8:05pm the blondies are in the oven. 8:30 there out. 9:00 I’m tasting them,9:30 I’m having another… get my drift. 5 stars, I love them. I added a little coconut just to be a little more creative. when well with the chocolate chips. Thanks
Hi! I’m thinking about making these for a new years party, and I want to make it for a 9 x 13 pan.. How should I adjust the recipe? Should I double it? And if I add chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, should I reduce the sugar a little to balance out the sweetness, or do you think it would taste fine the way it is?
Just double it. You can dial back the sugar a bit if you are sensitive to the sweetness in baked goods.
These tasted great but mine were still dough-like just under the crust even after 35min in the oven. I took them out because the edges were starting to brown and I was afraid of burning them. Can you give a novice baker some advise?
Have you ever checked your oven’s temperature? It might run a little hot. Or brown things very strongly (my newer oven is like this; thing often brown before they’re baked). Did they taste okay once cool?
Thanks for the tip about the oven. I will definitely check it out. I’m living in campus apartments so it’s not the most high tech of kitchens. And yes, these tasted AMAZING. I added some semi-sweet and white chocolate chunks…it was like chocolate chip cookies on steroids! Once I figure out my oven I will be making these again.
BEST RECIPE EVER
I just made these for a holiday treat for my husband. I made them with espresso and toffee chips and white chocolate on top. I also added 1t. molasses.
The flavor was nice but the texture was very gooey. Even with an extra 5 min of baking. Maybe due to the 2T. of espresso?
Next time, I’ll bump up the flour a bit.
A tweaker and a keeper!
Spectacular recipe! Even without any add-ins, this would be fantastic, but the ability to just look in your cupboard and say “What do I feel like putting in these?”… I love it.
My second (double) batch just came out of the oven and I am barely resisting diving headfirst into it with my bare hands.
First batch was a couple of weeks ago for a Christmas party — I had to bring a boozy dessert — whipped up a batch of these with a very generous splash of rye and some chopped homemade candied ginger. Mouthwatering. I topped them with some of the large gingery sugar crystals leftover from the candying… Mmmmmm. They didn’t last too long at the party.
This batch (for another party tomorrow, because the only time I really bake is when I know I’ll have someone to share with!) is a chocolate-candy cane blondie — a teeeensy splash of peppermint extract with the vanilla, then some chocolate chips, chopped leftover mini Toblerones, semi-finely chopped candy canes… all topped with more candy cane crumbs. It smells like I’ve died and gone to heaven. Can’t wait to dig in!
Oh man! I just stumbled upon this amazing site you have! I’m in Heaven! All I wanted was a chocolate cream pie recipe and I hit the jackpot. I can’t wait to start cooking my heart out! Thanks for having this! It’s wonderful! I’m !!! Crazy!!! LOL
An amazing recipe!!! Been making it for about a year. Getting ready to make a batch for a cooworker. These work every time!! I like to add nuts, chocolate chips and dried cherries. The bomb dot com!!!
There is a HUGE PROBLEM with the above recipie!!! I doubled the recipie as the author indicated with a 9×13 inch baking pan. It seems that you also need to increase the time, but it does not indicate by how much. There is no baking soda or baking powder listed in the recipie and the blondies are basically goo in the middle. They are not setting up. Next time, I would stick to the original 8×8 pan recipie and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. Frankly, I’m disappointed.
whoa, deb. I love you and I’ve made plenty of your recipes, but these really fell flat (literally). Should there be a rising agent added? I was so excited to make these, they looked so scrumptious in your pics, but mine did not look like yours! Very flat and kind of hard/ugly. I had in mind soft, gooey, you know, brownie-like…
WOW!!! These are incredible! I followed the original recipe (no doubling) and am so pleased! Just finished off a couple topped with some vanilla ice cream… HEAVEN!
I was desperate to make these and I didn’t have an 8 x 8 so I did it in a spring form pan. It was fine, just different shaped portions.
I browned the butter, then added 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup pecans, and a heaping 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Oh, and I used hazelnut extract instead of vanilla.
Delicious!
If you use the ‘whisk and wait’ method from Cook’s Illustrated the toffee flavor comes through more. I browned the butter whisked it into the brown sugar, added eggs and extract, then waited for 2 minutes. I repeated that pattern twice, whisking it for a bout 30 seconds, then waiting for about a minute. It should look like a gooey toffee ribbon in the bowl. This process allows the sugar to dissolve more into the butter and eggs and it helps create the crispy outside. Try it with chocolate chip cookies-the texture is great.
And just for kicks, I made this dough again, froze it, then rolled it up into tiny balls and put it in homemade vanilla ice cream. Best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream ever!
LOVE these, and I just blogged about them. They are literally my never-fail baked good. I’ve made them a slew of times, different additions, always YUMMY!
Now I really want to try it in icecream!!
I made a batch of these last night and they turned out absolutely yummy. I made mine with choc chips and pecans and reduced the fat content by replacing half the butter (well, I made a vegan version so dairy-free margarine) with applesauce. Instead of the egg I used 1.5tsp egg replacer powder mixed with 2tbs water and I also added 0.5tsp baking powder.
The blondies stuck to the pan quite badly but I’m not sure if this is because of the high sugar content, reduced fat content or because I left them to get cold before cutting them out. No matter, I’m definitely going to make them again! They look just like the photos and taste awesome.
So these haven’t even come out of the oven yet and I’m in love. I browned the butter instead of just melting it, and the dough tastes like caramel. Yum.
I made these last night, adding chopped dates and walnuts. Although absolutely delicious, they were super gooey in the middle but also cracked and crumbled on the outside… any ideas what could have gone wrong? I baked them for 30 minutes and took them out when they were nicely browned on top…
Deb, these are in the oven as I type this; just popped them in not thirty seconds ago. If the batter is anything to go by, these are going to be divine.
Hannah, I’m no expert by far, but did you preheat the oven first? I don’t believe you’re supposed to. Also check that your oven’s temperature is even and correct.
Thanks for the recipe, they are really yummy! My problem was that I baked them close to 45 minutes and they were still super gooey in the middle- like inedible- but the outside ones were great! I ony put about 1/2 cup M&Ms and used the 8×8 pan, could it be because I used a glass pan? Any ideas?
Great quick recipe for a butter-sugar-chocolate fix! Baked perfectly in 20 minutes @350°F (me hawk-eyeing the oven thermometer) in an 8x8in aluminum pan. I used 1c dk choc chips and a tsp each of vanilla and coffee extracts. Yummers!
Yum! Made the bolndie with banana walnuts and chocolate chips. Abosolutly delicious. My friend who usually limits herself to one helping, had two blondie squares.
Heee heee!! Hey Ann, I made these with mashed banana, toasted walnuts, and bittersweet choc. chips last night!! Sounded sooo good, and they were absolutely delicious. I usually do not care for banana and walnuts, but loved it in the blondies. My boyfriend called them Chunky Monkey blondies!!
I doubled the recipe, and baked them in a 9×13 Pyrex glass dish. I thought I might have to bake them longer than 25 min., but they were PERFECT once baked for that amount of time. Everybody loved them! Thanks for sharing, Deb!
I made these twice over the weekend and my friends and fam loved it! I used white chocolate chips, toasted coconut and rum because it’s what I already had in the kitchen. I call them my tropical blondies :) Thanks again for another wonderful fool proof recipe Deb!
My 14 year-old daughter made these and they are absolutely yummy! SO EASY! She doubled the recipe (soooo very necessary) and did half with only butterscotch chips and half with both butterscotch and chocolate chips. Oh, how I wish that kid liked nuts because a coupla toasted pecans would be so very tasty in these! I was a bit concerned that there was no powder/soda in the recipe but they turned out moist and wonderful. I could see that these would be fabulous with coconut, corn flakes, tiny salted pretzel rods (I’m with you, Deb: Salty + sweet is my favorite!) or whatever one felt the compulsion to add. We REALLY buttered the metal 9×13″ pan and had NO problem with sticking. We WILL, however, have a problem sticking to the any New Year’s resolutions after finding this recipe. A keeper!! Thanks, Deb!
Oh man. What’s killer here is those unforgettable measurements. By which I mean, I will be able to remember those whenever I might have a craving for something gooey and sweet. Which is bad.
I forgot my 8×8 is in the freezer with a casserole, so baked them in a round cake pan with no problems. It was non-stick so I actually turned the whole thing out onto a plastic tray, then just carefully flipped it back over (so I could avoid cutting them on the non-stick surface).
We put in toasted walnuts, choco chips, almond extract, a tablespoon of instant coffee, and about 2-3 tablespoons of brandy. Amazing…
Checking in again. I made a half batch this time and the butter was melted before I realized all my eggs were hard-boiled. I spent 5 minutes researching complicated egg substitutions before just dumping a tiny pile of baking soda in with my half-cup of flour. Oh, and I forgot to time them in the oven. So we’re not talking about the texture here (ok, we are: when warm, goop, when cold, concrete).
What we’re talking about is the taste. This round’s add-ins were
raisins
chocolate chips
vanilla
a touch of cognac
cinnamon
and heavy-handed cardamom.
Amazing++
This is my go-to recipe, especially because regular brownies always have so much granulated sugar, and brown sugar is just so much more interesting and complex. I also always dump in those peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets and big chocolate chunks – feves if I have them, but Nestle chunks work too! It’s the perfect combo of salty and sweet.
Thank you for this recipe, Deb. I’ve made it numerous times over the past several weeks and today it helped to rescue me from the depths of despair. I ate way more than I had any right to, and then blogged about it.
This recipe did not work for me. How does the cookie rise with no baking powder? Mine were flat.
Q. — Most brownie/blondie recipes do not contain baking powder. They are not supposed to rise.
I made a double batch of the blondies with chocolate chips now I want to break out into singing and dancing. New words start coming to mind, like wondermous or delish-a-mundo! Would my husband notice if I finished the pan, re-baked another and cut it exactly like this one?
Thanks for sharing! I’ve only recently happened upon your site and now I’m thoroughly addicted.
Oh lord! I just made these and they are SO GOOD! I added half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a quarter cup of toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Next time I might add a splash of Kahlua. I can also imagine these tasting yummy with walnuts and mushed up banana, kind of like a twist on banana nut bread.
Oh wow… Seriously delicious!! I added walnuts, coconut, and chocolate chips, and the combination was to die for! I’m really excited to try the plethora of combinations that my family has started suggesting… White chocolate and coconut? Dark chocolate and pistachios? I’m pretty sure this is a new go-to recipe. Thank you so much for posting it!
Just baked these- they are still in the oven but I’m having the same problem as some others here- gooey centre. Perhaps it’sbecause of the bakingware you are using- I used glass and it was gooey. A quick online search tells me to lower the temp by 25F and bake longer.
Such a easy, delicious recipe! I’ve made these 3 times already in the last 2 months! I usually put toasted walnuts, and either semi-sweet or white chips. My husband has started requesting these on a regular basis, but I can’t make them too often because we eat too many of them!
Mmm just made these.
Peanut butter, mixed nuts, milk chocolate, roasted sunflower seeds? To die for. Baked in a glass pan, I always lower the temp of everything in a fear of ACTUAL BROWNING (oh no) and left it in there about five, ten minutes longer, and they came out slightly gooey and utterly delicious–just the way i like it.
I like Heather’s idea of white chips. Only if I had had some..
Also, might I add, I browned the butter after reading your post about the crispy treats. For my first time, I think I did okay–it tasted kind of almondy? I wasn’t sure what “nutty” should taste like until now!
I made these last weekend when we had company in town. I added bittersweet chocolate chunks and they were divine. It is a super easy recipe and nice to only use one bowl. These will definitely be a staple around here!
I selected this recipe as my baking project for Thursday Treat Day at work. Upon searching my cabinets I discovered that I didn’t have an 8×8 pan.
Solution: mini blondie bites. I filled greased baby muffin tins 3/4 full with the chocolate chip dotted batter and baked 14-16 minutes. They came out great. There isn’t as much chewy middle because of their smallness, but they are so cute and yummy!
Made these twice in last week. Documented here: http://www.cakeandedith.com/2010/05/heavenly-smores-bars.html
So good! Thank you Mark Bittman via Deb!
Hey Deb!
Huge fan. I waste many a hours hitting surprise me on your site everyday! I’m so happy i came upon this the other day. My roommate and I just made these as a pick me up…I’ve been talking about the recipe non stop because its so easy! Ok so we added a few things… a whole mashed banana, marshmellows, chocolate chips, and lil bit o baileys (hey, school’s almost out for summer!).
The thing is, they turned out a bit dense. Like “a rich flan” my roommate says haha.
Any tips?? :-)
Joy of Cooking has you brown the butter (and I know how you feel about browning the butter…). Although you need to cool it a bit after browning before adding sugar, or else you get caramel and the blondies are still delish but really sticky.
Great recipe! I love the adaptability – just my kind of recipe! I made these with chocolate chunks and toasted pecans. We ate them tonight when they were not quite cool and still nice and melty – YUM!!
I wonder, if you doubled these but made them in the same pan, would they cook properly, or would they never get done until the edges were toast? They’re tasty, but they’ll look funny on a plate next to my brownies, ’cause the brownies are so much taller. Or should I maybe leaven these somehow to get a taller blondie?
I do like the flavor, though (mine are half chocolate chips, half walnuts, pretty traditional), and I REALLY like the simple recipe — one of these, one of those, cup of this, cup of that, so simple!
I have made these several times, and they always come out great. I’ve gotten used to doubling them, because everyone likes them so much! I just followed Deb’s advice- and started checking them after 30 minutes… I like them super gooey so I tend to underbake them a little! My go-to add ins are Ghirardelli chocolate chips (usually a combination of white and either semisweet or bittersweet), almond extract, and sometimes chopped walnuts. After viewing Nicole’s comment about browning the butter (lady, I like the way you think!), I am definitely going to do that next time. This is like the lovechild of a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie, and it’s oh so good!
This recipe is totally awsome! I baked it for a party and they all loved it!
You should try it! It’s so sweet and tasty, my family finished the whole thing in ten minutes!
Made these bad boys TWICE last night. My cheap baking tin was peeling (don’t wanna really know why/how/what) so covered it in baking paper/melted butter. The first batch stuck to the paper (nearly removed appendage furiously using paring knife trying to dig paper off – I was so close yet so far…) so used foil for the second batch. Result? Blondies in my tummy for the first time (well, blondies without paper…)
I used SimplyRecipes’ proportions of baking powder/soda in second batch (experimentation hat was firmly on) and I guess if that’s the way you like them, go for it! Any way you like em, the moment was magical and I’m stopping myself from ending this post any other way in case it sounds too dirty…
PS ta for great browned butter/peanut butter ideas above
I’ve tried the Lemon Tart, Coffee Cake and I just tried this recipe last night! Smitten Kitchen never dissapoints! I think I overdid the time in the oven since everytime I checked on it I thought the middle was still too raw, but besides the extra crispy crust it was delicious! I added a handfull of walnuts and chocolate chips. Also, I didn’t know if I should use the vanilla extract or the almond, so I used a little of both and it was amazing! I have never used almond extract and the flavor is really intense! Thanks!!
Fantastic! I made them with macadamia nuts, dried cherries and white chocolate chips.
A question: Do you think they would freeze well? I’d like to bring some on a family vacation and won’t have time to bake the night before (although the recipe is incredibly easy).
Once I saw this post, I became obsessed with the idea of bananas and chocolate chips in these blondies. I used 1 cup of bittersweet chips, and 1/2 cup of mashed banana. I was a little surprised (perhaps naively) at how strongly (but nicely!) the banana came through. It made them very moist and light. If I make them again–let’s be honest, WHEN I make them again–I’ll probably scale back the banana a tiny bit…and even the chocolate chips! There were just so many; I think 3/4 of a cup would do just as nicely. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I had 1 hour before I had to be at a bbq, dessert in hand. These babies saved me, topped with a quick peanut butter glaze. They were the first thing to be entirely devoured.
Next time I would like to try & add the peanut butter into the batter but because I was so short on time I was too scared I’d ruin them & be dessert-less. Anyone have any ideas on how much to add or what to scale back on?
I was craving a dessert, but wanted a recipe that was fast and utilized ingredient that I already had. So these were perfect. I toasted about a 1/2 cup of pecans and a half cup of sweetened shredded coconut and added that with almond extract (in place of vanilla). They were yummy and goodey with a little crunch from the coconut and pecans. Thanks!
I made a double batch of these for our friends last night and converted the recipe to gluten free by substituting 2 cups of Perfect Blend Gluten Free flour and 1/2 tsp. xanthum gum for the regular flour. (Two friends have Celiac Disease.) They were a hit with everyone!
thank you so much for this recipe! i am wheat intolerant (but can eat gluten) so i subbed in an equal measure of white spelt flour for the AP flour and added 1/4 tsp of baking soda (spelt doesn’t like to rise much)- and they turned out great!
This is a great recipe and fun to make! I tried this today with dark brown sugar instead because I had no brown sugar and it tasted a bit too sweet in the end. Maybe next time I’ll use brown sugar, and more added ingredients to stifle the sweet taste?
Thanks for the recipe!
I actually think these taste amazing without mixing anything in! I used dark brown sugar and a little extra vanilla. OMG. Yum.
im really puzzled, deb help me out here please!
i halved the recipe but added 2T strong boiled espresso AFTER mixing the flour and choc chips in to the egg/butter/sugar mixture. the final mixture separated!!!
why did that happen? should i have added in the espresso liquid together with the flour and not after i had already mixed everything?
during baking, the butter literally OOZED out of the batter and i had to use tissue paper to blot it. im estimating almost 1T of butter oozed out. it was, quite frankly, disgusting.
what did i do wrong?!
Browned the butter. Toasted the pecans. Tripled the vanilla. And went with semisweet chocolate chips. They’re in the oven right now. The batter was OH SO GOOD. I can hardly wait for them to be done baking. Yep :)
LOVED this recipe! I had everything in my pantry, which is absolutely fantastic when you are a college student, and was able to use leftover chocolate chips and toffee bits I had lying around from previous recipes. They were a hit! I baked them for about 30 min though and they came out perfect. I love that you gave a base recipe that we can just work off of, great way to spark some creativity!
I needed something quick and easy because a friend is (unexpectedly) dropping by for tea, I only added walnuts and chocolate chips because that’s all I had in the house.They are perfect I’ve already eaten the whole top row. Thank you and thank google for throwing up your site!
I decreased the butter to 6 tbs and added 1/2 cup pumpkin, some cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves and butterscotch chips. A-MAZE-ING!
With my sweet tooth screaming, i got online to find a recipe to make something out of my only ingredients- brown sugar, eggs and flour.. This was so the perfect find. I swirled in 4 big globs of peanut butter and threw in a handful of callebaut semi sweet chips i had leftover (from god knows when) and they totally hit the spot. Thanks again :)
I just made these with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips; they are AMAZING. Thanks for another great recipe!
2 1/2 tbs of Scotch, choc chips, toasted coconut and walnuts, and a giant thumbs up on these from the party I brought them to.
made ’em again, Tropical this time (ginger, dried pineapple, coconut, brandy, chocolate) – mmm.
These are delicious and sooo simple. Thanks for sharing!
My go-to blondie recipe is Marcy Goldman’s. They’re a lot like these but while they’re in the pan you scoop dulce du leche into them and kind of bury it under the batter. When you eat them you get a little pool of dulce de leche. Delicious!!! I also add milk chocolate chips. I thought you’d like the dulce de leche suggestion Deb- I think you mentioned that you kind of like the stuff. It’s a good strong dulce de leche taste too. Gotta love Marcy Goldman!
Delicious. I did dark Belgian chocolate bars (broken down with a hammer – may have frightened the neighbors), walnuts and three pinches of sea salt.
Yum yum! I doubled the recipe, used 2 small very ripe bananas, a cup of green and blacks dark chocolate broken into chunks and spelt flour with 1/2 tsp of baking soda, came out a bit more cakey than sticky but delicious all the same and very much appreciated by my hard working friend! thanks
I barely had any batter! I should’ve doubled the recipe, but that’s okay.
These are baking in my oven right now and they smell so good :) I can’t wait to eat them!
I have these in the oven right now – 10 minutes to go! I’m home on modified bed rest, and have been trying to keep myself occupied while resting. This recipe was so easy – I was only on my feet a short time. I added semi-sweet chocolate chips, chipped coconut, and chopped toasted pecans. Can’t wait to try them!
Question – how should I adjust this recipe for high-altitude (about 9,000 ft)? Or will it work as-is? I’ve made this very successfully at a lower altitude and I want to get the same results here! Thank you!
This is a winner! I made them just as described and added 1/2 cup chocolate chunks and 1/2 cup pecans. My teenage boys just loved them. I made the recipe in an 8X8 glass pan baked them for 22 minutes and they came out perfectly. (I also cut a square of parchment paper and put it in the bottom of the dish and buttered the sides) No sticking here, then I cut them into 16 squares. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try out your other recipes. =)
I love these!
Funny thing is — 1/4 Bourbon was Way too much for me to handle.. yes, I am a sissy.
So I brought them over to a close friend & their fam.. and they couldn’t even taste any of it!!!
I do have one question that I didn’t find through your posts–
The first time I made these they were perfect, but the last two batches came out too cake like. Could it be because I used an electric beater to mix the butter&brown sugar? I’m not sure If I did otherwise the first time!
Don’t listen to the blondie-haters. This recipe lends itself to delightfully tasty blondies after mere minutes of prep. This will be a go-to recipe in my house for a last minute dessert.
Omg! Been wanting to make these for ages and upcoming Hannukah party (with blue and yellow m and m’s in the blondies, perhaps?) seems like a sweet time to do it! Question though, Deb- can the mixture be simply folded, if I don’t have a mixer? Thanks! Can’t wait to make ’em.
Sure, no reason you cannot mix this by hand.
I have these in the oven now, they smell delicous and batter was great too. I hope they come out ok but was wondering 2 things, do they come out really thick bc there wasnt much batter and 2. i only added white chocolate chips to the top thinking they would melt but now its been 30 minutes and they havent melted-
I love this recipe, it’s been my go-to bring-to-parties recipe ever since I discovered it. It’s just criminal, how easy these are to make! And they’re SO rich and delicious. I just add chocolate chips. Thank you for all your recipes – you make all my friends think I’m a great baker.
these are in the oven now. made with dark chocolate chips, woodford reserve bourbon and pecans. took all of five minutes to stir up. can’t wait to taste!
okay. reporting back in! I made these last night and they were FANTASTIC! I put in the 1/4 cup of bourbon (Woodford Reserve), 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of pecans (didn’t toast them first). the bourbon taste was not too strong, just a hint of it, and the overall taste was incredible. took them to my boyfriend’s house and he loved them, too. I did extend the baking time by 10 minutes, to 35 minutes total. used an 8 x 8 aluminum baking pan. they were still a little gooey in the middle, just perfect. yummy stuff! next time I’m trying with dried cranberries and pistachios for a Christmasy look.
Another winner from Smitten! I’ve been going through the archives and been meaning to try these, so I made them this morning to bring to work for our last day before Christmas. I made them with premium Guitard dark chocolate chips and toasted pecans, and used KA white whole wheat flour and vanilla bean paste instead of extract, and they are to die for! I can’t believe they are this easy and this good. This one goes with your chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake as one of my go-to recipes. Thank you!
