- Cakes by MK
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Thisrich, butteryblondie recipe is incrediblyeasyto make, with no mixer required! These blondies are packed with flavor without being overly sweet and have the perfectchewy texture. Usingpantry staples, they come together super quick and are the perfect go-to treat when you need a sweet fix!
What’s the Difference Between a Brownie and a Blondie?
A blondie is a type of dessert/cookie bar that is similar to a brownie but has a vanilla and brown sugar base instead of cocoa, giving it a lighter color and a caramel flavor. Its sometimes referred to as a ‘blonde brownie’.
Blondies are rich, chewy, and buttery, and often feature mix-ins like white or semi-sweet chocolate chips and nuts. My favorite add-ins are white chocolate chips and walnuts (which is what I use in this recipe!), but you could use pecans, macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or even fruits/berries like cranberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.
Blondies are easy to make, require simple ingredients and are super customizable. You can even brown the butter in blondies and make brown butter blondies for a bit of extra flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Not Too Sweet
When developing this recipe, I wanted to make sure the blondies were super flavorful, but not cloyingly sweet. I often find that desserts that have white chocolate in them (like many traditional blondie recipes do) are overly sweet. It may just be a personal preference of mine to prefer less sweet blondies, but I did get many taste testers to try them and they agreed that the less sweet version tasted better! 🙂
To ensure the blondies weren’t too sweet, I reduced the amount of sugar, but added in more butter to make up for the lack of moisture in the batter. I also added in more vanilla (this recipe uses a full 3 teaspoons – but trust me it’s totally worth it!) to make sure the lack of sweetness didn’t result in a lack of flavor.
Soft and Chewy
A classic blondie should be soft and chewy, and this blondie recipe does not disappoint!
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know just how much I love cornstarch. Cornstarch is my secret ingredient whenever I want something to be super soft (check out this blog post to read more about the science behind it). Many blondie recipes do use a bit of cornstarch, however I wanted to amp up the softness and opted to substitute a larger amount of the all purpose flour with cornstarch (not just a tablespoon or so, but a full 1/4 cup!). Did this work? ABSOLUTELY! The blondies are super soft, yet still have great structure.
I also played around with the cooking time to ensure I got the perfect texture. I found that when I let the blondies cook until a ‘toothpick came out clean’, they were often a little too cakey for my liking. To get that perfect chewy/fudgy texture, I found that cooking the blondies until the top was set and when a toothpick inserted into the centre came out with a little bit of undercooked batter, was just right!
How to Make Blondies
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside.
Roughly chop the white chocolate (if using a block) and walnuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl add in light brown sugar and melted butter. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Avoid overmixing as we don’t want to incorporate too much air into the batter. If the butter is hot, let it cool slightly before moving on to the next step.
Add in eggs and vanilla extract or essence, and stir until well combined – avoid overmixing. Get any batter off the whisk as the rest of the mixing will be done with a spatula.
Add in the presifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture and using a spatula, fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Next add in the white chocolate and walnuts and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Distribute the batter evenly into the prepared metal pan. Level the top and drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles.
Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a little bit of undercooked batter on the tip.If you use a glass pan to bake the blondies, it may take a little longer to cook.
Allow the blondies to cool in the cake tin for about 45 minutes to set, before lifting them out using the parchment paper. Slice and serve!
Commonly Asked Questions
How do you store blondies?
Once the blondies are completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can then be placed into the fridge for up to a week.
Can you freeze blondies?
In general, blondies do freeze well. Wrap them well in cling wrap and place into an airtight container before freezing. It’s important to keep in mind what mix-ins you have before freezing to ensure your blondies don’t become soggy when you thaw them.
Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
You can use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar, but keep in mind that your blondies will be slightly sweeter and will have a more moist and fudgy texture.
Easy Blondies Recipe
This rich, buttery blondie recipe is incredibly easy to make, with no mixer required! These blondies are packed with flavor without being overly sweet and have the perfect chewy texture. Using pantry staples, they come together super quick and are the perfect go-to treat when you need a sweet fix!
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 small slices
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ¾ cup (130 g) white chocolate - cut into small chunks, or you can use white chocolate chips too (see note 1)
- ¾ cup (75 g) walnuts - roughly chopped. You can substitute with pecans, macadamia nuts or any other mix-in you prefer.
- 1⅓ cups (266