Just wanted to say what an amazingly TASTY Blondie recipe this is! They turned out just like the picture, moist and buttery and full of flavor. I decided to use dark brown sugar, and I really think it added a nice touch to the flavor. I made two batches together and added a generously overfilled cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks, then divided it into two bowls, adding 1/2 cup butterscotch chips to one, and 1/2 cup mixed fruit bits in the other. Finally, to give it a bit ‘more’, I added another splash of vanilla. Baked both kinds in 2 8×8 pans, for about 25 minutes. Everyone was dying to try a piece because the whole house smelled delish and couldn’t hardly wait for it to cool off :D I made several treats to give to friends and family in tins in one night (haha it was a baking war-zone in the kitchen last night), and I was so relieved how easy and simple this recipe was. I will be using this recipe and customizing it in every way possible. Next time, I want to try bourbon or rum with coconut and cashews! Both kinds are great in their own way, the butterscotch chips were to die for, and the mixed fruit bits add a really pleasant tangy texture :D Happy Holidays!! & Thank You!!
I am smitten with these and your recipes! I added pecans, dark chocolate and a little candied ginger–yummmm. Thanks!
Deb,
My husband loves caramel. Is there any way to include that in these? Thx.
I have made these twice now: first with bourbon, pecans and chocolate chips and then with espresso powder and chocolate chips. Both variations were really tasty! Next up, I am going to bake them with dried cranberries or cherries. Thanks for another hit recipe!
I added about 3/4 t of dried lavender buds with the vanilla, and it worked delciously!
’til now I’d only encountered blondies as raised (not dense and gooey), dried-out crusty things. This recipe changed that–they’re awesome. Thank you!
These are probably my most universally adored dessert. And they take about 5 minutes to make (I usually mix everything in the baking dish so there is literally no cleanup). I toss in whatever I find in the pantry, but my personal fav is chocolate and macadamia nuts.
Thank you so very much for a wonderful blondie recipe. I modified this recipe a bit by cutting down the fat and adding bananas and pecans. THey were SUPERB! You are a genius! I mentioned you in my blog – I really love your work. :-) I hope you take a look when you have a minute. http://www.honeywhatscooking.com/2011/01/gooey-delicious-banana-blondies-reduced.html
Just made these to help us survive a snow day. Added orange zest, white and dark chocolate chips. Yum!
Snow Day Blondies! I had everything in the kitchen and satisfied my “must bake now!” mood. I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup PB chips.
I made these with 1/4 c, plus maybe an extra tablespoon, of bourbon and 5 medium-crispy strips of bacon, chopped fairly finely. The bourbon flavor was perfect (and bourbon and bacon are BFFs!).
These turned out great! And yes. They really are better after an overnight set (I know, because I had some for dessert last night and “breakfast” this morning). Definitely save one or two so you can taste the difference.
well i’m looking forward to trying this recipe this evening, after all the good reviews! mine will be toasted almond and dried blueberries and strawberries.
These are HEAVENLY over the holidays with a little cinnamon, nuts, and fresh cranberries. Dried would work, but I think the fresh really made them look and taste great. I meant to add nutmeg and forgot. Will have to try next time. Thanks for posting!
Just made these. The whole house smells like caramel butter. How long do they have to cool? Not sure I can wait!!!!! (used half lt brown sure, 1/2 dk brown sugar, chocolate chips, toasted nuts and toasted coconut.)
I figured out the “melting the butter & then mixing the sugar together” technique some 15 years ago when was in my first NYC apartment & I didn’t have a beater. I only had a whisk and the idea of trying to do it by hand… ugh! It really was an act of desperation, but it turned out to be the best possible technique for making chewy cookies of every ilk! Chocolate chip, oatmeal, molasses gingersnaps, lemon, sugar – you name it. If you like a thinner, chewier cookie, then this is the best and easiest way to get it. If you like a crisp cookie, then just let it cook all the way through. If you like a dense and sensuous bar cookie or brownie, then this is your hook. It truly was a revelation! Later on when I worked with a pastry chef in a 3 star restaurant, I saw her doing the same thing, and smiled to myself for my ingenuity.
The bars are awesome. They almost taste like you’re eating cookie dough. And I totally agree with some of the comments about how good they taste on day 2. I’m eating one now. The flavor is richer today. And the macadamia nuts are heaven!
Terrific!
I made the doubled recipe, baked in a 9×13 metal pan lined with buttered foil so I could lift them out easily. Browned the butter, used dark brown sugar. Added 1 cup toasted chopped almonds(oh, no, I’m out of pecans!!) and about 3/4 cup dried sour cherries. Forgot to mix in the teeny semi-sweet choc chips I had intended, so I scattered about 3/4 cup over half with about 5 minutes to go, about 30 minutes total. Then somewhat inelegantly spread the melty chocolate over half the pan. Yummy!
Next will be a pan of brownies with orange zest and orange chocolate chunks…
Deb — This recipe is my favorite. I have made them countless times for last-minute events. I can throw them together in less than 5 minutes with any add-in I have around, and they are so, so, good! Cannot wait for your cookbook. Thanks so much.
I have made these so many times I can’t count. Just made them again for my kids. Doubled the recipe and made them in a 9×13 pan. Added m&m’s and milk duds to use up Halloween candy I had lurking in the freezer! They were a huge hit yet again. Thanks!
I thought these looked delicious and based on all the comments I was pretty sure they would be, but given the fact that I’m in Europe (and our oven is slightly off) they came out really thin and more like caramel squares than the thicker blondies I love. Granted, I didn’t double the recipe and used an 8 x 10 pan but still! Was dissappointed. And I didn’t scrimp on mixtures either (used chocolate chunks, walnuts and a half of a banana, mashed) I’m wondering if maybe my conversions were off…can anyone recommend a good US/Metric conversion website? I’m living in France and they do have great patisseries but they sure don’t know how to diversify and I miss all of my American faves. thanks everyone!
Hi Hope — I just added weights to the recipe! Just for you. :)
Any tips on freezing? I just made these with my kids (it’s a wonderful make-with-kids recipe!) to bring to a baby shower next weekend. Cut first? How should I wrap them? Thanks!
i’m addicted to smitten kitchen! just wondering….would you say that this recipe makes a crisper blondie, or a chewier one? i’ve had problems im the past with too much crisp in blondies, and i’m in search for the perfect recipe. thanks!
I just wanted to let you know that I made these today and they have become my favorite cookie bar! They are DELICIOUS and extremely easy and fast to make, thanks so much for the recipe! Oh! and last week I made the apple and cheddar scones…….love them too!
FYI, do not add an entire bag of choco chips. There is, apparently, such as thing as too much chocolate.
Also, my baking time was practically double what you suggested. I used a circular metal cake pan and was pleased that it popped right out afterwards for wedge serving. How could it not though with all that butter?
I made these this weekend for a family party, and they were a hit! I doubled the recipe and stirred in about 3/4 of a cup of natural chunky peanut butter. I also sprinkled chocolate chips over about half of the pan before baking–we have chocolate-averse in our family, and this was an easy way to make two kinds of treat in one pan. I especially like the crispy corner pieces.
Made these last night, and they were absolutely wonderful. I added a 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and a 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, and found the combination of sweet and tart with the chewing blondie background fantastic.
I did add to the baking time a bit, as the middle seemed far to soft. I started checking at 20 min, and they came out at probably 35. Ended up still being gooey, but with crispy outsides. Perfect!
Fairly new to Smitten Kitchen, but thanks for everything Deb. I’ll keep cooking with you, for sure…
i made this recipe with white chocolate buttons, peanut butter and coconut and it smelt and looked delicious however after ten minutes cooking i realised i had not put egg in, oops! :)
Deb- I LOVE this recipe!!!!!!!! and after 4 years its still going… this one to share..
Hi, I want to make these for a bake sale but I have a few questions because i don’t think i’ll have a chance to test them out first…
all i have is whole wheat flour, would that change the texture or taste too much? what about adding peanut butter? and for a 9×13 pan, do I need to change the proportions significantly or does it not make too much of a difference? sorry for the bombardment!
haha… i added marshmellows. NO that was nnot a good idea.. I thought so kinda like a rocky road kinda thing.. sounds yummy
Deb, this looks like an amazing recipe! I’ve never tried blondies before.. have you ever tried adding chopped snickers or bounty bars??
I made these yesterday. I’m an English gal so had never tried blondies before (shocking I know!). It took literally only a minute or two to put the recipe together & I added a chopped up bar of milk choc (once I had ‘tested’ (greedily gobbled) a few squares!) & a dose of pure vanilla extract (please read that as it was Sunday and technically a day of rest I was far too lazy to open the drawer & take out a teaspoon resulting in a rather large amount of my beautiful high quality vanilla finding its way into the mixing bowl!). The mixture looked pretty runny & I wasn’t convinced it would work. I used a round cake tin (closest to hand) and popped it in the oven. 20 minutes later (should have done 25 but hey!) and ooooh la la! Fudgey, sugary, vanillery, chocolatey heaven. You must try these. Super easy and super fabulous!
Do you think this would work with the addition on non-dried fruit, raspberries or something? Thanks!
I love these! I make them all the time, especially when I’m feeling lazy. And I’ve found that I can mix in whatever I feel like, about as much as I want. Really.
For all those people wondering, can I use this or that mix-in? I’m pretty sure the answer is yes! This recipe is sweet and forgiving.
The only thing that I do consistently different than the written recipe is I usually bake them for more like 35 minutes, which leaves them still a little gooey in the middle.
Just pulled these out of the oven….. oh goodness they smell fabulous can’t wait to dig in! Such an easy recipe! :)
I seriously have a problem, I am 8 months pregnant and its fathers day soon and I want to send my dad a box of home made goodies and seriously, it’s a sin getting on here, my list gets longer and longer! I don’t even know how to choose!
Just made these yesterday for Father’s Day and they…are…divine. Used chocolate chips and can’t wait to experiment with the add-ins more! Maybe coconut?
Deb,
I have a convection oven (which I love!) but always have a hard time adjusting the bake time. I check them at half time and it seems that maybe a little more than half is typical. I don’t like having to check every 2 minutes. Do you have any suggestions on determining the right bake time?
Thanks,
Charlotte
These are so yummy and so easy to make–made them last night for dinner at friends and they couldn`t stop eating them! Made mine with mashed bananas/dark chocolate chip and pecan pieces. I also grind a little bit of salt on top. Now heading to a BBQ and made these (again) along with your barley corn vericot salad. Love your blog! I never run out of stuff I want to try making! =)
What an easy, tasty recipe! I took the “adaptable” part literally and made them with the sugar I had on hand (2 parts Demerara, 1 part white), and added dark chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, curry powder, ginger, and rum. Sooo rich and complex. I love it!
These blondies are FANTASTIC!! I made them for a 4th of July barbeque and there were none left. I used Earth Balance buttery spread instead of butter, added 3/4 c. chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dried cherries, 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, and sprinkled top with coconut. I’ve tried other blondies recipes which have been good, but this one is the very best…..even subbing out the butter! Thanks for sharing. :)
This is by far my favorite basic recipe. It’s amazing with roasted cherries, a bit of bourbon and dark chocolate chips or chunks. So tasty!
Just wanted to say this is a great recipe! They are kind of fudgy and chewy (which is my personal preference). I was concerned at first because I combined all the ingredients while the butter was still quite warm. But they turned out great. I did my batch with chocolate chip cookies, and I can’t wait to jazz up future batches with other ingredients. Thanks, Deb!
I made mine with brown butter and half a cup each of toasted walnuts, chocolate chips (a mixture of milk and dark), and mashed banana. So delicious and the batter tasted like butterscotch pudding – yum! I’ve had to stash them in the freezer to stop me inhaling them all in the space of 15 minutes.
Coconut is also a great addition! just must cook longer thank suggested :)
I love these. They taste amazing but don’t have the richness of brownies which is normally too much for me. I had 5 in one go when I first made them. And they’re so easy to make! I used pecans and chocolate chips.
Another fantastic recipe! Thank you. Made with three quarters dark and one quarter light brown sugar, with additions of white chocolate chunks and butterscotch milk chocolate chunks, plus cognac! Doubled and in an 8 x 13 pan, mine were slightly overbaked at 25 minutes, but even though I dialled down the temperature my oven is like the fires of hell. Really good.
I might try them again with less butter (I know…!) as they do tend to leak grease a bit and I wonder if they might work with less. If a disaster, perhaps I’ll just end up with cookies.
Baking them now. Added chocolate chips, pecans and coconut. Just checked at 25 minutes….definitely not done though. As suggested by a poster above, the coconute makes them require further baking time. I’ll post again to let you know exactly how long it takes. They smell good, though!
Just a few extra minutes were needed. Perfect. Big hit today at a birthday party. Will definitely make again!
Move over Brownies…..Blondies are in town!!!!
The phrase “way too much bourbon” has never crossed my lips. I have had a bad habit lately of craving something sweet around 8:00 pm and not thinking twice of whipping up a batch of brownies. Tonight, I went with your blondies and I plan on adding the bourbon next time! :)
I have these in the oven right now, however I’m trying for a gluten-free version using oat and rice flour. If they are not delicious I will blame the flour, but I think they’re going to be great!
P.S. I added pecans!
I made these last week with my 4-year-old daughter. She wanted M&Ms in them, so we dumped a generous amount of them in the batter and they turned out delicious (buttery, chewy, rich, YUM). It was so easy to make and my daughter was excited that we did it together. Thank YOU!
Made these last night with 1/2 chopped roasted almonds and 1/2 Heath bar bits and dark brown sugar. Very delicious!!
I want to try the light brown sugar next time and perhaps have the butter at room temp to cream with the sugar instead of melting it. I found them to be a bit chewy/thin for my tastes but my husband loved them. (I did too but they are to chewy cookie which is not my favorite.) Or I might try some baking powder/soda. But I will SO be making these again. Yum!
So late in posting my gratitude, Deb…for the last 3+ years, this has been my go-to recipe any time I want to make someone’s day a little brighter (including mine, occasionally ;) Love how simple ingredients and a drop-dead easy technique can create such wonderful results – I mix in everything from chocolate chips, to butterscotch chips and pecans, to my most indulgent discovery yet, chopped up Reeses peanut butter cups. (If it helps any of my fellow SK fans, I have started lining my 8×8 glass pan with some parchment – leaving overhang – for easy removal after baking. This really helps if, like me, you prefer a gooey-middled cookie!)
My friend just made me these and they are to die for!
So morish, thanks for the great recipe
Wow, delicious, easy, quick. These are so good!
I added milk choc chips & walnuts. Will try bourbon (yummy) next, thanks!
How do you make this into a brownie recipe? Could I just add some melted chocolate?
i like to add more peanuts
These turned out delicious, and were so easy. I added choc chips and walnuts, but I think they would be even better with just a combo of interesting nuts. (Pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.) I reduced sugar to 3/4 cup and they were plenty sweet. Might even reduce it more next time. Thanks for the great recipe.
ALL HAIL THE SMITTEN KITCHEN!
In a fit of “marthatude” I volunteered to bake for our Cub Scout camp out this weekend. Then I found out there were 66 people going and apparently I was the only one baking. (faint)
Add on to that my son’s teacher’s birthday is tomorrow and one little girl is allergic to nut and chocolate (and fish, but that’s really not a first grade party problem)… so I decided to make Blondies to go with their ice cream. 8×8 pan of perfection…
So I decided the best thing I could do for myself and the Cub Scout family would be to chocolatify these! I doubled the recipe and baked in foil lined/greased in 9×13 pans increasing the baking time by 15 minutes. BRING ON THE CAMP OUT!
Just put these in the oven! I’m so excited!! Judging by all of the comments, they should be delicious! Thank you!!
Thanks so much for sharing this incredible recipe! My brownies (up until now) have been my ‘claim to fame’ but since my family tried these, they have no interest in brownies. I have made three batches so far – one batch with VERY coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (so yummy), one with dried cherries (my favourite) and one batch with Skor pieces – my kids went crazy for these ones!
Awesome!! :)
Just put these in the oven. In a rush for a halloween party I promised to bring something sugary baked to. Added rum extract and dark chocolate chips. Can’t wait. Will let you know how they turn out.
On a side note: With brownies, I always foil line my pan so I can easly remove and cute.
dear smitten,
every time i stray away from your site, i wind up getting linked to you anyway. i wanted to do something with these butterscotch chips and wasn’t feeling inspired, so i scoured the internet. then i thought, hey, blondies with the chips sound pretty decadent, let me find a blondie recipe. somehow i wound up being linked to your site, i think via another blog, and as soon as i saw this i was like ok no question, baking this now. they are freaking DECADENT and my boyfriend has already requested that i not take any to work with me or give any away. so thank you, so much, for posting this, and doing it in such a way that it’s pretty easy to memorize the concept and i’ll be able to use it again and again.
These are fabulous, they took 20 minutes and are coming on a mini-road trip from Austin to San Antonio! We’ll see if they make it the 90 minute journey.
One thing I did that really popped these puppies up a notch (besides the pecans, chocolate chunks, and bourbon I gleefully threw in per your suggestion) was sprinkle the top with kosher salt in addition to what I put in the batter. It just emphasized the salty/sweet vibe I love out of sweetness+nuts. <3
Sooo I got another receipt to make these that said add baking powder and baking soda thy were horrible!! So I hope these come out waaay better
These are great and super easy to make!
I’m not sure I’ve even tasted blondies before – I live in Israel and they’re not that common here. The truth is I tried them because I bought some high quality chocolate chips and was looking for an interesting way to use them. Everybody loved them!
Do you think an addition of irish cream would be right?
Noaya, irish cream would totally work!! I made (and tasted) blondies for the first time ever yesterday and were they fab!! Doubled the recipe and used dark choc chunks, chopped walnuts (untoasted) and 1/4 cup of baileys and everyone loved them! the bailey’s flavour came out a lot more prominent the next day so definitely save some for the next day if you can wait that long!! even my grandmother, who doesn’t normally have a sweet tooth, ate about 5 bite-sized pieces!!
Deb, I’ve never been disappointed with your recipes, and I love your site!! So much that I decided to come out of silence!! :)
Hello – do you think i could add small marshmallow in there, as well as dark chocolate? thanks.
Hi, so I am making a video for a school project. I saw the idea of homemade gifts in jars and one of my favorite vegan cooking blogs had blondies in a jar. However, I am a vegetarian but not a vegan and I wanted to make blondies that everyone would eat. I think that these will be just the ticket to get the professor to give me an A! What do you think of chocolate chips and crushed peppermint for a holiday twist?
Hi,
I’m a frequent visitor of your blog, and I’ve been meaning to try these for a while. So what better time than when I should be studying for finals?
These are in the oven as I speak, but I do have a question:
I browned the butter (because brown butter is the BEST), doubled the recipe, and prepared my 9X13 pan, but when the batter was ready I noticed that there was not enough batter to fill the whole pan, so I used an 8X8 pan instead. I was wondering if maybe there would be more batter if I had not browned the butter – maybe a lot of the volume evaporated? I still don’t see how it could’ve shrunk down so much when I doubled all the other ingredients as well, and also added a cup of chocolate chips. Are they supposed to be very thin? I see that a few other people were also experiencing something similar, and I was just wondering if maybe the thick blondies in your pictures were made with doubling the recipe in an 8X8 pan.
Other than that, the batter tasted delish and they smell divine, so thanks for the awesome recipe!
just made a batch with caramel bits and dark chocolate – SO AMAZING, especially paired with Jeni’s Brown Butter Almond Crunch ice cream. OMG. They’re supposed to be for my boyfriend, but he’s not here for another hour. They may all be gone by then…
Hi Leili — There is some volume loss when butter is browned but it shouldn’t be so significant that the blondies don’t fit in the pan. However, the 9×13 size with a doubled recipe should produce ever-so-slightly thicker blondies than the 8×8 size as its base area is 117 (rather than 128, or twice that of an 8×8), so I too am perplexed as to why it didn’t fit! Glad they smelled good. Hope they tasted good anyway.
I made these with both vanilla and almond extract, and added cinnamon chips and butterscotch and it was heaven. It was perfect. I have had Blondie Bars before and none of them have been this good.
I gave the recipe to a guy friend who is now know in Charleston as the famous blondie-maker extraordinaire! These are a go to whenever I need an easy, delicious, parve dessert. As a southerner, I always spike mine w/bourbon and choc chips. Thanks Deb!
Wow! I wasn’t sure I even liked blondies, but these are truly incredible. I used Madagascar Bourbon vanilla paste (instead of vanilla extract), 1.5 Tbsp of bourbon, 1/2 cup of Ghirardelli’s 60% bittersweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans. I baked them for 22 minutes and they came out PERFECT. I’m about to take them to a relative who is in the hospital, and I think these blondies just might put him on the road to recovery. Thank you, thank you, Deb!
I just made these with white white chocolate chunks and frozen raspberries i, and they are delicious! thank you for the recipe, I will definitely be using it again. :)
I just made these and was really looking forward to them but unfortunatly I chose to use the Almond extract insead of Vanilla. It is extremely overpowering even over chocolate and peanut butter chips! I would recommend a quarter of a tea spoon for those that don’t want an overwhelming almond taste or just use vanilla. I will try it that way next time and i’m sure it will be excellent!
Hi, greetings from Sweden. I found this recipe while looking for the other kind of blondies, y’know, brownies but with white chocolate instead, and was instantly intrigued! So, first, thanks for adding the grams as well, made things alot easier. And second, haven’t tasted them yet, they’re still in the oven, but OH MY GOD, I have never tasted a batter that tasty! So thanks, will be using again!
Hello! Firstly, I just wanted to get it out there–I absolutely LOVE this blog! I realize this is an older post but I have it bookmarked and it’s definitely become one of my go-to recipes. I just wanted to share that the other day I spooned the batter into some porcelain ramekins and scooped ice cream on top for individually portioned pizookies. In the past I’ve also baked this in a round cake pan and scooped ice cream on top for a group to share. I love making it with the almond extract as a variation from the usual vanilla–everyone who’s tried it is intrigued by the difference and loves the way it tastes! Thanks for posting such an awesome recipe…along with all the others on this site! I’ve lost count of how many of your recipes I’ve bookmarked over the years. Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D
I just took these out of the oven, and they are delicious! I mixed in one mashed (and disgustingly overripe) banana, the remnants of a bag of toffee pieces, and a couple handfuls of pretzels that I crushed. These seem to be the perfect vehicle for cleaning out the cupboards! I’ve been dreaming about blondies since elementary school – my school’s lunch ladies made the best homemade blondies, and I’ve never found a recipe I liked that much. This is it!
I made these christmas time as a double recipe in a 9×13 and they would not set. They tasted amazing but even at double the time (my oven temp is accurate that was the first thing I checked). I made them with a very ripe banana, coconut and pecans. Today I made them in an 8×8 with choc chips, butterscotch chips and nuts and again they are not cooked in the middle with double the time. I know you are going to ask me if I am sure my oven is alright but I bake ALOT and this is the only recipe that is not working. I weighed the ingreadients this time and they are all fresh so I don’t understand what the problem is. Any suggestions?
Did they set at all as they cooled? They’re on the gooey side, but do set for me as they cool. (I think the best chocolate chip cookies, as well, look underbaked when you pull them out of the oven but do mostly firm up as they cool.)
Oh my goodness. It is superbowl day and I will be adding bourbon, chocolate chips, and pecans. What a good versatile recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Just made these and they are thin and very gooey. Am I correct that they do not have any baking soda or baking powder? I used an 8 x 8 pan and followed directions exactly. Suggestions?
i die. literally. these are absolutely amazing. i undercooked them on purpose, because a gooey brownie knocks the socks off of any other dessert out there! i added the whiskey, and chocolate chunks and topped with a whiskey whipped cream. sugar high anyone? :)
I just made these and they are incredible. I don’t like my blondies that gooey (yeah, I’m crazy) so I added an extra tablespoon of flour, baked it for 30 minutes and they came out perfect. I made mine with chocolate chips and macadamias. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ll be baking these again soon.
I made these yesterday with the grated rind of an orange, a cup of toasted pistachio pieces and a dash of cardamon. Used only 100 grams butter –it is enough, there was no leakage.Wrapped them in aluminum foil and refrigerated them over night and have just cut them into small pieces to serve as companions for the chocolate truffles someone else is bringing to the meal. Lovely and intense. Thank you, Deb, for this recipe and everything else.
These are amazeballs – love them! I tossed in some dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and salted pine nuts!
My husband was pestering me about making something sweet to eat… he didnt want to be picky but would really like some blondies!! I was like”wow” i had never made them before and didnt know where to start. So, I hopped online and looked around and after reading all the comments I settled on yours! Gotta say, so glad I did. I double the recipe because of my pan, added chocolate chunks, ‘Heath’ pieces and a shot and half of Grand Manier….These were fabulous!!! I will make these a million times over! So quick and simple and the varitables make it a true winner!!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!
I have the 2nd batch of these that I have made this week in the oven right now. They are TO DIE for! I love the versatility of them! This is going to be my “go to” recipe when we are having people over and I need a quick homey dessert. So simple – just one bowl and I usually always have the ingredients on hand. YUM! and THANK YOU!
Ummmm….I had a few of these for breakfast this morning!
They are truly the best blondies. My previously “best” recipe used to rise and fall in the middle. While the middle was excellent, the edges were always dry. When I read this recipe and saw there was no baking soda or powder, I almost added one of them thinking the blondies would be a mess without this leaving. Not so. These are fabulously gooey just the way they are!
….And if you have trouble with these sticking, use parchment paper (not waxed paper). I had no problem getting these out of the pan and off the paper. And, PP seems to keep the edges from getting overcooked.
I was so psyched to try this super easy recipe – I just did and the blondies are so full of chewy gooey buttery yumminess! My entire family (11 and 8 yr old girls + hubby) loved it. I’m going to be making your vanilla birthday cake on Saturday for my youngest’s birthday – I’m hoping for greatness!
My mommy just posted a comment above. She put chocolate chips in hers. I am 8 years old and I thought the blondies were one of the best squares in the whole universe. Thank you.
I’m making these right now and they don’t seem to be baking through. They are like mush! Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?? I’ve had them in for over 40 minutes and still very mushy! Not sure what I did wrong! They smell amazing though!
I had the same problem with mushy blondies, so i threw them in the oven for another 6 mins and they looked done. Very brownie like, with light cracking on the top. I went to take them out of the baking dish about 5 hours later and they stuck to the glass dish (that was buttered) and the blondies were’nt even near cooked under nice golden brown crust. Very frustrating! The semi-cooked blondie squares I removed tasted delicious though! I’m just a little disappointed that there has been such a problem with under done blondies and the original recipe hasn’t been fixed yet. My oven usually runs relatively close to the correct temp so im not sure why this is the case?
If you, like me, have a pan/oven/climate combination that, for mysterious reasons, makes these blondies a delicious pile of mush, I’ve had some success adding an extra 1-2 Tbs of flour. Like some others, my oven temp is accurate, but my blondies did not resemble Deb’s- mine were more like warm cookie dough, even with extra time (note: I ate them all. By myself. In less than 48 hours. THEY WERE LIKE WARM COOKIE DOUGH!!). But I also wanted to eat a solid blondie. So I tried again. The recipe is clearly working for many as written, so my recommendation: try it as written, and if it has to be eaten with a spoon, enjoy it(!), and add more flour and a little more baking time (33 minutes worked for me) on the next go round. Thanks for the tasty and infinitely modifiable recipe!
YUM! I didn’t have vanilla extract so I substituted half of the sugar for a 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Delicious maple flavor with my additions of dried cranberries, pistachios, and white chocolate chips. My friends loved them! I baked mine for only 20 minutes, and they were cooked perfectly. Thanks for the great recipe!
I make these all the time, they are fantastic! Love this recipe. Usually make them with white chocolate, dried blueberries and pecans. They’re great! Sometimes just white chocolate and toffee bits. Such a versatile desert!
I made these today and they are so good. It’s my first time trying a Blondie and I’m not sure whether I prefer a chocolate brownie. I added m&m’s because I was lazy to go out to the store. The next time I make these, I will try the other combinations you listed above. Thanks for posting a great recipe.
I made these tonight. They are cooling on the counter, but look (and taste- of course I couldn’t resist) amazing. I used chopped pecans and milk chocolate chips. I think next time I’m going to swirl in some homemade honey peanut butter.
I also made your Jacked Up Banana Bread tonight, too. (I had freckled bananas!) Still waiting to see the results!
Oh my goodness!! These are the best blondies! What I really love is how easy they are to make! My new go to receipe!! Move out the way brownies…blondies are taking over
I made this using dried blueberries, white choc chip, chopped walnuts and a bit of coconut. Delicious! Thanks for the great posts.
Great, great recipe! I used dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, almond extract, and mashed bananas. So good!
The first time I made these, I separated the mixture evenly between 8 mugs and with a huge selection of candies and other additions I bought, let the kids mix their own flavours before I put them into an all edges individual brownie pan. They turned out great although I had to adjust the time (about 7-10 mins less) because I used the individual brownie tin. Additions included white, dark and milk choc drops, crushed oreos, mini marshmallows, coconut, all sorts of M&Ms, mars bar, crushed mint choc cookies etc. etc.
And I’ve just taken my second batch out of the oven, again using my individual brownie pan. They are salted caramel with caramel sauce swirled through it, crushed pretzels and Rolo candies in the centre! They look wonderful and gooey.
Thanks for the recipe! Five stars!
Hi Deb,
I’m new to the smitten kitchen world and I am so pleased I found it. I have made a few different recipes from the website and they have all turned out wonderfully. I have made this recipe twice in the past two days (go ahead, laugh out loud) and I have just one question: is it typical for the blondies to sink in the middle upon cooling once it has been baked or am I doing something wrong (possibly over stirring it allowing too much air to enter the batter)? Ccan’t wait to hear your response and congratulations on the completion of your first cookbook.
Glad you’re enjoying the site! Maybe a tiny bit of sinkage but nothing significant, no. I know that some folks have found that this recipe firms up just a tad more with an extra tablespoons or two of flour. It’s less gooey, but also a little more structured. Hope that helps.
Sounds good, i’ll definately give that a try! Thanks : )
try browning the butter with some pecans first, using that butter in the recipe and adding the pecans at the end…Butter Pecan Blondies!!! YUM!
Ok, having a problem Deb. First time I made these they were divine! 2nd, 3rd, and 4th not so much. 2nd time: They were way too gooey and did not set like the first batch, but i added 1.5 oz of choc. 3rd time: i forgot to add the salt and they tasted just like butter and sugar. My last batch was hard and crispy on the top and gooey in the middle but I added toffee pieces and choc this time. This seems to happen to me with Baker’s One Bowl Brownies too. What am I doing wrong? I think it might be with the first two steps. After melting the butter, do you add the sugar while it’s still hot or wait for it to cool? Please respond…having a Blondie/brownie craving but I’m afraid to make either recipe until I figure out what I did wrong.
Hi Deb! I am planning to make these for a wine tasting tour with some friends around the North Fork. I’d like to add dulce de leche…could you advise me on how much to add, and the best way to do so? Thank you! By the way – I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they’ve never done me wrong! Even my husband advises me to check out SK when looking for new recipes. :)
Hi Sarika — LOVE the North Fork! Don’t miss Shinn. I haven’t made these with dulce but don’t see why it can’t be swirled or marbled into the batter in the pan right before you bake them.
Just wanted to report back – these were a huge hit! I swirled about 1/4 cup of dulce de leche into the batter (I slightly heated it beforehand to aid in spreading), then swirled with a knife. I also included 1/4 cup of bourbon into the batter (for those fearful of this much bourbon, know that in my blondie version, the bourbon taste had totally mellowed out by the next day). I also had to increase the cooking time, and refrigerate them after baking so they would firm up, but overall, they were so easy and beloved. Thank you!!!
Just popped this in the oven…amongst other things…added in homemade candied pecans – yum! Thank you!
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I’m totally not going to cut these into small cubes because it would take too much effort to pick up each dainty piece when what I have in mind is to eat a LOT! Can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks for sharing. Mary
ok I’m eating a hot warm-from-the-oven blondie… Heaven… So delectable and gooey.. My house smells like melted butter, sugar and chocolate.. I threw all the ingredients in a bowl, stirred, added dark chocolate chips, some mashed bananas, a LOT of vanilla extract and some sliced almonds. So good!! Despite my unpredictable oven, these came out perfectly (I was reading some of the comments and was scared they were going to come out all mushy) but I just gave them a slightly longer baking time and they are perfection – browned on the edges and gooey in the middle. Thank you Deb!!
Such a wonderful recipe. I made these last night with walnuts. One of my friends suggested adding white chocolate chips, topping it with vanilla ice cream and caramel. Now to just find a good caramel sauce recipe. Would you happen to have any?
wow just made these now and are baking in the oven… I’m so excited, i’m counting each minute!! Thank You for the recipe Deb! :) I’ll let you know how they turn out!!
Hello, I have just stumbled upon your lovely blog.
I run an after-school cooking-club in Devon, England, and each week we tackle something different; I try recipes I’ve always wanted to cook, and encourage the students to do the same.
This Wednesday is the 4th July, and we have an American theme. As I am a ‘blondie virgin’, your blondies are my choice.
I shall keep you posted as to the outcome.
Love love love these. This is my go-to cookie recipe now! I always double the recipe, and then I do have to cook them for about 45 minutes – I don’t like them quite so gooshy. Still, my favorite bars! I linked to them on my blog this morning. :D
These are really yummy!!! They are the perfect consistancy. I used a half a cup of semi-sweet chips and a half a cup of butterscotch! My son calls them “goldies”, and will definately be my go-to blondie recipe!
I made them today with chocolate chips and bourbon but I’m afraid the bourbon was too much and I didn’t bake them long enough (20 min). They’re for a potluck so I hope people don’t mind… At least it was a fast recipe.
I make these all the time! often have two pans going on the counter. With 4 kids and lots of their friends around, they always get eaten. Some of my favorite flavor combos are: White chocolate chip and roasted, salted macadamia nuts
White choc chip with walnuts and dried blueberries or dried cherries
Chunky peanut butter, rolled oats and semi-sweet choc chips
Can’t go wrong with either. They will beg for more!
You were right, the gooey-ER (sp?) the better!
I don’t know why I bother searching the web when I should just search this blog! Can’t wait to get my hands on the cookbook.
Made these “blank” as it were, as we had nothing in the pantry to complement them – well, a just a glass of milk. Truly decadent, and very satisfying. Delicious!
Hi! Just wanted to make the suggestion to all the people doubling the recipe to make this recipe in two 8×8 inch square pans if you have them. I have found the recipe is happiest and needs no adjusting when made in the 8x8instead of attempting to throw it all in a 9×13. This is, of course if you have them on hand (though something tells me the awesome bakers and foodies who seem to follow you just might!). For the record, I made mine with unsweetened coconut, chocolate chips and bourbon. A hit!
i just made these! fastest recipe ever.
Oh my. OH MY. I love a blondie. This is actually my favorite dessert, aside from creme brulee. These were fabulous, and so simple. I made them with pistachios and dried apricots…heaven!
Yum! Made them with 100g of white choc chunks and about 50g dried cranberries. Having never made a Blondie before I’m now a convert! I did quadruple the recipe since I intended to take some to work and then the rest for a big family get together, and found that it needed at least an extra 10 minutes in the oven – mine had the extra 10 mins and are verging on uncooked, but are delicious in their gooeyness. I’m sure they’ll go down just fine :)
I made these yesterday and they are amazing! I added dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans. They came out just right baked for in an 8×8 pan for 25 minutes. I will admit I was worried about them being raw in the center when I checked on them at the 20 minute mark but they were good to go at 25 minutes. My 7 year old son pronounced them delicious and I cannot wait to experiment more with these as the recipe is not fussy but tastes like it is.
I’ve made a lot of brownie recipes, and my husband said these were the best I’ve ever made. I stirred chocolate chips into the batter. Once they were done, I slathered on a caramel frosting. Next time, though, I think I will do just a light drizzle of caramel on top.
Last night for a happy hour I made some elaborate cupcakes — graham cracker cupcakes filled with chocolate ganache, topped with marshmallow frosting that I toasted with my culinary torch. S’mores! Incredibly fussy s’mores!
At the last minute I grew concerned that there wouldn’t be enough goodies, so I made a batch of these blondies with a handful each of chopped pecans and chocolate chips that I found buried in the pantry. I whipped up the batter in just a few minutes on my lunch break and baked them until they were still a wee bit gooey in the middle.
Guess what was immediately devoured? Yep.
I was wondering if somebody would like to know my combo of dried cranberries and marshmallows with lots of vanilla,, being the options available in my cupboard, which are delicious. Funny to be the third mention of cranberries this week too!
Sorry to be redundant-but these ROCK. Seriously. I bake all the time and it is so nice to have a quick, simple, one-bowl recipe that i can throw whatever i have into the pan and to know they’ll be amazing.
This is the best blondie that Ive have ever made and may i mention my first!!! lol Im absolutely in LOVE with this recipe!!! I never knew how simple this dessert was and the most amazing part in the richness and not overly too sweet it is!!! I stumbled on SmittenKitchen on a humble i had a taste for a blondie didnt know how to make it or even where to start to find a recipe that i could follow….Well I google “Blondie Recipe” and a few searches came up I by pass FoodNetwork and went to the site that i have no idea, i guess caught my attention!!! What lead me to continue through was the pictures and I was like YES thats what i want to make exactly!!! meaning I want to my blondies ( the first I have ever attempt to make lol) to come out just like that…and too my surprise it came out exactly like the picture ( well not quite)!!! I followed the recipe and I added a chocolate chips and that was it!!!! Me and my Mom and Sis enjoy those blondies like I felt like I was in another world lol and I personally have NEVER commented on any blogs especially cooking but I had to truly give you your props because they were so deserved Im sorry I dont even know you name but your site will forever have a place in my Favorites Tab!!! Im looking forward to many more exciting recipes that you have to offer me!!!!!!!!!!
A friend made these for a weekend trip. They sat around for a day in the freezer before we found them, but didn’t last long after that. THEY ARE AMAZING!! Go ahead, try to eat just a half of one. In fact, try to eat just one! Bet you can’t do it. These are really delicious, and I will probably be making them myself in about ten minutes.
I just popped these in the oven, thanks so much for the recipe! mmm already salivating at the thought of having one. I wonder if there will be any left by the time my husband gets home.
Hi,
I made these blondies today and they are the oven now. I am on a restricted diet so I can’t taste them for another month…another batch will be required. But I have some questions. You say to melt the butter and mix with the brown sugar and beat until smooth.. Smoothness was never acquired, but neither is patience my greatest trait. I see some are melting the sugar with the butter, tho I don’t think it reads that way in the recipe. It did smooth out after the egg was added. Also I used white whole wheat flour and the batter was more cookie like. I had to press it into he pan. The directions say ” pour” so I don’t know what I am in for here. I have had to add more liquid in other recipes.. Do you recommend another egg perhaps? Maybe just a yolk?
I think they’ll bake up just fine, even if it didn’t seem smooth. You’re right; it’s not really a pouring batting, more of a cookie dough.
Just what I needed to help ride out Hurricane Sandy – reduced dark brown sugar by 25%, browned the butter, & added a handful of toasted chopped walnuts and ~.5 cup unsweetened applesauce – perfect! Thanks!
Beautiful recipe, but I’m wishing I had not added the espresso grounds…
Blondies, infinitely adaptable:
Best blondies recipe I’ve tried. I made a couple of batches for hubbys work and he said co-workers were still talking about how good they were the following day. I made mine with mixture of chocolate and peanut butter morcels. Tonight I’m making a batch for just me and hubby using The Kracken Rum (black spice rum). Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I’ve made these twice now and both times they’ve turned out fantastic! I didn’t have any problems with the mushiness other people described. It took a bit longer to bake, closer to 30 minutes (35-40 the first time…. but I think its because I accidentally put them on the top rack at first) and they do seem a little soft when first out of the oven (as most baked goods do..) but they firm up nicely. The first time I used a mix of milk and white chocolate chips and the second I did the same plus added some pecans. Super easy and quick recipe. Everyone who tried them loved them. Will definitely make them again. Thanks!
Wow. I just made these and they are so moist and delicious! I used butterscotch chips because my husband can’t have chocolate and they are great. Wonderful recipe.
This is probably the best, easiest, gooiest dessert recipe out there. I can’t stop making them! This time is chocolate chips and heath toffee crumbles – my boyfriend especially is stoked!
I made your peanut butter crispy bars a few weeks ago and cannot go through the week without peanut butter and chocolate now! For the blondes, my variation was to brown the butter, half it and add sweetened creamy peanut butter to the other half. For the filling I chopped up crispy crunch bars and milk chocolate chips and bumped up the pinch of salt to a 1/4 tsp. I would STRONGLY recommend using this variation!
The batter is ready to go into the oven when I get home from a MUCH NEEDED haircut (and color, but that’s our little secret!) For some reason, this dark chocolate lover has milk chocolate chips in the house, so I’ve added those and a healthy pinch of cinnamon. It’s right after Thanksgiving, and I guess I’m not over the cinnamon thing yet… I think these will be extremely luscious!
Just made these with whiskey and pecans and chocolate chips. I had to stop licking the batter, whiskey in a baked good = GENIUS. I used a bit over 1/8 cup whiskey, though, and they smelled and tasted pretty boozy to me. Great recipe!
this recipe rules! gonna add bacon to this and see if your addition of bourbon will work as well for the holidays. smitten kitchen is the awesomest!!!!
I am going to Mae these and add chocolate chips and crushed peanut butter covered pretzels. Can’t wait – every recipe I have ever made from Smitten Kitchen is outstanding!
Try them with Irish whisky, toasted pecans, and dark chocolate pieces. Immensely satisfying and very grown-up ;)
I am currently making these for the third time within the last 24 hours. First was rum and dark chocolate chips (which was…interesting). Second was almond extract instead of vanilla and whiskey (fairly awesome). The batch in the oven is banana, chocolate chip, and brandy. It smells like it may have the potential to be epic. No matter how any of these experiments come out, good or bad, I am having way too much fun with this recipe to stop trying!
First SK recipe that hasn’t turned out perfect. I added 1/4c bourbon, 1T flour, and 1/2c dried cherries. Cooked a single batch in an 8×8. They are really just too gooey. I can’t get them out of the pan in one piece, and they have to be eaten with a fork. I thought about putting them back into the oven, but I think that would have resulted in an overcooked outside edge. Too bad.
I think that I am overcooking these. Second batch in two days, I am so determined to get it right – the taste is amazing. They look raw when they are “just set” – but when they cool, they harden. Taste is amazing, need to get cook time correct. First time I used chocolate chips….today I used peanut butter chips. Should they be taken out at the time, or based on appearance and touch?
Hi Cherie — I’d take them out when they seem right based on your experience. If you’ve been using appearance, then dial it down a little if they seem overbaked.
I can’t believe I’ve never commented, but these are far and away my favorite thing to make for every occasion. So easy, So delicious. To be honest I almost never get to eat any because they disappear so quickly. Also, I almost never make a single batch because it won’t last! My go to combos are baileys/kahlua in place of vanilla, a blend of like 5 different kinds of chocolate chips with Hershey’s caramel syrup drizzled on top and kosher salt sprinkled on. love the salted caramel effect!
This recipe should come equipped with a warning label “Baker Beware of over consumption! Only make if you plan to gain the weight equivalent to a stick of butter!” Needless to say, it is worth EVERY CALORIE regardless of my disgruntled waist line. I bake at 29-30 minutes for the perfect fudge like consistency. My friend/ co-worker Lucy whips up a batch (with bourbon) for our birthday’s and the whole office can’t get enough. Maybe it’s the bourbon we need :-)
I also love adding a 1/4- 1/2 cup of coconut, 1/4 chopped toasted pecans with a combination of semi and bittersweet chocolate chips.
THANKS DEB! These are perfect as dessert with the buttermilk roast chicken. Actually, they are just perfect, period.
This post has comments from 2006 and is still going strong! Excited, have these in the oven right now. I added diced dried Turkish apricots and crystallized ginger. No vanilla, I used some Myer’s dark rum instead. I added a teensy bit more sugar and added molasses. Wondering about spelt flour and honey to make this a little more healthy. Timer has ten minutes left, can’t wait!
Incredible. 1. This is the fastest recipe to make ever. Faster than Betty Crocker package mix brownies. 2. It tastes amazing 2. Literally everything tastes good in these! I added espresso powder and great big dark chocolate chunks, incredible
I was so excited to make these, but the edges are brown and the entire middle is gooey – like not cooked at all gooey. They’ve been in the oven for over 30 minutes.
Wish I didn’t just spend $10 on chocolate chips and nuts.
Sad face…
UPDATE: I took them out before they went really crispy / burnt around the edges, and when they cooled, the gooey-ness turned into yummy dense-ness! Will make these again, though I think I’ll try a different pan.
so these repipes have been by far fab! Unfortionate not often enough but I and all your fans are satisfied with whatever you share. thank you. they are the best and I have enjoyed immeem
This is the most simple yet amazing recipe. So so good. You are incredible!
Hi, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate this blondie recipe, just like you said when you posted it, it is the only one that you will EVER need, it has been just that for me for about 5 years now. Thank you so much! I have shared it with so many others and always get requests for the recipe when I make it.
These are delicious! Delicious, godammit! And so easy.
Thank you!
I have adored this blog for so long, everything you make is so consistently delicious. I also own your cookbook and have made several dishes with great success. But I must say, this is the recipe I come back to the most often. I always have these ingredients on hand and have made many variations, even played with the flour ratio (my batch today had almond flour mixed with AP). This dessert hits the spot when a dessert craving comes with very little dishes and no special ingredients. Thanks, Deb!
Hi, I’ve been lurking around on Smitten Kitchen for a while now, thanks for a wonderful cooking blog! Am inspired to post because I have been infinitely adapting this Blondie recipe for my family. I am British and have had a yearning to make a ‘Tribute to Bakewell’ version. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakewell_tart
Finally tried it last night and let’s just say it was a hit!
To the basic batter, I added 3/4 cup of desiccated coconut and 1/2 cup of chopped almonds. Once in the tin, I spotted teaspoons of homemade raspberry jam in random spots and lightly swirled them in. Came out beautifully and was served warm with raspberries/coulis and whipped cream. Yum.
Congratulations on the UK book launch… I live in Asia now, but will hunt it down when next at home!
Oh I should have mentioned that my additions above applied to a doubled batter recipe for a 9×13 pan!
Just put these in the oven. I’m a little concerned because there is no baking soda or baking powder in the recipe…..I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
I’ve been a fan of Smitten Kitchen for a while, and I love the book! This recipe is the first one I ever made from SK; I’ve done it a thousand different ways and the blondies always turn out INCREDIBLE. Plus, I had the recipe memorized after doing it once. So simple. I only recently started a blog of my own, and plan to share this recipe next. It really is true that it’s the only blondie recipe you’ll need. Ever. ;-)
I’ve made these blondies dozens of times, all different ways, and people LOVE them! Sometimes depending on the humidity and weather, I find the batter a bit too dry/thick, so I add a dash of milk, soy milk, or cream. My favorite (and the most popular!) versions:
1) Cranberry, Almond, White Chocolate chips, Oats and Cinnamon
2) Oats, Dark Chocolate Chips, and (dry unsweetened) Coconut
3) M&m’s and butterscotch chips… :)
I’ve made these repeatedly from Bittman, whose recipe this really is.
It does not bake well in glass, imo.
I like oats and chocolate chunks plus espresso powder.
Hi! I want to make these with caramel in them (sort of like the caramel brownies you posted recently), but I’m not sure how much caramel to make or how to mix it into the batter. Do you think I should make somewhat hard caramels chunks and put a layer of them in between two layers of batter (I tried this once with much lighter peanut butter brownies and it all sank to the bottom)? Or should I make a much gooey-er caramel and pour it over the batter when it’s still melted/hot? Also, how would you roughly estimate how much caramel you’re going to get based on how much of each ingredient do you use?
Thanks so much!
Catherine — I might use half as much as for the brownies. You can cook the caramel to the caramel candy stage (255 to 260 degrees) and cut them into tiny cubes, the same way.
Mine are in the oven now, I was surprised at how little ingredients the recipe required, really is easy. I used mini milky ways cut into 4ths because I was really looking for a recipe to use up my mini milky ways, midnight milky ways, and musketeers (because I dislike them as candy bar) – but I’ve run out of butter so I guess I’ll be making them again soon to use up my musketeers and midnight milky ways when I get more butter – they’ll be perfect to give away to people after lent :p I was scared the recipe was too little because it didn’t span across my pan very well but it’s rising quite a bit, very nice. Thanks for sharing!
I made this and they are awesome. I added butterscotch, white chocolate and milk chocolate chips with toasted almonds and pecans. Decadent. The only thing I will add next time is a tablespoon of bourbon. This will become a staple in my dessert recipe book! Always wait for your brown sugar butter mixture to cool or I quick chill mine on ice for about 2-3 minutes while whisking. Also always make sure your toasted nuts are cooled before adding your chocolate chips to the blondies.
I loved the blondies!! I added whitechocolate and almonds and then i melted milkchocolate and rippled on the cake. I´m from Sweden and i love American baking, lots of calories and so wonderful tasting!!
This recipe was perfect. My husband’s request for his birthday dessert was: ” a small cookie cake… but not the kind I’ve had before. The texture needs to be like real chocolate chip cookies, not chalky and hard. And could the batter be a bit chocolatey too? But not dark.” I took this strict set of requirements and combined it with my lack of cookie-cake experience and somehow ended up making EXACTLY what he wanted. I used 3/4 of this recipe and added chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp. cocoa, then dumped it in a 9″ pan and cooked it for 15-20 minutes. It ended up with the thinness of a cookie-cake, the butteriness of cookies & blondies, and the light chocolatey tinge of a non-traditional double-chocolate cookie. He was amazed at my ability to make exactly what he asked for, especially since he’d never had blondies before. Thank you!
Making these tonight! EEEK excited doesn’t cover it…
2 quick questions-
when you say the butter and sugar, to what extent?
Also- can you make these in singles like in a bun tray?
Thanks!
Butter, sugar — Just until smooth; you’re just stirring to combine them.
I haven’t baked them in mini-muffin pans or anything but have been meaning to. I think it makes for delicious blondies. I am sure it will work.
These were pretty good but so so thin–I used a 9×13 pan, doubled the recipe and added 2c of chopped chocolate, which seemed like a reasonable amount of add ins. Has anyone tried this tripling the recipe for a 9×13 pan? I think that would generate a better brownie height, but might not cook well.
Great recipe! Try removing 1.5 tbs of flour, then adding 2 tbs green tea powder, chopped almonds, and chopped chocolate. If you’re into that kind of thing.
these are so good- added chic. chips., heath bar bits, and chopped pecans. YUM. may cut back a little on sugar next time if using such sweet add-ins, but will definitely make them again! as always, deb does not disappoint!
Hello
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I served it straight from the oven in my restaurant on Saturday night with Gariguette strawberries and whipped cream. One customer told me it was “indecent” and another that “it was having sex with his taste buds!” Needless to say I am busy making another one :)
Talk about adaptable! I just made a gluten-free sugar-free version of these (as I am type one diabetic, celiac, and a ballerina to boot!) I added toasted coconut and banana and served them warm on mango sorbet. It feels like asweet tropical paradise in my little St. Louis home! Thanks Deb!
Pretty good, and just as gooey as pictured. Half the pan got eaten right out the oven between me, a 5 y/o and a 2 y/o, so well done! A great example of how simple can be better, where less can be more… thanks!
These look delicious and I can’t wait to make them, but I was wondering about the possibility of doing a blonde/brownie marbled type thing, and was wondering if you thought that’d work, and if there’s a certain brownie recipe you think would work best? I was also going to add choc chips and dried cherries…
Hey deb,
Made these while subbing oil for butter and using dried fruit soaked in tea and cognac. The result are not blondes but a chewy, slightly sticky, cake-like concoction with crispy tops and sides. While not what I was aiming for, it is quite delicious.
I had an issue with the sugar, though. I’m using unsweetened cherries and cranberries as filling but I still found the recipe to be too sweet for me.
Cheers!
I usually make brownies in a large lasagna style casserole pan. I use 2 pouches of store bought mix. Would this recipe turn out if I used that same pan and quadrupled the batch?
I just pulled these out of the oven…I doubled the entire recipe..including the bourbon..making it a total of 1/2 cup bourbon…and added 2 cups butterscotch chips..they came out amazing! Very buttery..but still good!
Would I have to change the recipe at all if I were to make a s’mores version- some marshmallows and chocolate chips?
i make these all the time! i (sadly?) have the easy recipe memorized and today i made them with half a cup of chocolate chips and half a cup of coconut. Tasty!
I converted your recipe to be vegan and sorta modified it a bit by taking away some of the sugar and instead of an egg i used banana and i used a bit more butter and used a spoon of creamy peanut butter and bob’s red mill flour and made it gluten free! Also I added raspberries (fresh) and Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips! Turned out wonderful! :D moist, chewy and just melts in your mouth :)
I just made this because we had a craving for something sweet. I was out of chocolate chips. I went through my pantry and found some rainbow sprinkles. I added vanilla and almond extract and the rainbow sprinkles. They tasted delicious!
Mine came out cakey. I was hoping for rich and chewy…
I made these wheat free (and coverted them to UK and my tin!) with huge success http://riversidebaking.com/2013/07/08/wheat-free-blondies/ Thanks for such a great recipe. looking forward to making it again soon.
Just to blow everyone’s mind a little:
– Try these with mini chocolate peanut butter cups
– Try using the same caramel mix-in method that the incomparable Miss Deb uses for these: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/02/salted-caramel-brownies/
Such an easy, delicious recipe! I browned the butter and then started mixing — adding 7 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for a double batch, which fit perfectly in a quarter sheet pan. I think I overcooked (about 35 mins) so the edges were a little crisp and the centers non-gooey. However, despite their density and the loss of the browned butter flavors after baking, the chewy, moist results have me calling this “chocolate chip cookie fudge.” Divine! Picnic perfect, too!
Just made these for my cousin and his family, but with a layer of pure dark chocolate bar in the middle. And they LOVED them!! Thanks so much for the recipe – DECADENT to say the least! Love your blog. For this aspiring baker (and hoping to be blogger), you are an inspiration :)
Can I use the salted caramel from your Salted Caramel Brownies recipe for the Blondies?
I have made the Salted Caramel Brownies twice- oh what a success both times! Days after they were finished my father would still wander into the kitchen and say in a small voice, “Brownies?”.
Hi Deb! What would you think about using brown butter instead?
Maisk — I think brown butter is always a yes.
Made these tonight, quadruple batch (going to work with me tomorrow)… added a bit of extra salt as it felt like it needed it, then 52% chocolate chips in one half, and chips, craisins, and almond extract in the other. So good!
I was initially skeptical about the lack of baking soda or powder, but they seem fine without it!
I’ve never made blondies before, but since you described the recipe so clearly I went for it and baked them for a dinner party at our house, just in time for the dinner. I didn’t have any dessert and this recipe saved us.
I’ve always known I ‘should’ love blondies. I’ve always known I was an adequate baker. And yet somehow, all previos attempts at blondies have been a huge disappointment.Too dense, too greasy, too sweet.
I’d almost got to the point of giving up. Almost. SO glad I tried your recipe. Thanks for the included british measurements. I didn’t change a thing, except from adding 90g of chopped up dime bars (similar to your heath bar I think) and they were utterly delicious. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.
Well, seven years after the initial post, here I am. I was hungry for something sweet and rich and I didn’t want to have to go out for other than on-hand ingredients. I love the flavor of brown sugar/caramel/butterscotch so I figured these sounded perfect. And I’ve been wanting to try Blondies for the 50+ years since I discovered my first recipe for them.
Unfortunately, not all the family shares my passion for the dark sugar flavor profile. Sigh. What to do. I remembered I had sweetened coconut in the pantry and over-ripe bananas in the freezer. Presto!
For me, I used dark brown sugar. Then I added 3 smallish bananas, after thawing 30 seconds in the microwave. I’d love to say I measured, but my guess would be about one cup of mashed bananas for a double batch. Then, two cups of the coconut. I wanted to add some rum, but all we had was coconut flavored, which sounds like it should be perfect, but smelled like some petroleum-based thing which resembled neither rum nor coconut, so no go.
They’re in the oven now, so about 20 minutes and we’ll see the result, not that I expect anything besides perfection after reading ALMOST all the comments. I’m going to wait out the buzzer by reading the rest of the comments. I’ll let you know how they are.
Oh yes, the hardest part of this recipe was spreading the batter in the pan! (I even used the two butter wrappers to grease the pan, so NOTHING wasted.)
Well, I’m speechless, or maybe it’s just the coconut caught in my teeth. A tad more vanilla next time, perhaps 1/2 cup of spiced rum. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine these wonderful morsels being any better, just different.
Next time I’ll line the pan with parchment, maybe save some of the coconut for sprinkling on top before it goes into the oven. Crushed, chunky, lightly toasted macadamia nuts would be good too. And, perhaps I’ll throw the coconut into the food processor to chop it a bit more finely. Still, why over-complicate something that is so wonderfully simple and sinfully wonderful.
I’m not sure how long this 9×13 pan will last; it’s everyone else’s good fortune that two of the roommates are away on vacation this week.
Thank you for this great recipe and for all the comments and ideas! I’m going to go get another plateful of these banana-y marvels.
made these with some raisins, cashews, almonds, orange zest, and a little honey. wish i couldve added some other things but i felt the urge to bake and thats all i had on hand. they just came out of the oven and they smell awesommmeee. thanks!
Hi made the blondies yesterday! Everyone loved them. I doubled the recipe and used 2 8×8 Pyrex dishes. I let the melted butter cool before adding the light brown sugar. I did not realize they were to be melted together until I read some of the comments today. I used 2 Cups butterscotch chips and 1Cup toasted chopped walnuts. I also added some dried Mount Morency tart cherries to 1/4 of one 8×8 dish. Tasted great too! I baked them side by side on one rack in the oven for 20 minutes. Not quite done, I put them back in the oven switching sides on rack for 5 more minutes. Next time I will try for a total of 23-24 minutes if doing a double batch again. Also, I think I would like to try it with dark brown sugar.
P.s. I found your recipe while I was searching for a blondies recipe that used butter, because I pulled out my sister’s recipe to try and discovered that it required shortening, which I did not have. I tried unsuccessfully to find a shortening=butter equivalent. I finally gave up and started looking for other blondies recipe. Thanks for being there! MJM
I had questions about other additions. If I were to add coconut, how much should I add and should I toast it first? Also, what about peanut butter or almond butter? What would be good amounts of either of these? I also thought about sea salt with caramel chips. Would I just substitute regular salt with sea salt? Hot damn, this is a dangerous recipe!
I whipped up my first batch of these with tart dried cherries, semi-sweet chocolate chips and a bit of Jameson (I only used 1/8 of cup) for my boyfriend and his buddies for an upcoming camping trip. I sampled a tiny bit and the whiskey kicks you once you hit the gooey center. I hope that they inhale them because it was hard for me not to do so. Thank you so much for sharing! I can’t wait to keep playing with this recipe.
I just made these, adding semi-sweet chocolate chips. I used a 9 x 9 pan, so I cooked them a little less than the suggested time until they weren’t runny at all. They came out really great! Such an easy recipe. Also, they really do taste better the next day. I used fancy European butter and organic eggs since the recipe was so minimalist. Nothing like homemade, chemical-free baked goods!
Hello!
I’ve been trying to find a recipe for blondies with flavor and texture similar to ones I tasted at a sandwich shop like 2 years ago.. but so far I’ve gotten cookie- and candy-like textures in my attempts ):
I’ve tried your yoghurt grapefruit bread and oatmeal raisin cookies and LOVED them, so I trust you texture-(and flavor!) wise! the thing is.. I KNOW those blondies had honey in them..
how could I adapt the recipe if I add honey? should I use half the sugar, or replace it with honey altogether..?
hope you can help out an amateur baker ! (:
I think I may have improved upon the recipe (or at least the technique). Deeper flavor, fewer dishes.
Take a deep sided (2″) 9×13 and throw your two sticks of butter in. Pop it in the oven while the oven preheats and leave it there until the butter has melted and browned. Take the pan out and set it on a cooling rack to cool off while you get together the rest of the ingredients. When everything is cool enough, pop your pan on top of your kitchen scale and throw in everything else (use the amounts for a double recipe). Use a spatula to mush everything together and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle some fine sea salt over the top and bake as usual.
2 dishes (pan + spatula or spoon), no need to butter the pan, and I think the browned butter and the salted top really adds to the flavor.
This has become one of my favorite recipes! Thank you Deb!
Finally found a blondie with a brownie texture—thanks! I made these the other night and decided to go the peanut route this time. Everyone was eating them before the pizza came, they were that good. I pretty much followed the basic recipe, but added about 1/3 cup extra chunky peanut butter (didn’t really measure) before adding the flour, heaping the cup. I also added about a half cup or more of peanut butter chips. The blondies were Perfect. Yes, they were a little greasier due to the peanut butter, but not really all that much. I thought I’d have mush on my hands, but the knife glided right through them and, unfortunately, didn’t pick up any crumbs for me to “test” the results. They also came right out of the pan. I will be going on a rampage with this recipe—adding different combinations of extras along the way. Thanks!
I’m sorry, but these were a failure. They were quite flat in flavor and texture. My husband says it’s because I used a glass baking pan and not a metal one. I’m going out tomorrow and buying a metal baking pan. And I’m going to use dark brown sugar and add the bourbon. I used the walnuts and the dark chocolate Ghirardelli chips and dried tart Montmorency cherries from Trader Joe’s. And damn good butter, too, but it did not meet my expectations. To the ramparts again! I will not give up!
Made these for the first time on Friday for a local flower and produce show as my entry in the traybake class. Took second prize! Even better was the fact that the family scoffed the lot as soon as I got them home and were disappointed there weren’t more. I did a version with dried cherries and white chocolate chips. I suspect this is one I’ll be making again!
OMG. I’ve made these blondies twice now, and both times they have turned out perfectly. Both times I used almond extract and chocolate chips. The only issue I have is to actually stop myself from eating them all! Normally I blog about healthy food and healthy recipes, but I never limit myself as to what I can eat per se. These blondies are not that bad calorie wise, and if you are able to resist the temptation of finishing it all by yourself, I say go ahead, and enjoy guilt free a serving (or two).
I’ve made these many times for various guests from your recipe, and they are always a hit. I go one step farther and brown the melted butter, and my mix ins are pecans (LOTS), dark chocolate chips, toffee chips, and caramel bits. YUMMY! Thanks for sharing the recipe Deb!! :)
I made these the other night with an extra overripe banana, a third cup of leftover baking chips, and an eighth of a cup of bourbon. They got rave reviews! Thanks so much for a great base blonde recipe.
I just used this as a base for a pumpkin version! I added brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to some pumpkin puree and swirled it throughout the blondie batter. YUMMM. So flexible, thanks for the inspiration!
Made these twice. Great both times but I liked the addition of 1 tsp of baking powder. Used 3/4 cup chopped pecans and 1/4 cup each of butterscotch and white chips. A keeper!
Thanks for a go-to, one-bowl, quick dessert. BTW, they’re awesome plain topped with some cream cheese.
I meant cream cheese *frosting*.
wow. delicious. i added oatmeal to mine (3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup oatmeal), and i made mini cupcakes since i don’t have an 8×8 pan. that way i can eat more, and there are fewer calories, right? right.
These are simple and amazingly delicious!! Thank you :)
Just made these. Followed the recipe and used brown butter. Then I chopped a Granny Smith apple and carmelized it with some butter and brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and spread it over the top before baking.
Oh man, they came out excellent. Baked a bit longer than recommended.
Just made these with vanilla and almond extracts. Added toasted hazelnuts, almonds, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Baking in the oven now but the dough tasted heavenly. These would be a good recipe for a cookie swap.
OHNYGIOOODDDD!!!!! These are AMAZING. Growing up I never liked blondies bc I’d only had the dried out dense gross kinds from bad bakeries. But these are just….I’m speechless. The stick of butter and sugar scared me so I cut it down to 5-6 tbsp butter and a little more than 3/4 cup sugar. It was not gooey as many commenters posted but still moist and just enough chewiness; like a moist chewy cake-cookie-brownie. I added some walnuts too. This recipe is wonderful, thanks so much for sharing!
I made these with a homemade salted caramel sauce swirled in….Oh dear Lord. I don’t know if they will make it to the party. Thanks! :)
Could you tell me how many people this recipe will serve? I’m looking to make about 3 kgs worth of blondies as Christmas gifts
It will really be about how you cut them. For generous 2×2-inch portions, you’ll get 16 squares. I like to make them tiny, almost like bon-bons, so I cut them into 6 rows and columns (yield: 36) or 7×7 (49).
Er meh gerd!these are the best blondies ever.i slightly altered the recipie so they would be gluten free stirred through white choc and macadamia and then caramelized white chocolate to spread over the top…best thing u will ever taste!!
The BEST additions……milk chocolate chips, BRAND name BUTTERSCOTCH chips, toasted coconut. Fabulous I promise!
I’ve baked blondies so many times but this post pushed me to think more creatively about them. I made a version with maple syrup and walnuts. Basically, I used your whiskey guide and added an extra tablespoon of flour and a little less than a 1/4 cup of maple syrup (I was worried it’d come out too sweet). Its in the oven now but my house smells of delicious maple! I’m hoping it comes out great. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make these tonight! Since I have a slight Bailey’s obsession, I’m wondering if you think that would work as an addition (rather than bourbon or whiskey)…? Thanks!
Sam — Ha! Welcome to the club. I think you can definitely try it; I will say that I personally have a hard time getting the flavor to show up in baked goods because it’s fairly subtle. But no harm in trying.
I just tried this recipe with a gluten free flour blend, and it made a wonderful blondie. Since I don’t own a 8×8 inch baking pan I substituted a non-stick bread loaf pan as my baking vessel of choice. Instead of using alcohol I used a teaspoon of rum extract along with the vanilla and almond extracts, and I added one heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed into the batter in addition to the chocolate chips and toasted walnuts. I will use this recipe from now on. This is my first time making as well as eating a blondie, but it won’t be my last. Thanks!
Fabulous recipe Deb. I added white choc chips, frozen raspberries (compensated for juice with extra tablespoon flour) and frangelico – they were delicious!
Sam – re adding bailey’s;, I would second what Deb said about the flavour not coming through as that’s what happened with the frangelico I added. I would just make the blondies without it, and enjoy the drink on the side when they’re cooked!!
Incredible!! Making them with caramel bits and chocolate chips today :)
I now make these frequently. The current favorite in my house is the addition of butterscotch and chocolate chips, 1/4c honey Jack Daniel’s (amazing!), and a peanut butter swirl once it’s in the pan. Thanks for this great recipe!
I made these to ship to my friends across the country. They came out super taste but way too gooey to be able to take out of the pan. If I put them back into the oven I am afraid they will burn. I used chocolate chips and butterscotch which I think made it too gooey.
OK. HAVE BIG EATERS. DOUBLED THE RECIPE. BROWN THE BUTTER. REPLACED 1/4C BUTTER WITH 1/4C BACON GREASE. USED DARK BROWN SUGAR. ADDED 1C SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER. BEST FOR LAST. USED 1C OF WELL COOKED & WELL CHOPPED ** BACON** AND 1C WALNUTS. LET COOL COMPLETE, CUT & EAT. ALL CAN SAY IS OMG.
These are incredible!!! So so yummy!! Added blackcurrants, white and dark choc chips, soo gooood!! Literally just made some and couldn’t stop myself eating them warm out the tin!!
Great recipe. I was reading through the comments and felt terrible to see that someone gave a fellow commenter the wrong information with regard to a measurement question. Vita from England asked how many ounces or grams are in one tablespoon of butter– and JT answered that one tablespoon is equal to one ounce, and that there are 8 T of butter in a stick, which is 8 ounces or one half pound. This is, of course, incorrect. One tablespoon of butter is equal to one HALF ounce- and there are 8 tablespoons of butter in a stick- adding up to 4 ounces per stick or ONE QUARTER pound (four sticks of butter per pound).
With butter, the number of ounces is always half the number of tablespoons.
Sorry, but these were SO BLAND. I don’t get all the good reviews. Not even too sweet but bland….not that sweet and very flavorless, even with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips added.
I love this recipe & have made it many times. My add ins are dark chocolate chips, pecans, dried cranberries. Today I made them & reduced the sugar by 1/3 because they are really too sweet for me. My kids actually said, whatever mistake you made do it again because this is the best batch!
I love these blondies!! I don’t understand the bland reviews—the beauty of this simple recipe is that you can add in whatever suits your fancy. Personally, I like to add walnuts and toffee pieces. I also made a maple variation for my husband and it was a huge hit. I added 1/4 cup maple syrup, two additional tablespoons of flour and a generous amount of pecans and walnuts. This recipe is such a family favorite that I have it committed to memory.
Good tasty quick recipe. I did 1/2 each of chocolate chips, cashews, and bananas. I used 6 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar. I’d definitely use more chocolate chips. It’s not too sweet which is what I like. Since it’s less butter, it turned out a little more cakey than gooey, which is fine by me. Definitely great one to try!
Made these last night and they are my latest obsession. Added absolutely nothing to them and ate them just like that and you could taste the almost caramel flavor they had. Perfect and simple!
I made these two days ago for a charity bake sale, I added salted pretzel pieces and chocolate chunks. They went down so well that two people asked for the recipe and there were none left by lunchtime! Thanks ever so much for the recipe.
I’m one the lucky recipe holders now from ClaireB above!! Made these 3 times now – very delicious! Tricky to come out of the tin thoguh so I lined with parchment. This stuck even more…..next time I loosened the edges while still warm from the oven then left until completely cool to turn out. So much better! Flavours I have done….died cranberry and pumpkin seeds; raisons; cherry and almond – and I always double up the ingredients and cook in a swiss roll tin. The chain continues as I have been asked twice for the recipe too….thanks very much!
I literally fantasized about these upon browsing the web ahem…working today. I added about a cup of white choc chips and just a dab of almond milk at the end since my batter seemed super thick. Came out awesome! Can’t wait to try this combo with macadamia added, Thank you:)
these are fantastic! I’m using brown butter (- which I’m still obsessed with having started using it only about a year ago-)
I’m making a batch on a whim tonight, going to embellish with some leftover raspberry filling (adapted from yours in the chocolate layer cake recipe).
I just noticed the simple ratio of ingredients, now committed to memory.
Thanks so much for this simple recipe. I got a craving for the mini blondies from Fresh Direct thought so i made these with white chocolate chunks. They were divine!! I’ll have to limit myself or I’d eat the whole pan. My husband loved them too.
This is one of my new favorite dessert recipes – so easy to make and adapt! Made a double batch for work with choc chips, butterscotch chips and some mashed banana (aka the random things I had on hand), and they were a huge hit. Thanks!
I gave this recipe a shot yesterday because it looked simpler than many other blondies and more in line with a typical brownie recipe except for the chocolate. Well, it was too “fudgy”, meaning it was doughy-ish in the center. I added choc chips and lightly toasted nuts, but it was still kind of bland, like it had too much flour or something. I have this vision in my head of what it should be but cannot translate it to a recipe. I hate that! I want a thicker, chewy, salted toffee flavored bar that will collapse to fudginess in the mouth while appearing a little cake-ier to the eye. Can this be or do I really want a chocolate chip cookie in a thicker bar form? I can’t seem to work through it. Help! (you need another blondie recipe, anyway…this is the only one here.) Love you!
Susan — Oh no! Sorry you did not like it. I was just reading about Cook’s Illustrated’s blondies over on Food52 today. You should try them and report back. :) (I think I just gave you homework?)
Funny you should mention the blondie on F-52…I read over that one, too, this morning! It looks similar to this one but has half again more of each ingredient and uses the baking powder. I didn’t rule that one out, but gooey center wasn’t what I was going for and, it was thinner than looking than your picture here. I don’t dislike this recipe, in fact, it actually tastes better today then it did yesterday, the butterscotch flavor is deeper today. It’s still too soft looking in the center, but it is chewier than it was when fresh. Thanks for the reply, but do think about fixing blondies, would you? I just know you do better than either of these. Maybe for a book you might write someday? Hmmm?
Just made them….wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Recipe was perfect and very easy. I doubled it (and good I did) and used a 13 X 9. I used 2 cups of choc chips with Heath toffee bits. The only change I made was buttering and flouring the pan instaed of just buttering, because that is what i always do. Is there a difference? The “cake” came out easily.
Thanks Deb for another wonderful recipe. My only criticism is that I spend way too much time on your site.It is almost as addictive as the food.
Marilyn
One question…does the alcohol “evaporate”? Will it be appropriate for kids if there is bourbon in them?
Marilyn
Marilyn — No, alcohol never fully evaporates in the baking process. I’d probably skip it (or keep it to a teaspoon or two) if making for kids.
Thanks….now I have a reason not to share. (Only kidding)
Of course you keep coming back to them, because they are amazing! Brown sugar, chocolate, bourbon, one bowl prep- what else would one really need? I keep coming back to them as well, I have a double batch with your new suggestions in the oven right now- I’m excited to share them this afternoon!
Made them with bourbon. ..think I liked the original better. Am going to try the new combination on the bottom of the recipe. I doubled the recipe and 30 minutes worked, for a very chewy gooey blondie.
My dear lady, about a million years ago( ok 13 ) I had an amaretto blondies at the coffee bar at Kuletos in San Francisco.
I made these blondies tonight, actually a blend of your recipe and America’s test kitchen chocolate chip cooky with brown butter.
I used amaretto, espresso and guittard’s tuxedo chips. I toasted the almonds in the skillet I browned the butter and sugar in and they are AWESOME!! They are a little more ” cookie bar” than gooey blondies but since they are for a potluck they will be a little less messy.
I love your blog and am hoping to make the rhubarb cake for my dad on Sunday .
Thank you for the recipe.
I’d like to add oats. Is there a general rule about necessary adjustments when adding oats? I’m thinking they may be drier without other changes. What do you think?
I haven’t tried it with oats, but I might drop, say, 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour for 4 tablespoons of oats, to compensate. But that’s just an estimate.
Your variation made me laugh – I’ve been using browned butter and dark sugar in these for years, based on a ‘what would Deb do’ moment when I wanted a deeper butterscotch flavour, and remembered your love of browning butter. Just made these again tonight, for a dinner party in Maputo, Mozambique!
A family favorite….I’ve now made 5 versions. Oldest son requested no chocolate, but coconut and pecans, using the 5/14/14 version as a base. Was going to add some quantity of shredded? flaked? coconut. Any ideas? Thanks a bunch.
Just made these with peanuts and topped them with peanut butter chocolate frosting. Will definitely follow the new advice of cutting the sugar (I went with the original recipe). So, so good! I adore this site, it is my go-to. Thank you Deb!
http://macgooter.blogspot.com/2014/07/i-have-answer.html
I loved these so much I had to post about them. I added chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and chopped dried apricots. These are one of my new favorite things.
Deb, out of curiosity, do you use a metal or glass baking pan when making these? I used an 8X8″ glass pan and experienced the same issue as some others with the center that was too gooey and the end result having to be eaten with a fork. I also added the bourbon and toasted walnuts. I’m just wondering why glass should be troublesome with the recipe. I plan to experiment some more by cutting down the bourbon and/or increasing the baking time but I wonder if my pan is real problem. I’m determined to make them again so that I too can rave.
Vanessa — I’ve actually never baked in glass. Regardless, the general rule for glass pans is that you should reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees whenever using one; otherwise baked goods tend to brown or scorch before cooking through, which sounds like happened to you. Hope this helps for next time.
Hi Deb…son has requested coconut in them…(and pecans, but no chocolate). Any idea on quantity of coconut and what kind of coconut to use? Thanks!
Deb–yes, that rule completely slipped my mind! I didn’t even think about it. Next time I’ll do that and see how they turn out.
In love with these blondies! I’ve slightly botched my most recent batch of caramel so I won’t be able to dip it but would hate for it to go to waste – what would be the best way to incorporate it into this recipe? Think I could swirl it into the batter before baking?
I made these a few months ago for a friend with white chocolate and butterscotch chips, who said they were “literally the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.” Made them again last night with the addition of milk chocolate chips, and woke to find that my fiance had eaten half the pan for breakfast. They’re foolproof! :)
Late to the game, but wanted to say thanks for the recipe! I actually have no experience with blondies (i.e. never made any, never tried one) but wanted to try this recipe based on the simplicity and rave reviews. I ended up creaming together the butter and sugar instead of using melted butter. The end product is cakey versus gooey but still pretty soft in the middle. I made them in a mini muffin tin and added chocolate chips, toasted pecans and additional sea salt. I actually like the texture as it’s more like a cross between a muffin and a brownie but I’ll definitely need to try these with melted butter, too. Can’t wait to share them with coworkers!
This is one of my favorite recipes – I also stumbled on the browned butter/dark brown sugar rubric a few months ago and I love the increased butterscotch tones.
I’ve also, when I had it, swirled homemade salted caramel sauce into them, and it is a great addition. I would try your salted caramel brownie trick (a recipe I ALSO love), but that requires a level of forethought that seems antithetical to the spirit of this recipe.
Just popped these in oven. I opted to increase the flour by a tablespoon and add in 1/4 cup of amaretto. Based on the smell and taste of the batter these are gonna be amazing!
Love the simple recipe and that it yields a small amount. I love baking but honestly am usually too lazy for even a chocolate chip cookie, plus most recipes make way more than I ought to have in the house.
I LOVE this recipe! My 2 year old cousin and her mom both agreed they made the best cookies they had ever had. I added about 1/4 cup of instant espresso powder. Love! I’m also doing them right now with white chocolate. So excited!
Very diasppointing. Turned out like a dense cake, not a gooey chewy fantastic blondie.
Deb,
I have made these a hundred times. They are amazing, easy for a Thursday night baking treat, decadent enough to take to a dinner party, and have helped me survive the first three years of parenthood. I just saw the butterscotch update. I will have to try those next– my husband loves them in any form. Thanks for producing such a marvelous blog!
Kerry
Just tried these today. I added in about a quarter cup of leftover “ridiculously easy butterscotch sauce”. A fantastically gooey, chewy, butterscotchy pile of deliciousness.
These look great! I am forever hunting for the perfect blondie recipe and have not yet found one – they always turn out too sweet or too dry, I have yet to churn out a batch with no faults! Definitely going to be giving these a go.
x
These were just what I was looking for – dense, delicious blondies! I made them for a neighborhood picnic – a little undercooked and perfectly gooey. I used about 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and a 1/3 peanut butter chips. If there wasn’t so much butter in them, I’d be making them every week.
I saw a few others mention this, but it’s happened to me a couple of times now with this recipe so mentioning again- if you don’t let the mixture cool a bit, it will totally melt your chocolate chips when you do your mix-ins. The end result is still delicious, but I like the chunk of the chip in my bite of the smooth blondie almost as much as the chocolate flavor, so it makes me sad. I sprinkle a few on the top to make up for it.
Tried this recipe today with browned butter and toasted pumpkin seeds added in and it was absolutely delish!! As soon as I tasted the caramel goodness of these all I could think was how to add apple flavor to make caramel apple blondies. Next batch I am going to try reducing the sugar and adding a few packets of hot apple cider mix. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Made this for a friend’s birthday party, and it was amazing! As an expat, it was so fun to bring a real “American” dessert. This recipe came out great, with chopped chocolate instead of chips and none of the add-ins. It reminded me of a chocolate chip cookie cake! Worth making.
Hi Deb – I have made these no less than 100 times and I need to double the recipe for holiday baking. Do I bake them for 40-50 minutes in a 9×13 pan or is the baking time the same?
P.S. You are one of my baking heros!!
megan — Thank you! I’ve never jotted down the time for doubling them, however, as a general rule, it will be more than the regular time and definitely way less than double it. So, can’t hurt to check in at 25 to 30 minutes, and every 5 minutes after that if they don’t seem done yet.
I found this while looking for an “adaptable” recipe. I had leftover pecan pie from Christmas that I couldn’t bear to throw away and didn’t want to eat, so I whirred it up in the food processor and folded it into this batter along with chocolate chips. Oh my! Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh man … I just made a double batch with the reduced sugar and they are a sad shadow of their usual deliciousness–it really ruins the texture. So long, 1/2 pound of butter! Remaking them right now.
I’m sorry to hear this, I never found that the 1/4 cup less made a big difference in moisture or would have warned. Hope they didn’t go to waste.
They were edible–certainly sweet enough, just kind of … floury. I actually just had one from the freezer. I wouldn’t kick it out of bed, but not nearly as good as the re-made ones. Live and learn.
My first comment on your blog which I have fallen totally in love with – it is so addictive, I have been going on it every day since I discovered it last month to get my daily hit. I actually saw your cook book in the store first and it is at the top of my wish list of about 50 cook books (I already own over a hundred and probably 200 cooking magazines…I know you won’t judge me). I made these blondes tonight as the weather outside was perfect (a cold and snowy night in Canada) for a warm and gooey treat – everyone in the house gave them two thumbs up. I baked them in a mini muffin pan, browned the butter (almost burnt which I think made them even better) and stirred through mini dark chocolate chips and added toasted pecans to some. Wonderful! I also made the endive appetizer for my Christmas dinner and they were a huge hit too. Thanks for all you do!
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe would go well with ground coffee and red/blue velvet cake mix and vanilla chips? If so, what amount? Currently cleaning out the cupboards while trying to pacify my little brother, however, I am worried about the lack of chocolate in my home… Not to be a blondie heretic or anything, but I’m still saving money for some awesome David Ramirez chocolates next month.
Oh wow. I love the cranberry almond idea! Maybe with some white chocolate, or macadamia nuts… Can’t wait to make these for my coworkers. I declare New Year’s resolution dieting season officially over!
these are the tastiest of repositories for all the leftover morsels of sweetness around my house (chocolate chips, white chips, caramels, m&ms, everything) — thank you for these! they were so easy to put together & the batter was absolutely DIVINE on its own.
I’ve made these 3 times now. Twice with almond extract (chocolate chips and white chocolate chips) and once with vanilla (walnuts). While all 3 batches were really great, the vanilla extract won over the family. My wife hates me now for making these and the girls absolutely love them. Browning the butter makes it, oh, so much better.
I’ve made these a couple times with your new combination, and I feel like the browned butter flavor gets lost, which is sad. It pretty much just tastes like a brownie to me with 1 cup of chocolate. I’m going to try it again with a 1/2 cup.
Hi! Can you tell me how many calories is in this recipe?? Thanks!!
Hi Deb,
I’m looking to make these with browned butter as you suggested. When you brown the butter, do you use the same quantity as the recipe calls for or do you add a little extra to make up for the evaporated liquid?
Kate — Here, same quantity is just fine.
I’m not much of a commenter, but having made these for what feels like at least the hundredth time, I figured I should stop by and say thanks. They take almost exactly as long to put together as my oven takes to preheat, they keep for ages, freeze beautifully, and always go over well with guests. I’ve tried several variations, but the chocolate chips/toffee combo is always a favorite. Thank you!
Thanks so much for this recipe… I make it ridiculously often! The brown butter version is amazing… I like to add pistachios and chocolate chips, also tried swirling in some globs of cookie butter spread. I was wondering if you could add a few tablespoons of malted milk powder to the recipe? And if I do that, should I reduce the flour amount? Thanks again!
Oh these are THE BEST bar cookie recipe ever. Also THE EASIEST.
I often whip them up when a cookie is called for (cravings, bake sales, potlucks, gifts).
I like to make them by melting the butter in a small saucepan, then stirring in the (dark) brown sugar until it too is melted and smooth (not gritty), then mixing in the other ingredients. NO BOWL MESS.
I bake them in a loaf pan with some parchment lining on the bottom and up the two long sides. Baking them in a loaf pan makes for thicker blondies.
I am especially fond of these with a few fresh (or frozen) raspberries pressed into the top before baking.
Oh yes, PS, also it is true that if you mix the chocolate in whilst the mixture is hot, it will melt and not be all chocolate chunky (as I prefer). So I press the chocolate chunks in after I spread the mixture into the pan.
I made these dairy free last night by using a combination of coconut oil and olive oil in place of the butter. I also stirred in about a cup of chocolate chips and then sprinkled chopped strawberries on top. Next time I’ll reduce the sugar as you note you do. Yum! thanks for another great recipe
Hi again. I did scroll through all the comments and used the Find feature….nada. I have Googled this 101 question but would really like your opinion.
“I have a Baking 101 question (squirm)…butter, salted or unsalted? Flour…bleached or unbleached. When not specified, what is the default? I am making these tonight and want them just right.”
It looks very delicious.
Victoria — Generally speaking, most baking recipes call for unsalted butter, not because salted butter wouldn’t be delicious in baked goods, especially these, but because the salt level in each stick of butter varies by brand, and it’s hard to write a consistent recipe when you don’t know how much salt it will need. All-purpose flour is the baking standard in most countries, unless otherwise noted. Hope you enjoy them.
Hi Victoria #524, in regards to your bleached or unbleached flour question I believe bleached flour is used in cakes where you want a really light white colour – its kind of an old fashioned approach to baking. I’ve always used unbleached flour and in a recipe like this it would not make any difference to the end product which ever you choose to use. Question for Deb, I once read a recipe where the flour was toasted before being used in the recipe – have you ever heard of this? I may try this next time I make this recipe to try to up the nutty flavour without adding nuts (as I can’t send anything with nuts to school with the kids).
Just coming back to say this is one of my go-to recipes and “Smitten Kitchen blondies” is one of my frequently used Google searches. These have never failed me and I always turn here when a recipe leaves me with half a cup of semi-sweet chips and a quarter cup of something else. Thanks, Deb!
These are AMAZING! I am usually not a blondie fan. But these were moist, rich and purely delicious! These will added to my family’s rotation for sure!
It seems the majority of people have had a good experience with this recipe, but mine just turned into a bit of a disaster. I’m generally quite good with baking so I’m not sure what I did wrong here.
Did I misunderstand when I melted the butter WITH the brown sugar? I thought that was the way to go.
The batter was very runny, not blondie like really. I added a bit more flour because it just really didn’t seem right. They were in the oven for close to an hour and just came out super gooey, not in a good way. I can see the butter melting/oozing out of the blondies. It’s all strange. Where could I have gone so wrong?
Hi Katy — Not sure what happened. They’re definitely on the soft/moist side for blondies, but they do bake up in the oven (as the photos indicate — I use this recipe!). You definitely had all of the flour in there? No reason to melt the butter with the brown sugar; the instructions are to mix melted butter with the sugar. Regardless, it shouldn’t ruin the recipe or make the bars liquefy.
I have made these many times and in many ways since you first posted this. They are my it’s-nearly-bedtime-and-I-forgot-I-needed-something-for-a-party-tomorrow recipe. Bourbon/pecans/dried cherries combo was my favorite until last night. I split the batter and put peanut flour and chopped peanuts in half and cocoa and instant coffee in the other half. It’s my new favorite (for now)! Also, your apple cider caramels started a whole year of caramel experimentation that my friends are very thankful for :)
I made these blondies with simply with chocolate chips and cheesecake batter. It turned out more than amazing; even after I hid the whole pan in the freezer, it still mysteriously disappeared…
My recent favorite Blondie variation is very loosely based on Fran Bigelow’s White Chocolate Chunk Brownies — white chocolate chunks (half melted into butter, half mixed in to the batter before baking) and pecans or, even better, hazelnuts. The original recipe is unbeatable, but the Blondie version is a satisfying quick fix.
I was looking for a fudgy Blondie recipe because I always end up with Blondies too cakey and these sounded perfect, but I ended up with a pan of mush even after baking for an extra fifteen minutes :( My oven was bought new in March and everything else I bake turns out so it’s working. The only thing I could think of is maybe I should have ditched the aluminum foil and just greased my glass dish?
These. Are. The. Greatest. Blondies, where have you been all my life?! I made a batch last week with chocolate chips and Heath bits. I have a batch in the oven now with white and dark chocolate chips, almond slivers, and 1/2 T espresso powder. If the beater was any indication… five stars. I’ve made both batches with the reduced sugar.
These are fab with browned butter, bourbon, pretzel pieces, kicked up salt, and chocolate chips.
Delicious. I doubled the recipe and used just under 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of peanut butter chips. 25 minutes was perfect in a 9×13 pan so that the edges are browned but the middle just barely cooked enough. I used Kerrygold salted butter instead of adding extra salt, and the flavor is perfect.
Thanks so much for this amazing recipe. Simple, made with ingredients I have on hand, and most important, craveably delicious — I keep thinking of excuses to make them again. I had stocked up on various kinds of chips: butterscotch chips are my favorite (with pecans and maple extract instead of vanilla), but a surprising second was peanut butter filled chocolate chips (Nestle DelightFulls).
I actually bought a blondie mix, the mix had chocolate chips in them. I have never heard of them before but the mix was on sale and I thought I would try them. They turned out great and I went right to the internet to find a recipe for them and I’m sure they will be a regular when I make squares, in fact may go buy a couple of more of the mixes.
Delicious! I Love the simplicity of the base for this recipe and then the options for customizing are genius. We kept it simple and loved how these turned out. Our new go to for a blondie craving. And, even better, the ingredients are always on hand around here :)
I recently got home from a long vacation and needed to satisfy a dessert craving, but I had only done essentials shopping and didn’t have any obvious dessert ingredients on hand. This hit the spot and then some! I added 1/4 cup of Bailey’s Irish Creme and 3/4 cup chocolate chips and they are phenomenally good! I just put my third batch this week into the oven!
Ooo, yum! I made a double batch last night with half browned butter (because I forgot doubling the recipe means doubling the butter, and I’m lazy), 1/3 c toasted pine nuts, 1 c toasted walnuts, nearly 1 c chocolate chips, maybe 2/3 c butterscotch chips, 1 c coconut, and a bit of extra vanilla. Amazing! I do feel a little ill after eating seven of them for breakfast though. One of my guests asked if there were oats in them, and that sounded like a fun addition.
Next batch I want to try white chocolate chips, dried mandarin slices (from Trader Joe’s), dried pineapple, coconut, rum, and maybe lime juice somehow? I better wait a little while to let myself recover though!
Oh! And they came out perfect after 35 minutes at 350 in a 9×13 Pyrex.
Gluten/Grain-Free & Refined Sugar-Free Adapted…
Love your recipe, but subbed the flour and sugar with 1/2c Buckwheat Flour and 1/2c Almond Flour, and 1/2c Coconut Sugar. Added chopped sesame-covered almonds and chocolate chunks to top. So good! Thank you!!
Thank you! I am always looking for grain free baking options!
I like to add 1/4 cup of Bailey’s Irish Creme liqueur and semi-sweet baker’s chocolate (chopped into small cubes) and they are simply irresistible. The first time I tried this recipe, I made them for a crowd and they disappeared! This is a recipe that I will continue to make as a crowd pleaser, thank you so much for sharing!
I’m kind of in love with this recipe. I make a batch and immediately start fantasizing about what variation I can make next. Chocolate chips with coconut. Delicious. Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon with roasted almonds. Dang. 5 minutes to stir up a batch, 18 minutes in the oven, and you have some kicking cookies. I cut them in bite-sized squares so I can fake myself out and get to eat 4 little cookies instead of one big one. Thanks for this keeper of a recipe!
My batter was thick like peanut butter, is that right?
I love this recipe! I tried to two variations — one with white chocolate chips, dried apricot and cashews, and another with semi-sweet chocolate chips, dried cherries and walnuts. So good!
I can’t wait to experiment further.
This is a great recipe – so easy and quick. I made mine like Sarah – with semi-sweets, dried cherries and walnuts and they turned out perfectly. I baked for 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. I am anxious to try other variations but am afraid I will eat them all by myself.
Deb, if I want to add peanut butter, would I add it and leave the half cup of butter, replace the butter with PB or ….?
Thanks… Jan
Jan — I wouldn’t replace the butter, but maybe add a few spoonfuls. Or, you might start with these peanut butter blondies. Hope that helps.
Just about to make these – have decided to make them salted caramel and raspberry. Will report back.
Double the recipe…OK, so you have to brown the butter…makes them super “car-a-melly” tasting! I added 2 tsp of Espresso powder and 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, used dark brown sugar (total of 1-1/2 cups for dbl recipe).
Made these twice: once in an 8×8 with pistachios and chocolate chips, the second time in mini muffin tins with the mashed banana, chocolate chips, and a splash of rye whiskey for a bananas foster style thing (would have used bourbon if I had any in the house). Both times were delicious! The whiskey and banana variant was a little cakier, probably from the banana, but it tasted like the love child of banana bread and a chocolate chip cookie, which is awesome.
Made these for the first time for my nephew’s birthday party. I used chopped toasted walnuts and chopped dark chocolate. Will be making this again. Thank you.
So good, so easy. I made to ship to a friend who is having a hard time, I had to “trim the edges” to make excuses to nibble.
mmmmm pecans and chocolate chips.
Why is their no leavening I.e. Baking Soda? Seemed odd without it though tasted good.
Aaaahh, baking these in Ireland!! Have been thinking of gooey Blondies for ages because my friend makes them but hers are more crumbly. Anyway followed the measurements in grams, doubled it for my baking tray and the mixture turned out so thick. I baked it anyway, and it took about 40mins. Still waiting to taste….
I made these using a paleo flour blend. They were very tasty but way way way too sweet! I could easily cut the sugar down by 1/3 of a cup and maybe 1/2 a cup. They needed a longer cooking time too but I didn’t realize this until after they were out. They were extra gooey and would not hold together until cold. I would make them again.
The blend I used was 1/2 cup almond flour 2 TB + 2 tsp of each coconut flour, tapioca and arrowroot whisk together makes 1 cup.
Want to make these egg-free. Any idea how egg substitute, flaxmeal, etc. would work?
I expected to find some comments from people who made these without eggs or with flax eggs, but not showed up in my search. This commenter just used more baking soda, sounded like it wasn’t an issue. I’d expect this recipe to be forgiving — might just be more cookie-like and less brownie-like without the egg.
My extended family is full of food intolerances, one can’t have eggs, another dairy and a third gluten. Individually it’s not to hard to adapt recipes, collectively it’s a bit daunting. My go-to egg substitute in cookies is a single mashed banana – I often find it works well with chocolate and peanut butter flavored things anyway. You could also try vegetable oil! Which works great in cakes and brownies. The big thing with adapting recipes is figuring out what function the ingredient is serving – is it just moisture ? Is it a binder? Is it a leavener? So the banana works great in cookies but flops in cakes and meatloaf, whereas vice verse with the vegetable oil. Usually egg substitutes are easier and more forgiving than gluten. And Deb – I wanted to sincerely thank you for this recipe – been making it with dark spiced rum for the last year or so and my fiancée loves it and it’s a hit at work functions.
Have not tried these, but the Cook’s Illustrated version, with white & dark chocolate and pecans, is amazing, even though I am generally avoid nuts in baked goods (here, though, the pecans at least do not have a large texture contrast with the baked good portion).
I have made these many times, with lots of different add ins. Today I made them with chopped dried apricot and dried cherries, and dark chocolate chips. Wow!! They are a celebration gift for my father in law, but we may have to make another pan just for us!
Any idea long would these last in an airtight container? I want to bake some for gifts
Thanks so much!
I’d expect them to last a week, possibly longer.
These sound delicious, and my sister says they are awesome. If I wanted to make these in a 1/2 sheet instead of an 8×8, would 4x the recipe do?
Yes, that’s exactly how I’d do it.
I doubled up and went with dark rum, added cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and mixed in some dark rum soaked cranberries for a hot buttered rum kind of blondie. I don’t know if they’ll come our but the batter is so.good.
I made a double batch today – with browned salted butter, about a 1 cup of whole dried bing cherries and 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips. I nearly stopped at just brown butter and sugar goo. It smelled and tasted divine. But since that would be too messy to eat over the next few days, decided to proceed with the recipe. Baked in a light colored 9×13″ metal pan and took out at 25 mins. Perfect! Deb’s follow-up recs from 2014 to use 1/4 tsp fleur de sel, 1.5 tsp vanilla and only 3/4 C brown sugar were all spot on. Will have to try the bourbon/rum version another time.
Not sure if I did something wrong or these just weren’t like I thought they’d be. I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9×13. They were really thin and kind of tough – not thick and chewy as I imagined. Everybody ate them at our New Years Eve party, but they didn’t turn out like I expected.
I think your pan was too big unless you doubled the recipe. Her original recipe calls for an 8×8 pan.
Cinnamon is my favorite additional ingredient. This time it was cinnamon (too much is best), cherries, Bourbon, smoked salt, semi-sweet chocolate and coconut. Might be rad, might be a disaster.
Made these with half, yes just half, of the light brown sugar, added fresh cranberries and a few white chocolate chips (more cranberry to white chocolate ratio) and they turned out great. Not too sweet, which is how I like my desserts!
Oh man, I made these for a potluck thinking they’d be happily consumed but not having high expectations. They were so. Good. I really didn’t want to share… kept sneaking from the freezer throughout the week before the day, reluctantly brought the rest and they were gobbled up in a flash. I did the adaptation you mentioned at the bottom with browned butter, dark chocolate, salt, and pecans. Deb, you are a culinary genious!!!
Amazing recipe! I may have went a little overboard with the add-ins but they still turned out great. I added coconut, toasted sliced almonds, dried crans, and a little bourbon. 😋
is it dangerous to boil rum with a stick of kerrygold until nutty smelling, then add confectioners sugar and more rum if necessary? that’s how I made the last frosting for bar cookies.
I also make blondies, and have found dark brown sugar makes it more butterscotch like. I also press the chips on top, rather than mixing in.
The other addition is a small amount of baking soda and baking powder. They are chewy this way.
I am totally going to try using a bit less sugar and see!
These are so dangerous to have in my house. They are soooo good. Browning the butter is the best idea! I don’t think I’ve followed any of the other adaptions because the original is so good. I used to think blondies were boring substitutes for chocolate chip cookies. Now I know better. Such a quick, easy and delicious dessert that freezes beautifully too. They are always a hit!
Made these lots of times and love them! A great go to!
Oh my gosh, I made these last night and they are so incredibly good. I attempted to brown the butter, but got impatient and didn’t really brown it. I used brown sugar, chocolate chips, unsweetened flaked coconut, dried sour cherries, toasted pecans and maldon sea salt flakes. These are insanely good and very easy. I doubled the recipe and cooked in a metal brownie pan for 25 minutes. My oven runs a little cool, so that may be why it cooked for longer. These will be in a regular rotation whenever I have to bring dessert. Next time I will reduce the amount of sugar – even for me who loves sweet desserts, they are a little too sweet for me. Highly recommend.
Oh, and I also made these gluten free by using a King Arthur all purpose gluten free flour.
Just made these with the browned butter and dark brown sugar. Didn’t have anything to mix in so just made them plain. They are divine!!!
My orthopedist told me “wear the sling so people don’t hug you” when my shoulder was shattered in an accident. One trip out of the house without it taught me to listen to my doctor.
Made this last night. Very simple yet so many possible add ins. I baked it for 25 min and it turned out a bit hard. Next time I will definitely underbake it because I agree with deb that gooey is better.
I made this exactly as the recipe called to do, using the 1/2 t. almond extract instead of the vanilla, and adding in ~1/2 c. chocolate chips. They taste awesome! Next time I will do a little less sugar because they are pretty rich.
I added an extra 7 minutes of bake time on top of the 25 minutes Deb recommends because mine were still totally raw in the middle at that point. Not sure if it’s just my oven? I think the extra 7 minutes was just a tiny bit too long though because the very edges were too crusty; had to cut them off. Next time I will bake for 25 minutes. I will make them again though.
After making this recipe who-knows-how-many times and receiving a stupid number of compliments on it, I feel like I’m obligated to leave a comment. This is the perfect back-pocket recipe for last minute sweets. I make this with literally whatever is in my cupboard, and it has yet to disappoint. Some mix-ins that I’ve enjoyed and received raves for:
– Add salted sunflower seeds, with or without chocolate chips is good.
– After spreading the batter, dot liberally with small chunks of chevre and dabs of fig or cherry jam (or mix in chopped dried figs or cherries — literally just use whatever), then cut with a butter knife to gently swirl in. I like this with almond extract instead of vanilla.
– Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then fry up any mixture of fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage that you prefer. Mix the butter and fried herbs in as directed for the butter, and top the batter with flaky salt after spreading in the pan.
– Currently in the oven: I mixed some powdered chipotle pepper in with the flour, and then mixed some 65% chocolate bar chunks into the batter. Not sure how this tastes yet but I have high hopes for this bare pantry last minute bake.
The only thing I’ll mention that isn’t obvious from the recipe: after you add that egg, really beat the hell out of it. If you simply stir it in until combined, it’s fine. But if you whip it good and hard until the mixture is very thick before you add the flour, it gives the blondies extra lift and a really nice crispy, crackly top.
What a great idea. I hadn’t thought to do a savory spin on these. I’m gonna try the herbed butter with chevre swirled through. That sounds mighty tasty. In November I stumbled upon a fruitcake recipe that had black olives, so I soaked the currants and raisins in Medera and served it with cheese, prosciutto and dried cured Genoa salami as pre dinner nibbles. I’ll definitely be doing that again.
Love the recipe! I’m making it now and have doubled it and am baking in a 9 x 13 pan but the cooking time doesn’t seem right. Do you add time to it when it’s bigger. Thank you!
Wondering too!
It might need a little longer because it will be slightly thicker. Look for brown edges.
My blondies didn’t set up and I’m wondering if I should have added some leavening?
What kind of additions did you use? The recipe is very flexible but it’s of course hardest for me to account for baking times when there are several tweaks.
Can I brown margarine or is that not a thing?
No. It’s the milk solids in butter that get toasty.
I doubled the recipe and would recommend 30min for gooey and 33min for slightly more crisp
Thanks for this recipe….tried it doubled with 1.5 cups brown sugar total, like you say you like it now. Added 0.5 cup chocolate chips, 0.5 cup dried cranberries, and 0.5 cup trail mix (almonds, peanuts, cashews, raisins, m&ms). Easy and Excellent!
Could I use hazelnuts in this? And if so, must I roast or toast them first, or would it be ok to just chop raw hazelnuts and put them as an add in?
Totally up to you. Yes you can use them, no you don’t have to toast and peel if they don’t bother you untoasted and unpeeled. (I, personally, only love them well-toasted and peeled, but you’re cooking for you.)
Thank you!
The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly, but perhaps I baked a bit too long. They came out good though and the flavor was excellent. Then I made them a second time, doubling the recipe and putting into a 9×13 pan and I added a bit of baking powder. They were awesome. I brought them to work and they disappeared in the blink of an eye. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on them too. Thanks Deb!
I got distracted while clarifying some butter and ended up with brown butter and thought, what better way to use that up than blondies! Normally I would reach for chocolate and nuts to add but didn’t have any on hand and ended up adding dried bing cherries and coconut flakes instead. So so good.
What did I do wrong? I think I followed the directions for a single recipe, and mine taste good, but they are less than half an inch thick in an 8by8 pan. The batter was shiny and thick (glossy, like very thick cake batter). Did I over mix? Any guesses?
Same here. I have no idea how Deb got the thick bars shown in the pictures… mine are, as you said, about 1/2 an inch thick.
I added 1/4 cup of bourbon (adding the extra tablespoon of flour), 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and about 1 cup of chocolate chips, but followed everything else exactly as written.
Thoughts, anyone?
It’s been a while since I made them — these are high on my reshoot-soon list — but I definitely had them that day in like 1-inch squares. I love cutting them really tiny for parties, especially if they’re on the gooey and bourbon-y side.
Me toooooo! So thin. 8 by 8 pan. No alterations beyond adding choc chips.
Doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan and they came out a bit thin. Need to at least triple it next time so they are nice and thick. Still delicious.
I just made these with chunked semi sweet chocolate, dried cherries, almond extract, and toasted slivered almonds. They look and smell delicious. I doubled the recipe, and it’s so easy – 2 sticks butter, two cups brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour. I see myself making these again and again with different mix-ins – toffee pieces, pecans, and dark chocolate next. I made the salted caramel brownies the other day and they were delicious; however, I didn’t use parchment and I think I sprayed the pan with too much Baking Pam because they were a little wet and soggy. User error on my part. Next time, I will freeze the caramel until firmer and use the parchment paper. I love your site and your cookbook Deb.
Two days ago, I made these with dark brown sugar, almond extract, dried cherries, chunks of semi sweet chocolate, and toasted slivered almonds. I doubled the recipe and they are gone. My family went crazy over these blondies. Today, I just took a double batch out of the oven with peanut butter chips, chunked semi sweet chocolate and toffee pieces. They smell delicious and I’m sure they will be gone by tomorrow. I cook mine a little more because my oven is probably off, but they get crunchy, chewy and delicious. This recipe is so much easier than cookies, one bowl only, and easily adapted to any taste preference. I’m now officially obsessed.
Unsalted butter?
You can use either. If unsalted, don’t add any additional salt unless you taste the batter and it seems like it needs it.
Tried these today! If you’re using a glass pan, they will still be quite runny after 25 minutes so you may need to add another 15 minutes or more to the cooking time. Can’t wait to bite into them!
Thanks for the clarification about the glass pan. I used glass and they were way too gooey so I had to leave them in a few extra minutes, and though they were delicious, still too undercooked for my taste. Next time I’ll use my tin!
I should have used your recipe. I was looking for a miso blonde and tried a recipe that tastes good but was too cake like. I’ll follow yours next time no baking powder! The miso add a great salty smooth taste.
I usually take your sweet recipes and cut the sugar by a third to a half. When the sugar to flour ratio is one to one my alarm bells go off.
Your garlic roasted mushrooms are a big hit whenever I make them. Your mom’s apple cake is also my mom’s Apple cake. She says it’s the queen of cakes. We had it last week for her birthday party. She’s a 102.
Did this with:
Browned butter
1/4 c. Bourbon
1/2 c. chopped & toasted pecans
6 tbs semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt on top
…. decadent
I made these with browned butter, dark chocolate chips, the boosted vanilla and sea salt amounts, and some chopped toasted almonds.
I wonder if I made a mistake using a glass pan (8×8) – my blondies came out quite dry at the edges and raw in the middle (I baked for 24 minutes at 350). Is metal better?
I also wonder whether I ought to have used salted butter? I used unsalted, and even with the boosted (1/4tsp) sea salt amount, AND sprinkling a little flaky finishing salt on top, they were sadly not salty at all. Is this a salted butter recipe maybe?
I suggest trying them in a metal pan. For science. And because more yummy blondies.
I find when I make these with unsalted butter I have to do a heaping 1/4 tsp minimum but found that these are one of the few recipes I prefer using salted butter.
No leavening? Brownies use baking soda. They are in the pan ready to bake too late to add, crossing my fingers…
No leavening. Blondies and brownies do not traditionally use leavening, unless the goal is cake-iness. Hope they were a hit.
This recipe has become a staple in my repertoire…so easy and so very,very good,Thanks for sharing with all of us
Hi Deb,
Can these be made with oil instead of butter? I saw some comments discussing oil as a an egg substitute, but not sure about replacing the butter.
Thank you!
I don’t see why not. You might drop it a tablespoon; I don’t recommend this with all oil/butter swaps but here the butter is very present and it may not be as enjoyable if it were oil.
I often make these with coconut oil for friends who can’t eat dairy.
Made this today with chocolate chips, marshmallows and walnuts, and subbed the egg with flaxseed/water to make eggless. They were delicious! I was a little worried they wouldn’t turn out because they were still quite oily at the 25 minute mark. I think it probably had to do with the lack of egg. So i just kept them in for a few more minutes and they are perfect!
Made this tonight for my kids — I have a toddler with an egg allergy, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that seem like they would be friendly to substitutions. I ditched the egg and added in more mashed banana — probably a whole cup instead of the 1/2 cup recommended. (I used 2 bananas, and they were both quite large.) And then a big scoop of natural peanut butter and chocolate chips. The kids loved them — and I enjoyed them but don’t think I’ve hit the magic combo yet. Texture was a bit funny because of all the banana (a little gluey), so maybe next time I’ll just try sticking with 1/2 cup — I’ve found with 8 x 8 pan recipes, if there’s just one egg you’re usually fairly safe with skipping it entirely. And I should have added more salt to bring out the peanut butter flavor more. But a great basic recipe that I look forward to playing more with!
I made these perfect little bars, simply as written with white chocolate chips. They were buttery and delicious and my non-chocolate eating husband was ecstatic. Thanks for another great recipe!
I make them with mini m&ms and they’re always a hit with my son’s teammates!
Since Smitten Kitchen is my “go-to” website for recipes, I zoomed through the ingredients and directions and quickly had these Blondies in the oven. They are about 1/4″ high and look nothing like your photo. Checking a few other websites, the same recipe consistently calls for 1/2 t. Baking powder and 1/8 t. soda. We can eat the corner pieces which are a bit browned. but the rest of the pan (8×8) is a flat doughy loss.
No one else mentioned this outcome in the comments. Did I miss something??
The same thing happened to me. I am going to try adding 1/2 t baking powder and 1/8 t baking soda next time and see how it goes.
Just made these. I doubled and made in 9×13 pan per suggestion.
Very flat. Recipe called for no b. powder or b. soda. Is that a mistake?
Thanks
Not a mistake. Blondies are “blonde” brownies and brownies (or at least the good, non-cakey ones) don’t have baking powder/soda in them.
If you liked this Blondie, you will absolutely love my hersey’s cookies and cream white chocolate blondies. Find the recipe here http://www.theyoungtongue.com/cookies-cream-white-chocolate-blondies/ and take a look at the video. Thank You!!!!!!
I have made this 3 times and each time it was so gooey – like way too much. I kept trying the recipe thinking I did something inadvertently wrong. The only thing I can think of is that when I weigh the flour, 125 g is less than the amount of a cup? Still yummy though!
Hi Deb! I’m such a big fan of your blog, I’ve been reading it for years! I recently made this recipe and posted it to my blog, if you’d like to see… I hope that’s okay! :) (with proper credit to you, of course)
I’m a huge fan and Smitten Kitchen is my go-to for dessert recipes, always very satisfied. Which I why I am confused about these blondies. I added chocolate chips, about 3/4 cup. I had to bake for almost 45 min and they were still about 1″ thick, gooey-bordering on raw and cloyingly sweet (I had even topped the batch with flaked sea salt) Where did I go wrong??
I know this recipe post is many, many years old at this point, but I just made these (using all the 2014 updates you posted, except the nuts), and they came out perfect! I see a lot of complaints about very flat or way underdone bars in the comments, but I made a single batch in an 8×8 metal pan, baked for 20 minutes only, and they look exactly like the photos, and smelled and tasted amazing!
Make these
This recipe is delish!!! I have made it twice in 3 days . 1 batch for my daughter to bring with her back to college (and it was just about gone the day she went back) and 1 batch for my nut-allergic son for a class meal. I used caramel and semi-sweet chips, but plan to use caramel and bittersweet next time for a more complex contrast.
Fabulous! Turned out perfect. Followed recipe to a “t” (but added 2 T turbinado sugar because since I used it in Deb’s choc chip recipe, I have fallen in love with baking with it). For those that turned out gooey, make sure you blend the melted butter and sugar VERY well before adding the rest of ingredients and definitely use a metal pan. Mine cooked in 15 min but my oven runs hot
made these for a birthday on request with the guilty pleasure liquor of choice – apple bourbon – and a few handfuls of butterscotch chips, with a splash of maple and my pie seasoning blend. so so good. this is the perfect base recipe. thanks for being beyond consistent, can’t wait to see you in santa cruz next month!!
I made this using gluten free flour, Bob’s Red Mill Baking mix. Worked fine. I doubled the recipe and baked ina 9 x 13 glass pan.
I’m obsessed with these and faced with making some pistachio dried cherry biscotti and not liking the double baking and dipping in chocolate, I remembered the ease of this recipe. Blondies with pistachios, orange zest, dried cherries and some Heath bar toffee pieces. They smell amazing.
I made these yesterday afternoon. Excellent! I added pecans, dried cranberries and a scant 1/2 cup of dark chocolate pieces. I did have to bake it longer than the recipe indicated (others reported this too), but that is a nit in the larger scheme of things… results were terrific. Definitely will make these again.
Added 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, extra pinch of salt and dark chocolate chips, and now my kitchen smells of glorious sin/Reece’s cups. Divine
Sounds wonderful!
Made these with browned butter, chocolate chips and pecans. They turned out really good but next time I’d use a smidge less butter. Mine turned out kind of oily.
Real maple syrup is a great additive
Goodness, 12 years going strong! Okay so I’m late to the party and had just tried this recipe few days ago.
I cut down the butter to 5 tbsp and added in 3 tbs of milk, and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup (I used jaggery) — it’s pretty sweet already for me as the dark and white chocolate chunks (total 1/2 cups for both) are sweet enough addition for me. I also threw in about a cup of toasted walnuts.
The brown butter with milk and jaggery created a tantalizing smell that I felt like licking the mixture and abandoning the blondies altogether LOL. But I persevered and carried on with my mission nonetheless ha ha.
I had only a quarter pan left after eating more than half by myself and sharing 3 small squares with my SO and had to store that away in an airtight container as I’m afraid I’ll put on lbs if I keep it in sight. Saving it for my next time dessert.
This is grade A+ dessert and worthy of repeats, not to mention how easy peasy it is to whip up. Thanks Deb, as usual.
Something off in this recipe, made to the letter & batter barely covered the bottom of my 8×8 pan. My only add ins were choc chunks.
Anyone else have this issue?
Deb mentioned her pictures were 1″ x 1″ dimension, so I guess they look thick due to them being taken close up.
Mine are about an inch plus thick too, but they are chewy and excellent.
I was worried about how gooey these are and then discovered the whole argument about gooey versus cakey blondies versus brownies. I ended up making these and then some cookie bars. Guess which one my son loved! I’m now making a second batch of these blondies, as written, just with a few mini chocolate chip morsels mixed in. My only confusion the first time was whether to add the sugar to the hot butter, or cook it first. Last time, I added the sugar to the hot butter and ended up making these really butterscotch-y, which was delicious. But I read someplace else that you’re supposed to let the better cool, so that time doing at this time. I also agree that these test past few days down the road. Thanks for reminding us of a great recipe.
Darn, I missed a couple of typos in my previous post. Corrections would be I figured out to cool the butter and then add the sugar. And these taste best after a few days. Feel free to edit mine or I guess just leave my update here. I’m cooking them in a glass pan and wondering if I should pull them out real quick and move them into a metal pan because I have the pan lined with parchment paper so could move it easily.
Hi, Deb! (Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year?)
When you say dark brown sugar, could that include the muscovado sugar I have sitting on my counter? I bought a big bag for one recipe and would like to find another use for it. Perhaps 1/2 cup muscovado and 1/4 cup caster sugar?
Thanks for your help.
p.s. This is not the first time I’ve said it, but your kids are gorgeous :)
I actually have almost no experience baking with muscovado, but from what I know of it, I’d think your swap makes sense. Good luck! (And thank you.)
These are amazing. I did the 2014 version w/ browned butter and it is phenomenal. Another trick I learned from my friend Carolynn Carreno (whose cookbook, Bowls of Plenty, is amazing and i’m not just saying that because she’s my friend) is to toast the walnuts in a pan in *walnut oil* and then lightly salt them. So much flavor!
Tried these twice. They did not come out as I expected. They were very hard especially around the edge of the pan. They also did not rise. The second time I tried adding the melted butter to the sugar in the mixing bowl rather than adding the sugar to the pan of melted butter. When I mixed the butter and sugar together it did not get smooth either time. What do you recommend?
I wanted to love this recipe – unbaked it was delicious. But it just didn’t work once in the pan or out of the oven. Browned the butter and used the 3/4 cup of brown sugar suggestion. The batter was difficult to spread to the edges of my 8×8 and the final product baked up flat and tasted a little one-note.
Made these in a 12 hole muffin tin (baked about 20 mins) and they came out perfect. This is my go -to blondie recipe and have given out copies to many of my colleagues.
Like others, I followed this recipe to the ‘T’ and ended up with suuuuper thin blondies (in my 8×8 pan). I weighed everything out and my only additions were: browning the butter and adding some chopped chocolate. They are cooling now and I’m sure they are delicious, but I was hoping for a slightly thicker end result.
I don’t know if I missed weighed the ingredients but this was way greasy!
Me too. But otherwise very good…next time i’ll try with a couple T’s less of butter.
My latest variation of this (I make some kind at least once a month it seems) – browned the butter, subbed half cup WW flour, added abt a T of greek yogurt, added 2 bananas (overripe, frozen, thawed, reduced in the same saucepan I used to brown the butter), cinnamon, M & M candies (easter leftovers). baked in a regular size muffin tin. delicious.
Greetings from (possibly) your most ardent Canadian fan. I’ve been making this delicious recipe for almost 40 years…. Everyone loves me most when I make the version with cut-up prunes in the batter and a sprinkle of granulated sugar on top after baking.
Although I love most of your recipes, I found this recipe to have too much butter. After cooling (somewhat), I cut one and it was literally oozing with melted butter. Next time I’ll try a couple Tablespoons less…otherwise, great taste, great chewiness..very good!!!
I made these with 6 tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup pb, and 1.5 cups of milk/dark/pb chips, and a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Good, but I think they would be better with dark chocolate and pecans, more complex flavors to balance the buttery sugary-ness.
I made these exactly as written. I baked them for 25 minutes. They were perfect.
Love the updated look! Took me a few minutes to realize this was just an update on my default “chocolate chip cookie cake” recipe… my 9 and 11 year old boys love this recipe, and I found it was easier just calling it a chocolate chip cookie cake than trying to explain what blondies are.
Wow ! Made these and added chocolate. chips, toasted walnuts, heath bar pieces and chopped dates. They were delicious and got devoured quickly! Agree with making the browned butter and toasting the nuts, takes a little time but worth the effort.
Would this recipe work with whole wheat flour?
I’ve made these more than once, and with all sorts of additions, including banana, and they’ve always been a hit.
I want to make them for a cranberry loving friend, and wanted your opinion on adding fresh/frozen cranberries. I’ve made these “brownies with cranberries” from Wednesday Chef once, and it was a great combination. http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2015/02/gerhard-jennes-bittersweet-brownies-with-cranberries.html
So I’m wondering about “blondies with cranberries”, and maybe 1-2 other mix-ins as well. Would love to hear your thoughts/suggestions.
Delicious. I used dried tart cherries and semi sweet choc chips. The batter is a yummy matrix for the mix-ins which are abundant at cup and a half. Mine took about 35 mins to bake and were still plenty chewy.
I’ve made these before, and I was one of the “but they’re so thin!” complainers/questioners. Tonight, they are still thin, but they are outrageously awesome. I think the key is that last time I overbaked them, even though I didn’t think I did. Truly take them out before you think they’re done. Marvelous!
Used sour cherries and bittersweet chocolate in equal measure as the mix-ins and tried them out on my new recipe guinea pigs, uh colleagues, at work. Smash hit. Wish I’d found this recipe when I was of marriageable age!
This was very very good! I really like this recipe, especially with a banana and some chocolate chips!
I didn’t hand any chocolate in the house (!!!) so used chopped dried apricots and preserved stem ginger. Also mostly dark brown sugar as that’s what I had. Very good but would have been better if I’d remembered the salt as they are too sweet with no dark chocolate to cut the sugar. Also I used self raising flour and can assure you they are absolutely not cakey – gooey and fudgy!
Made these as a double batch in an 11×7 pan. Used light brown sugar, scant 2c not packed. Stirred in 6oz apricots pulsed and ~1c candied ginger, reserving a few bits to sprinkle over the top. Added 5 minutes baking time for it being a copper pan.
GREAT HIT at a church bake sale fundraiser! Comments were “not too sweet”, “Oh WOW” and other positive phrases. Minister bought two, when he didn’t have to pay for any of them! Someone who had only one treat worth of money spent her last five dimes on these and was happy.
Thanks for a great go-to recipe! It works really, really well.
I make these with browned butter, Stella Park’s toasted sugar, and a healthy pour of whatever whiskey is nearby, and chopped good dark and milk chocolate and cacao nibs and they are… So good. I live in Minnesota: bars are our *thing* and these are damn good bars.
I want to hear more about the popular bar recipes in Minnesota! :)
if i double it in 9×13 pan how long will they take to bake?
I want to tell you that these are the best bar I’ve ever made. I made them a few weeks ago with toasted Macadamia nuts and white chocolate chip and I’ve been thinking about them ever since! Delish! Thank you for the recipe.
I made these as described, which rarely happens. WE really enjoyed this recipe! Even my child that doesn’t enjoy many sweets liked these! Printed and now heading off to my favorites binder!
Great recipe – with one huge exception. I have to disagree about the no-such-thing-as-too-gooey part. After baking for almost 30 minutes I took them out even though they looked very underdone. And they tasted very underdone – more like just plain dough except for the edges.
Hi Deb! These blondies smell incredible but they don’t seem to have the lovely flaky crust yours have. I used soft dark brown sugar and added 1/4 cup peanut butter and I’m wondering if either of those had something to do with the lack of flakiness on top. Any thoughts?
Update: they did have a flaky crust! Not as great as the ones in your photos but I did also reduce the sugar just a little bit, which I realise now would have made a difference. They taste incredible and I love how chewy they are!!
Probably peanut butter, which gives things a matte/heavier effect.
Hi Deb, I havent been able to find an answer online so thought I would ask here: this recipe asks for 115g of butter to be browned. I have a stash of already-browned butter. Any idea how I can make the substitute?
What I have found online so far just talks about adding 20% more liquid when replacing regular butter with browned butter.
Thank you very much!
Sorry, I don’t know the exact amount because butter doesn’t have a consistent % of water content across brands and types. You could probably add 1T water or another liquid and be fine. It’s a flexible recipe.
thank you for the quick reply! I understand your reply and I might overthinking it here that I think my problem is slightly different because I already have the browned butter. I had read that it is useful to have a stash in the freezer 😅
Just thinking aloud whether it would turn out too greasy if I use 115g of browned butter as a direct replacement of the 115g of butter required in this recipe. Or should I reduce the weight of the butter by a bit?
If you have a thought about this, it would be great. But if not, I will just try a direct replacement first and report back :)
Maybe just use 105 grams and 10 grams of water. These are already on the buttery side (as per comments) and I don’t want you to feel it’s excessive.
Hi Deb! For those of us without a scale, is that 1 cup packed brown sugar or loose or something in between?!?! Thx!
Just made these to the recipe (only chocolate chips added) and baked well past the recommended 20-25 minutes, yet it’s still seems very raw in the middle. Is this alright? I know we want a gooey texture but I’m hoping it’s not so raw it will make people sick. The only think I can think of is I packed the 1 cup of brown sugar, so maybe my batter had too much sugar in it? Thanks!
Just made a double batch of these – some with salted caramel chips, others with white chocolate chips, blanched chopped almonds, and a small sprinkling of salted peanuts. Absolutely incredible, caramelly, delicious! Cooking the butter first definitely improved the flavor. And don’t overbake! I left one pan in the oven 3 minutes longer because it looked undercooked but it really wasn’t, edges ended up too crunchy. This recipe and the instructions are perfect as they are.
Wow, this time I made with pistachios (toasted, of course – Deb says you have to always toast nuts, and she is always wise!) and crasins. They are amazing….
Just made these using ghee—nutty butter yum!! I added chopped up crystalized ginger and pineapple, as well as toasted pecans and chocolate chips. Delightful!
CAN I MAKE THESE WITHOUT THE ADDITIONS? I’M MAKING A LARGE BATCH OF BROWNIES AND WANT TO SEND SOMETHING RICH, BUT NOT W/ CHOCOLATE AND CAN’T HAVE NUTS OR ANYTHING ELSE. WANT A RICH BAR LIKE YOUR RECIPE, BUT IN CONTRAST TO THE BROWNIES, WHICH HAVE CHOC. CHIPS AND ARE VERRRY RICH. PLEASE LET ME KNOW THANKS.
They might be a little dull without the additions but I don’t think they’ll go to waste.
Thank you. I was concerned they’d be flatter…still not sure I WON’t add the chocolate! Have baked for most of my life and enjoy several of your recipes and reliability. Thank you for your work. Chandler.
Thank you. I made the blondies with chocolate chunks/morsels. Delicious, but not ‘salty’ enough. I put in the correct amount but it needs a tiny bit more, it’s too sweeet/one dimensional. I don’t want to make them Salt and Chocolate Blondies. I just want to add the equivalent of a very light sprinkling. I did so, but it doesn’t stay. I make them in a half sheet pan. Any ideas without a major glaze? How about if I added, um, melted salted butter? I don’t want it greasy but….Thanks as always. Chandler.
Just to be clear, the not salted enough blondies are finished, baked, cooled. So I need a way to add a bit o’ salt in a a subtle way. Thanks again.
Why not sprinkle a light dusting of kosher salt flakes or crushed pretzels over it?
did sprnkl k salt n wrapped. first time it slid off. this time just enuf w out making a big “salted dessert” statement. perfect. thanx all!
Just made this but tripled it because all I have is a 11×17 pan. Obviously my math on that was wrong. Whatever because it worked. Baked in a 350 oven for 28 minutes, used 2.5 cups light brown sugar and a half cup of molasses and added ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. I didn’t have any baking powder for ginger bread, found this, and now I’m pretty sure it’s what jesus eats for breakfast every day.
How do you spell irresistible? What I love about these is that the dough is your canvas and you can add in whatever you have in the pantry. My fave is semi sweet chocolate chips, espresso powder, and pecans. But I can attest they are lovely also with the baby Snickers bars on sale during Hallowe’en, toasted coconut and and toasted nuts for crunch. Keeper, easy and satisfying. 12/10 . Happy New Year. May your blondies unleash culinary creativity! May they provide a happy home for sweet little morsels hanging out in your pantry/freezer/candy stash.
This recipe is super easy! And they came out so darn delicious. I baked these for my book club and had a hard time not eating the whole pan myself. Bookmarking this recipe for sure.
How does doubling the recipe affect baking time for this recipe? Also, do you have a general guideline for this? Thanks! I’ve made several of your recipes and they’ve all been hits!
Can these be made with dairy free butter?
Not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. My batter was way thicker than the photos…so much so that it was difficult to stir in the chocolate chips. And after 25 minutes, it’s still basically raw. :(
My second favorite recipe from your site besides the one bowl brownies. I have them waiting to be cut, white chocolate, dark chocolate, dried Montmortency cherries and pecan pieces. I can’t wait!
SO GOOD! Cooked the butter a bit longer, probably not as long as you recommend (no browning) but they were ah-maze-ing! Caramel-y goodness! Added dark chocolate chips (60%) and toasted walnuts.
omg, i have never made, or even had blondies before, as i am more of a chocolate lover. but this recipe looked so very good, and everything i’ve made of yours is amazing, so i decided to go for it. the batter is divine! they are in the oven now and smell sooooo good. thank you, thank you, thank you! i just wish i’d made a double batch!
oh, i meant to add that i used ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, dried bing cherries, and toasted walnuts.
My first batch I halved the sugar based on comments that these were overly sweet. The result was good … but not great. I just tasted my second batch, made with all the sugar, and YUM!!!!!! They are quite sweet, but in the way that pecan pie or a caramel candy is sweet. Definitely brown the butter … these turn out caramely, butterscotchy and rich. I added 1C butterscotch chips and 1/2C pretzel pieces. I might swap milk chocolate chips for the butterscotch next time … it’s a bit of overkill flavor/sweetness-wise. Toasted pecans would be perfect!
Mine took closer to 35 minutes to bake. I pulled them out when lightly browned around the edges. After chilling for 30 minutes, they are a little dense and chewy at the bottom, but in a good way. Mine came out 1 inch tall both times, in an 8×8 pan.
These are ridiculously delicious, and just as ridiculously simple. I made them for Valentine’s day today, mixing in a chopped up quantity of the candy my husband gave me for the occasion. You’re not kidding about the browned butter. Thank you for this recipe!
Made these for the umteenth time, they are so good and easy. Normally I just melt the butter in the microwave (one less dish!) – I’m kind of scared of browned butter, but Deb made it sound so easy, so I tried, just heating in a small pan until it smells great – I didn’t actually get to browned, (so scared of burning it), but did get a browner, butterscotchier final product – with toasted walnuts and cranberries, they were a hit!
Hi. Do you have the original recipe for the changes you made a year or two ago?
Do you think these would bake well in mini muffin tins? I often do this with brownies because they are easier to eat at parties than cut squares (still gooey on the inside), but I have tried a few blondie recipes in mini muffin tins and they all puffed and then completely sunk in the middle. Thinking this might work better because no baking powder/soda…or maybe not? I would appreciate your thoughts!
love the updated notes! ive been using this recipe for years, right now i’m eating fresh ones with added banana (3! of them, reduced quite a bit), less sugar because the banana, some wwheat in place of ap flour, a couple T of ground flax, a dash of cinnamon, 1/3 cups walnuts toasted and chopped. they took 2x as long to bake. i frosted them w some cocoa powder frosting.
my textures are a bit off 😂 but theyre 🔥 nonetheless.
Fantastic recipe to work off of. My favorite is with dried cherries + white chocolate chips with/our nuts.
I’m late to the party, but I made these for my students yesterday. A word to the wise–if you misread the instructions and try to spread a double batch into a half sheet pan, and then just decide to go for it since you already greased it, they turn into a giant chocolate chip cookie. This isn’t a bad thing at all!
I have made these twice…with toffee bits and toasted coconut…..absolute heaven. They are buttery, sweet goodness with crunch and chewiness. The perfect Blondie!
Can I make these with shortening? Is there an adaptation?
You can use it just like you would the butter here.
I’ve been making these blondies for years, and I always love them! I use dark brown sugar and dark chocolate chips, and they are consistently wonderful. I usually double these and bake them in a 9×13 pan; it usually takes about about 30-35 minutes of baking time.
But, one note on the recipe update: when I went to bake these yesterday, I was too lazy to get out the paper copy I printed years ago, so I looked up the recipe here and saw the suggestion about browning the butter. I gave it a try, and I did not notice any significant difference to the taste. I might not have browned the butter long enough, but I also think the dark brown sugar provides so much depth of flavor that it makes the butter-browning unnecessary. Also, I was not fond of the butter-browning because it took this extremely simple 1-bowl recipe that I could have in the oven in 5-10 minutes take twice as long and give me an extra pot to clean (don’t try to make this a 1 pot recipe; the hot pot will melt you chocolate chips!). I will not bother in the future – the recipe is perfect in it’s original form!
I make brownies based on your recipe 140g butter, 250g sugar, 65g cocoa, 65g flour, 2 eggs. 25 mins in a fan 160 oven. Perfect everytime. Could I make blondies by subbing the cocoa for more flour so 130g? Thank you.
I think it would work.
looks amazing! what can I do if i only have fine salt?
Use half.
I have made these a bunch of times now and am currently making a double batch for work. So far my favorite add-in combo is browned butter, sea salt, toasted hazelnuts, dark chocolate chips, dried sour cherries, and bourbon. (Homemade vanilla extract, or my stash of Mexican if I have any around.)
I made these again this evening, and browned the butter. Baking for 20 minutes was PERFECT. They are crispy-edged, but still a touch gooey on the inside. I re-read the recipe, though, and am wondering if I’m terrible because I cut an 8×8 pan into only 12 squares? The recipe says “more than 16”! Whoopsie.
Wow. Made these twice; first time I goofed with the sugar (read 90 grams not 190!) and though they were tasty, cuz, you know, brown butter and walnuts! they were also a bit overbaked.
The following day, wow, with correct sugar, correct-er baking time and they are gooey, caramel-y and nutty goodness. Added a few chocolate chips, equally spaced per square, cuz I’m not a fan of chocolate overpowering nuts and caramel.
They are not the blondies I knew as a child, but they are incredibly easy and scrumptious. The few leftovers went to the freezer so I can space my doses. Definitely a keeper. Thank you.
You mention they are “butterscotch brownies.” Do you think that adding butterscotch chips would be too much?
I’m sure they would be delicious.
Do you have a blondie recipe that works on the stove top only? Our oven is broken but the sweet tooth still calls.
Delish! I used dark brown sugar, and added 3/4 tsp baking powder. Glad I added the baking powder, as I think they would have been too flat otherwise. For mix-ins, I used 1/2 C each white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and toasted pecans. Can’t wait to share at work tomorrow!
I made a batch of these, half plain (no-mixins) and half with chocolate-covered pretzels and caramel. I much preferred the plain half — particularly with ice cream. Yum! To me, not dull in the slightest!
If you double it and put it in a 9 x 13 pan, what would be the cooking time?
I made a triple batch last night with ultra-dark Lindt chocolate and toffee-coated pretzels. Today, I passed them out at school. Let’s just say they made an impact. Kudos!
Just made these with peanut butter patties (a la David Leibovitz) and chocolate and oh. my. god. So good. And the recipe is now committed to memory
Tried this recipe over the weekend. Found it way too sweet (and I like sweet desserts).
I made these blondies yesterday and they were spectacularly delicious and got rave review at a party. I doubled the recipe for a 9 x 13 pan and they were a really nice thickness of about 1″. I cut them in 1.5″ squares because they are VERY rich and sweet. I also let them firm up in the refrigerator for several hours to get a nice clean cut and then let them come to room temperature to serve. I used half light brown sugar and half dark brown sugar and I used salted butter because I like butterscotch-y flavors to be balanced by a good level of salt. My mix-ins were 1.5 cups of good quality white chocolate chips and 1.5 cups of roasted, salted cashews, with some extra chopped cashews sprinkled over the top. DANG! These are going on repeat!
I made these yesterday and they were spectacularly delicious! I doubled the recipe for a 9 x13 pan. I used half light brown sugar and half dark brown sugar and I used salted butter since I like butterscotch-y desserts to be salt-forward. My mix-ins were 1.5 cups of good quality white chocolate chips and 1.5 cups of chopped, roasted salted cashews, with some extra chopped cashews over the top. After baking I let them firm up in the fridge so I could get a nice clean cut. They were about 1″ thick and I cut them in 1″ squares because they are very rich and sweet; a big wallop of flavor in such a little bite! They got rave reviews at a party and they’re going on repeat for sure!
I just made these and they are excellent. Followed the recipe almost exactly, using 3/4 cup sugar (instead of 1 cup) and with the addition of 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. Second batch came out very wet, almost undercooked, to the point that I was tempted to throw them out. I’m glad I didn’t because they were so gooey and delicious and everyone had seconds and thirds. Thanks for a great recipe!
I made these recently (followed the recipe exactly) and my blondies leaked so much butter. Any idea what could have caused this?
Thank you !
I literally just posted about the same problem! Mine were warm and I went to hand my husband one and it was practically dripping with butter.
I’ve made these several times and they’re always a hit (and a request!). Recently though, I don’t know what’s happening; they’re coming out VERY greasy. I’m using the same butter I’ve always used (Land ‘o Lakes) and one stick, of course. I follow the one cup of brown sugar, one egg, and one cup of flour recipe to a T, so what might I be doing wrong? I’m stumped. Ive weighed the ingredients and not weighed the ingredients recently as well. Could I just need more flour?? Despite my despair, I’m still managing to choke them down ;) Thanks for any help!
Because I have a lot of faith in your recipes, I doubled this and took the entire platter of 1-inch bites to a buffet. They went like crazy! They were delicious! And I was too impatient to brown the butter properly.
I suggest making these the day before you need them b/c they’re definitely better the second day (texture improves and gets chewier). Also I found it’s better to wait until they are REALLY cool to cut them. If they’re too warm the chocolate chips are gooey and chocolate slides along the cuts making a messier bite to pick up.
I plan to make these again. Frequently. They may just become my signature cookie for potlucks or receptions.
Made these as directed with lots of M&Ms. I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9X13 pan and cut into about 30 pieces for a party. They were a hit!
In the time it took to preheat the oven, I mixed the batter and then ate 25% of it. Not sorry.
These are fantastic! I made them with bobs 1 to 1 gf flour and demerara sugar. The first time with dark and white chips the second time with walnuts and port. Both times they came out great ( so far I like the port version best) next up with bourbon, smoked salt and pecans…
Hi, I haven’t made Blondie’s in forever, but when I did, I thought I used your recipe. There was the creamed butter option and melted butter option. I’ve made both. I preferred the texture of the creamed butter, but since I didn’t see it I made these. Insanely good. Too good, like there’s no stopping at one. or 2. or 5. Not that I would ever do that. Yet, the texture was still a little stiff for me, so I want to try the creamed version again. Anyway, maybe it wasn’t you’re article I used, but if you remember anything like what I’m describing, can you let me know? Thanks! In the meantime, I’m off to make another batch of these. That brown butter and sugar. Swoon :)
love these!! used pretzels and dark choc chunks, browning butter is essential….SUCH a crowd pleaser.
Can you make these with butterscotch chips?
Sure, why not.
I made these with gluten free flour and erythritol brown sugar substitute (celiac disease and calorie counting). Delicious! Will be making again and again.
Have you ever frozen these blondies? How well do you think they would keep?
They freeze well.
I never commented, but made these in 2014 for the first time, and LOVE them. I did an 8×8 pan, and I added about 1/3 cup of chopped dried cherries, and 1/2 cup of chopped white chocolate (really good Callebaut chocolate). Next time I’d add more white chocolate. I browned the butter. The texture was great – I think that I undercooked it a little – I have a fear of overbaked dried goods Oh, and I thought that it was undersalted – I would have added some fleur de sel on the top.
Hi Deb,
This has been my go to “bring a dessert” recipe but I’ve run into a problem the last three times I’ve made it. The only changes I’ve made are using gram measurements and Trader Joe’s brown sugar. It seems as though the brown sugar isn’t dissolving when I put it in the butter. This results in brownies in which the butter never seems to absorb in the dry goods. Could this be caused by the brown sugar? Is TJ’s coarser than Domino or other store brands?
Made these a few times with chocolate chunks, roasted walnuts and instant espresso powder and other times with chocolate chunks, roasted walnuts and 1/8 cup bourbon. Each time I used less sugar than called for in the recipe – 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (Muscavado). It was still too sweet for me. Next time I will make them with 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar. They are definitely better after 1-2 days for some reason. I am interested in making these without any additions next time and with some flaked sea salt on top like the Brown Butter Blondies at Blue Bottle Coffee.
Delicious. I cooled the butter before stirring in the brown sugar and added toasted pecans, using your recipe to toast the nuts, and chocolate chunks. They have the best texture and browning the butter does make all the difference. It’s amazing!
Holy mackerel, I am in love. I made these with browned butter, toasted pecans, and a liberal splash of bourbon. My house has never smelled so good. My belly has never been so happy. Seriously if you’re reading this, just make these damn blondies already. You won’t regret it.
Was hunting around on the internet for a better (chewier) blondie recipe and these are amazing! Browning butter was new to me and I will definitely be doing it again. The browning process took longer than I thought it would, but it was worth the wait for that intense nutty/carmally flavor. I subbed half the AP flour for ww pastry flour and it worked out great. 1 c. dark choc. chips and 1/2 c. toasted chopped pecans plus 1/2 tsp of cinnamon for my mix-ins. I added 1/2 tsp of sea salt and it seems like a perfect amount to me. (But I don’t crave salty baked goods, so others may want to add flaked salt on top.) I may lower the sugar to 3/4 c. next time as they were just a smidgen sweeter than I wanted. Also cooked in a 9in round cake pan as my 8×8 dish is glass and didn’t seem ideal here as per other reviews. Baking time was 22 minutes to get set edges and slightly soft middle. I will have to invest in a metal 8×8 pan for next time so I get evenly sized pieces. : )
This recipe (well, this recipe and Google) brought me to Smitten Kitchen more than a decade ago, and it’s all been uphill from there. My 10-year-old son made these (solo) tonight, and in looking back through the comments, I saw one (from Nivedita) that referenced “Deb’s follow-up recs from 2014 to use 1/4 tsp fleur de sel, 1.5 tsp vanilla and only 3/4 C brown sugar” and that kind of rang a bell for me. But I couldn’t find that anywhere else on the site. Is the 1 cup brown sugar in the current recipe different from a prior iteration? Thanks!
Great recipe. So easy and adaptable! Really delicious with walnuts and chocolate chips.
Just how infinitely adaptable are these, you are asking? I had half a box of Krusteaz Gluten-Free Funfetti Pancake mix (you read that right). Spoiler alert, we didn’t love the pancakes. So I made it into blondies. I had 1 3/4 cup of mix so I doubled the recipe (except used 1 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar since the mix was already sweetened, and used the 1/2 tsp salt, since it also had salt in it already). I used 2 stick of butter but would have been better off with only 1.5 sticks (gluten free flours are notorious for not absorbing fat well). I did not add any mix-ins since I was going for “funfetti” although I briefly considered mini marshmallows. Baked for 30 min in 9×13 pan and they are very soft and buttery and gooey. But! They are far more enjoyable than the pancakes were. They will make excellent ice cream sundaes. That’s how adaptable this recipe is.
I have been substituting applesauce for butter a lot due to LOTS of baking going on!!! would it work in this recipe or totally ruin it? I know it won’t be a browned butter blondie but still???
When browning the butter, you lose a lot of liquid. Do you add additional butter or water to the base recipe to compensate?
American butter is about 12-15% water, so by browning it here you’re removing about two tablespoons of water from the recipe compared to straight melted butter. You could add that back in to compensate — or, if you’re adding the suggested 4 tablespoons of bourbon or other boozy flavoring, that more than makes up for it.
This recipe isn’t dependent on precise water balance, so I expect that if you just ignored the lost water from browning the butter, in the end all that would happen is that they’d crisp slightly more on the bottom and edges, and still be delicious.
I have made these soooo many times now – our fave variation is with bittersweet chocolate chips, dried sour cherries, toasted walnuts, and bourbon. I think hazelnuts would be ideal, but unfortunately my husband isn’t supposed to eat them.
Made a batch of these, did not brown the butter, because I find I can not taste the difference between browned butter and simply melted butter once everything else is added. I also added a little almond extract as well as the vanilla, and two broken up Hershey’s Gold bars. Ended up baking it in a loaf pan because I do not have an 8×8 pan and could not find the cake pan I usually use for blondies and brownies. The piece I had was so very good.
I’m actually obsessed with these. My husband finds them too buttery but I don’t believe that’s a thing. They are my cure-alls and I get the whole pan to myself.
How long do you bake these if you are doubling the recipe?
I don’t remember the time offhand, but it might just be 10 minutes longer, at most.
Thank you!
I make these monthly – sometimes twice a month! – and I’ve got to say, they’re perfect.
I have more than one friend that isn’t into chocolate, and these are my go-to for satisfying that chewy-sweet niche that is oft the home of a chocolate chip cookie.
No changes necessary to make these turn out wonderfully, every time – I’ve made them in multiple homes with varying ovens, and they’ve never once let me down.
Oh man. Thanks for this. So simple! Used some Skrewball and chocolate chunks and peanut butter morsels. Also…I cheated and melted the butter in the dish in the oven till it was brown. I love a blondie and this really satisfies that craving.
My husband loved these, and he’s not much of a sweet tooth. I added 1/2 cup toasted walnuts and 1/2 toffee bits. Browning the butter really makes a huge impact!
Never had blondies till I made these. Awesome and such a keeper!
I love this recipe and have made it many times. I’ve made several variations, but the one I made yesterday is my favorite so far. I used a tablespoon of bourbon instead of the vanilla, added 2 tablespoons of espresso powder, and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. For the mix ins, I added 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of toasted chopped walnuts, and 1/2 cup of coconut flakes. They are perfection.
Doubled the recipe, putting in a mix of chocolate chips, toasted walnuts and chopped marshmallows, and baked in a 9×13 topped with Maldon sea salt for 30-35 min. Perfectly delicious. Never looking back.
I made these, so I can tell you from experience that if your butter is too hot, and you add chips, you have amazing brownies. Excited to remake as directed.
Have made these several times but today’s version, to which I added brandy as well as walnuts and chocolate chips, were by far the best. Highly recommend the boozy version of these!
These came out perfect! So many online recipes are inaccurate. Thank you so much!
I add chopped pecans, chocolate chips and unsweetened shredded coconut – so delish – we use them for energy snacks when we go on long hikes or bikerides.
My kids, now in their late 40’s, call these midnight blondies. Actually, they are more like late night blondies. When you are craving something sweet but don’t want to do a lot of work, these are your friends. Yes, browning the butter is even better, but hey, at late night you just want something on that table in under 30 minutes. These work. I have added toasted nuts, chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips, sprinkled flaked salt on the top…… whatever you do, they are always the best.
I’ve made these so many times I’ve memorized the recipe, though it’s so easy that’s not saying much. Infinitely adaptable is true: iced with cranberry and white chocolate they’re a copycat of well loved treat, with the good Halloween candy for mom and dad after the kids have gone to sleep, or just with a few chocolate chips if you’re craving chocolate chip cookies.
My advice is to make sure you really beat the sugar, egg, vanilla, salt and butter until it ribbons, that will make the top sort of shiny and the whole thing more chewy. Then add all your mix-ins and flour at once so you don’t over beat the flour. I always leave them a minute or two longer than feels right because they’re best just right – too under and they’re doughy to over and they get hard the next day but don’t be discouraged the window is big, it’s just worth mentioning.
Thanks for another recipe for the books, Deb!
Through a series of missteps this Thanksgiving (forgetting that my dad is allergic to chocolate, not considering quantities and misjudging densities) I ended up mixing this recipe with the pumpkin portion of the pumpkin swirl brownies. It made incredible pumpkin bars! While the result could use more spice and a little more sugar, the result was fantastic.
I would not recommend adding banana to the recipe unless it is not very ripe. I needed a really quick large pan of bars and doubled the recipe for a 9×13 but had only one egg, so I searched for egg replacements and found mashed banana should work (I used maybe 1/4 cup or less). I baked 26 minutes, and everything else about the blondies was great except an underlying wrong flavor from the banana. I will definitely make again with no banana!
I had the same problem as others – mine just did NOT set up, even after adding probably 20 more minutes of baking time. I couldn’t figure out why, but have tone guess to add to the conversation: I used a ceramic pan, and it seems like that cab really effect baking times? Could that have something to do with it?
But even after all that added time they were still basically just goo in the middle. Edges tasted good though!
Holy cow these turned out amazing! I cooked for 20 then addl 4. Once the cookies cooled it had just a little bit of crunchiness on the bottom. So good!
These were delicious! I used 1/2 cup each of chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and chopped dried cherries. Next time I’ll scatter each of the mix-ins above the batter before stirring them in, so that it’s easier to distribute each of them through the thick batter.
i love this recipe. so many options. i’ve done it with walnuts, chocolate and butterscotch chips. or chocolate covered pretzels. dark chocolate, coconut and pecans. i’m going to try a s’mores version with graham cracker pieces, mini marshmallows and chopped hershey bars. i do it in a 9″ square pan and they are perfect.
This is the second time I’ve tried this recipe and both times they’ve turned out like an oil slick. They’re completely inedible and so gooey and buttery. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
Would you like help troubleshooting? I’ve made them quite successfully a few times now and have learned a few things along the way.
* Are you doing the single recipe, or doubled?
* Are you measuring your ingredients by weight or by volume?
* Are you making brown butter, or using “plain” melted butter?
* What mix-ins or additions are you using? In particular, are you adding anything like the 1/4 cup of bourbon, and if so are you also increasing the flour slightly as suggested?
I made double like you suggested but not sure how long to bake if doubling. 25 minutes doesn’t seem enough. Help!
Amazing! Will be my new go to.
These are amazing! What a great recipe!! Thanks Deb!!
Hi there. Love love your writing and your recipes. How do I locate that other Blondie recipe, it was in a post tied to the hungry Texan?
Have a Wonderful Week,
Heather
Thank you. Not sure which recipe you’re looking for but there are only two blondie recipes on this site, this one and:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/salted-caramel-pretzel-blondies/
My grandmother made these with toffee chips when I was a kid. I’d request them every year with ice cream because I didn’t like cake (until I learned what cake was like without a box mix). She’d bake them in one of those old 9×13 aluminum pans with the sliding covers. Stick some toffee chips in like Deb suggests and you’ll get a blondie with a toasty top and chewy cookie-like middle worth a lifetime of birthdays.
I made these exactly as written and they are perfection! I love the smooth shiny crunchy top and the intense flavor. Brown butter adds so much to this simple combination. I added pink/red m&m’s on top for Valentine’s. I cut them into 16 squares, but next time I may cut them even smaller.
Made these for the second time tonight – so good! I add 1t of bourbon and split the flake salt – half in the batter and half sprinkled on top before baking. Definitely take the time to brown the butter. These are a revelation and such a glorious mid-week treat with very little work. Thanks!
Because my oven has died and I’m getting by with a 30-year old convection oven that is too small for a cookie sheet, it’s bar cookies all of the time; an 8″ square pan fits fine. The first time was all pecans (very popular with the husband), and the second mini chocolate chips and finely chopped hazelnuts, with both vanilla and hazelnut extracts. Because we are old and don’t get enough exercise, I cut an 8″ square into 48 bars, and they do last a week or more. (My other go-to with variations is David Lebovitz’s Fruitcake Bars.)
These are cooling on the stove top and smell delicious!
A couple of comments/questions for people having trouble wit this recipe- did you try to make a single batch in a 9×13? I have plenty of dough to spread thickly in an 8×8 metal pan.
I followed the recipe, though only used 1 C chocolate, and mine rose very nicely and they appear to be an inch thick and have a beautiful, glossy top.
Too buttery- did you brown your butter? You lose some of liquid when yo brown butter, so if you just melted the butter, maybe that’s why your blondies were too greasy?
I’ve come back to this because I wanted to replicate an amazing traybake that one of my elderly cousins makes, which is called a Chinese Chew. The way she makes it, it tastes like an amazing, chewy vanilla blondie thickly studded with a huge amount of dates, walnuts and cherries (I don’t think it has much to do with Chinese cookery and am not 100% sure it should really be called a Chinese Chew, but that’s by the by). I’ve tried making it from the recipe she sent me and I cannot get it to come out like hers, it always comes out like a nice-but-not-stellar date and walnut cake. The sort of thing that tastes like it’s trying to be healthy. I suspect that she eyeballs the quantities and puts in more melted butter than she thinks she does.
Anyway, the plan today was to make a Chinese Chew by using this as the base, because it’s quite a similar recipe except that hers has half the melted butter, an extra egg and a teaspoon of baking powder in it which I think may be why it keeps coming out so cakey. Then my family got involved and demanded chocolate chunks instead of cherries. And then I realised that the only dried fruit I have in is currants.
So this also isn’t very much like a Chinese Chew, *except* that this blondie recipe is absolutely perfect for the base. Browning the butter is 100% worth the Fear that always comes over me when I’m trying to brown anything without burning it – you can really taste it in the finished product. There’s about 2.5 cups of stuff mixed into this, which I was worried was more than the base could cope with, but it’s come out absolutely beautifully. (It did take about 35 mins to get to lightly-browned-but-not-hardened-on-top, but I use a fan oven and I think you use a conventional oven so I always bake at a lower temperature than you do and I suspect that’s why.)
Also (replying to my own comment) the pan definitely needs to be properly lined on all sides. I did what I normally do, which is to take a long strip of baking parchment the same width as the pan so that it goes over one side, across the width of the pan and up the other side. That’s normally sufficient (with a bit of loosening with a palette knife) to lift a traybake out in one piece at the end. But this is quite a sticky recipe – I lost a narrow (and delicious) chunk in the bottom seam of the pan getting them out. So next time I’d line it the way Deb does so that it lifts out.
Hi Deb,
Going to try this asap – I’d like to add some (fairly runny) tahini (and cardamom) – any tips on how to do it? Replace some butter? Add some flour? Something else?
Thank you!
Lazlo
I would simply add it. Or, if you’re going to add, say, 1/4 cup, don’t remove more than 1 tablespoon of butter. It’s not that they need the extra oil, but that I find tahini and other nut butters can make a baked good seem more dry and crumbly, so I don’t want to remove oil either. Let us know how it goes!
This recipe is the bomb. Boom, ready deliciously at a moment’s notice and yes, infinitely adaptable. One pot, one spatula, one pan. Browned butter really kicks an “easy” dessert up a notch!
I want to send these as part of a care package to a friend. It will take 3-5 days to ship. Will they taste good after that? Any tips on how to make them last longer?
Love this recipe btw!
I’d freeze the bars, then pack them tightly in an airtight container with parchment between each layer. Cover the container with plastic before putting the lid on, put the lid over the plastic, then wrap the whole container in plastic, then foil before packing into a larger box. Filling any empty space between the container and box tightly with packing materials.
Easy, quick, and tasty Blondie recipe! I actually made this using 1:1 gf flour and Earth Balance butter substitute, and it came out really well. I even used a vegan “brown butter” recipe (google “vegan brown butter”) to help get that nutty flavor.
Deb, This is a go to recipe for me, but I always have a heck of time getting the sugar to dissolve in the melted browned butter. I end up giving up and going to the next step. Sometimes it affects the texture of the blondies and they end up soggy and granular. What’s your secret for getting the butter to dissolve?
I’ve never had an issue with it dissolving, but you could always let is sit with the warm brown butter for a few minutes, it should do the trick.
Hi! I used to make these all the time and they were always delicious. But the last few times they came out very oily and wet and not thick/cookie-like at all. Any idea why that would be? Maybe over mixing? I also now use salted butter but used to always use unsalted. Any tips would be appreciated as this used to be my favorite go-to!
These are even better (and easier) than the cook’s illustrated!
So, I’ve made these a few times, and I’ve added sour cherries or dried cranberries to cut the sugar from the chocolate that I also added. They were fantastic. This time, I was hoping to add some of our leftover Halloween candy, and pretzels. I was thinking I’d have to decrease the sugar a bit to avoid them being too sweet. How much should I put in? 3/4 cup?
Yes, that seems like a good adjustment!
Divine recipe. The bakers among my colleagues were regularly making these during the pandemic! I too mine with extra chocolate shops and flakey salt. Today I made them with all purpose Namaste gluten-free flour to take to friends who had a baby, and they turned out divine. I’m going to play around with this recipe for the holidays – possibly adding white chocolate chips and then topping with a drizzle of white and dark chocolate and crushed peppermint sticks.
I made these over the long Thanksgiving weekend as a base for amped up Sbux copycat cranberry bars. Did the brown butter, added the bourbon and mixed in 1/2 c each white choc chips, dried cranberries, and rolled oats. I also added a small bit of minced candied ginger & orange peel. The bourbon probably overpowers most the other flavors but I do really like it here. Next time I’ll do just 2TBs and add more bits of ginger.
The cream cheese frosting recipe I used is a bit sweet for my liking (not SK) but this Blondie base is perfect!
I discovered SK by searching ‘best blondies’ (years ago) and the site/recipes remain my absolute favorites! Any thoughts about adding cream cheese, same method as SK perfect cream cheese brownies?
Thanks!
The butter-browning step – can we avoid it by simply using melted ghee? Curious if anyone has tried it
@PS, definitely don’t skip the butter browning step. I find it satisfying, especially because it smells so good. That’s where the brownies get their flavor. Also, I didn’t like them with Reese’s peanut butter cups, it was too much sameness. But white chocolate chips, dried sour cherries, and ancient Hershey’s milk bars left over from summer 2020, in October 2021, were amazing. I was thinking of Trader Joe’s pound plus dark chocolate and dates.
Ghee is delicious but doesn’t have the same toasty flavor of brown butter, which is cooked longer.
I just made these using browned butter, dark brown sugar, Maldon salt, with add-ins of Heath chocolate toffee pieces and toasted pecans. They are ORGASMIC!! Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Happy New Year from Vegas!
Jen
Perfect and quick and easy… and so delicious! Thank you!
Made many times, to the point of memorization. This time, I used roughly equal volumes of toasted chopped hazelnuts and chopped and whole fresh cranberries in the 1 1/2 C adds-ins. It took a bit longer to bake in the center because of the fresh cranberries, I assume. When it came out I topped it with a cup of chocolate chips and when they melted spread them smooth. Quite good.
These are truly one of the most adaptable recipes of all time, and no matter what you do, they’re always delicious. I have a friend that’s currently dairy-free, so I made these for her subbing vegan butter and egg replacement, and they still turned out scrumptious. Making those kind of substitutes almost never works well when baking, but here, with the addition of toasted walnuts, they were still outstanding. This was, is, and will remain a go-to for me.
Deb, RE: making the easy blondies
These did not work out well at all. I followed exactly..used a tiny bit of bourbon..the mix looked perfect with some choc chips and a few chopped almonds. I cooked for 25 min…it stayed very blond but it was just too wet buttery not cakey…seemed uncooked…even after adding a few minutes. What happened..going to freeze them and maybe they will be eatable hard. But now ….no way. So disappointed. Any thoughts on why this happened. Thanks and take care. Sara
Hey, Sara, maybe it was the extra liquid from the bourbon? I’ve made these a bunch of times. When they’re best, it’s when they’re super-buttery, almost greasy, but set – I’ve totally overbaked them, too, they’re not as good. They’ll never be cakey, because they don’t have a rising agent, and probably for some other reason. If cakey is what you want, this is not your recipe. But I had white chocolate, ancient Hershey’s bars (from the first pandemic summer), and dried cherries, in November 2021. They were amazing, ancient chocolate and all. I was thinking little marshmallows and dark chocolate. Or more white chocolate.
Did you try them after they cooked down? When they are done cooking they seem uncooked in the middle but they firm up when cooled.
Okay these are excellent!! I browned some Kerry gold salted butter, added heath bar pieces and chocolate chips. Also added a bit of flaky salt. Baked them for 20 minutes exactly. My husband went crazy..
THANK YOU for this quick & easy blondie recipe that has made me delete all of my other blondie pins! They are so delicious & simple- my first batch was white chocolate/macadamia nut & I’m waiting for my date/walnut pan to cool off right now! ❤️
This was a really easy recipe and turned out great! I did add the baking powder because I like a cakey blondie. nice to see it can be varied with different mix ins!
hi there! i used to have the issue with too blondies being too greasy but now that i dont, the sides aren’t as crispy as before. though the middles are still fudgy/gooey.
how do i ensure tht the sides remain crispy, without having to add too much butter?
These are seriously infinitely adaptable! I’ve made them once as written, but I’ve also made them vegan by swapping the egg with banana and the butter for peanut butter! I reduced the sugar by 25% to compensate for the extra banana sweetness. I also used slightly less peanut butter (105 g) and added some additional water (10 g). Finally, I whisked the heck out of it when it was the banana, pb, and sugar mix and added a very small amount of baking soda and baking powder! They are still really deliciously dense and chewy.
I make these regularly and always save some for our mail carrier. He loves them. They also make great little “thinking of you” gifts. I cut them into 1 1/2” squares so they go further.
Freaking amazing. Made them with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped white chocolate, and toasted hazelnuts. 10/10
I love the crackle sugary top I get with brownies, and have been wanting to make brownie cookies without the chocolate. Do you have some recipe recommendations to get the chewy nature of brownies, the crackle of the whipped eggs and sugar, and the caramel flavor of browned butter and sugar?
Could I add cocoa powder and if yes would I reduce the flour?
Forgot how good (and easy!) these are. A favorite!
Just popping in to say that these have now been my go to for “omg I need a homemade desert in less than an hour” moments for about a decade. They never fail and couldn’t be easier. Dark chocolate and bourbon are my mix-ins of choice!
Hey Adam, you’re right I don’t see those follow up recs I referenced! But, I did just make these yesterday with 3/4 the sugar and they turned out great. I also topped with a sprinkle of fleur de sel (didn’t measure) and that worked too.
I doubled the recipe again and this time went with 1 cup roasted shelled pistachios, 1 cup whole dried cranberries (chopped in half after measuring) 2/3 cup Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate chips and 1/3 cup Trader Joe’s sea salt caramel chips. While these are delicious, I will try less volume of mix-ins next time. Possibly only 2 cups total.
I’ve made these dozens of times. Almost always with chocolate chips and bourbon. My favorite thing to bake when time crunched. I’ve had a ton of success making these gluten free by subbing the 1c flour for 1/2c almond flour (or almond meal) and 1/2c of whatever gluten free flour you have on hand. Like lots of gluten free baked goods, I prefer to cut them after chilling in the fridge for a bit.
Would it be possible to add carrots to this? Would the effect be similar to adding bananas?
Deb, You were not kidding when you said “Leftover (ha!)”! These are spectacular. I used dark brown sugar, toasted walnuts (coarsely chopped), and a dark chocolate bar with sea salt that I chopped into chunks. I used a smidge less than the brown sugar called for. The flavor was sooo good with the brown butter and brown sugar really giving it a caramelesque flavor. They came out so nice and chewy but firm. I really don’t know what I would change, if anything. I will note that the batter is really almost a dough-like consistency but it worked out.
Hello!
I’m sorry for all of the questions, but:
1) If I wanted to add rolled oats, how much should I add?
2) If I wanted to add natural peanut butter, how much should I add?
3) If I wanted to make these vegan and banana-free (I’m allergic to bananas.), how should I substitute to the egg?
4) Should I do vegan unsalted butter or should I coconut oil instead of butter?
Thank you!
I am shocked I’ve never commented on this recipe before. It is my all-time favorite, have been making it for at least ten years, and it’s so easy and such a go to-the perfect blondie, that took me years to find. The very first comment calls it basic-it is anything but. I almost never make my excellent CC cookies anymore because these are so easy and scratch the itch just as well. I do usually reduce the sugar a bit, as they are very rich. I’ve made all kinds of combos-a little bit of cinnamon with the classic chocolate chips is divine-reminiscent of the Doubletree cc cookies, oats and nuts are great options, I always toast nuts and sometimes toast oats. Coconut, dried cherries (or any fruit), peanut butter, all great choices.
I’m commenting now because I recently adapted this recipe for a friend who is a new mom and suddenly had to go dairy and soy free-used plant based butter, allergen-friendly chocolate chips, and soy-free peanut butter. She was delighted to have a treat she could eat and I was so happy to put a smile on her face.
been making these for years, but made them again last night because we made the kiddo get rid of all his leftover candy from last year’s Halloween, Easter, etc. etc. I commandeered anything chocolate based and stirred it in here. Easter eggs, peanut m&m’s, twix, smarties and all manner of chocolate went in here and it was delicious. oh I also totally burnt the butter and you can’t even tell in the final product.
Plus the kiddo wasn’t even mad about throwing out his candy because I was using it for blondies. (I took them to work though, b/c he’ll have piles more candy by tonight)
Please write a cookbook titled Gifty Kitchen Confections!
OMG, this base recipe is perfect! I added a little instant coffee powder, used 1/2 vanilla, 1/2 almond extract, and toasted the walnuts before adding to the batter. Used a mix of semi, milk, and white chips. STOP me, I’m eating the whole pan!
I forgot to mention a piña colada version with candy, pineapple, rum, coconut, and coconut cream
Just made these, and they are divine. I used a mix of light and dark brown sugar, and for mix-ins, chopped white chocolate, dried sour cherries, walnuts, and a little bit of oats for texture. They won’t last long, and it’s just me here!
Made these with dark chocolate (70%) chunks and the salted walnut brittle from the Keepers chocolate chip cookies recipe. Absolutely amazing
Holy crap, these are incredible! Perfect in every way. Thank you.
I learned something here. One, don’t bake in a glass pan. The only 8X8 pan I had is glass and so I used that. Added choc chips and walnuts. After 20 minutes, the batter looked raw. After 25 minutes, ditto. Added 10 minutes and then was done. So these are tasty, chewy, not hard but don’t look as nice as the pictures. My husband doesn’t mind the sweet level.
I found these too sweet to enjoy. If making again I would cut the sugar significantly.
Not the blondies of my childhood :)
I browned the butter as suggested, added 3/4 cup of 72% chocolate chips, 3/4 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1 teaspoon of Pain d’Epices spice and I did add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
FABULOUS!
Hi, I’ve been making this recipe for years now and I just wanted to say it’s probably the one recipe that has never failed me.
Here are some of the flavour variations I’ve done in the past:
– white choc and dried cranberries
– milk choc and pecan
– triple choc (white, milk, dark)
– matcha (1.5 tsp, sieved, mixed into the flour beforehand) and white choc
– macadamia nuts and milk choc
– leftover choc Easter eggs (chopped up)
– salted cashews and butterscotch chips
All of the above are 10/10 flavour combos because the batter itself is so good. Even with no add-ins, the blondie tastes delicious, and it’s such an easy + quick recipe to make. If you’re thinking about baking this amazing treat, don’t hesitate. It’s THAT good! Thank you so much for the recipe. xx
Ps. These are great with gluten free flour! I use King Arthur 1:1.
I realise I’m very late to this recipe but when I made them it was more like cookie dough than brownie batter. Followed the recipe and added a little less than 1.5c of chocolate chip/pretzels as mix ins. Any idea what went wrong? My egg was on the small side but I don’t think that was enough of a liquid difference.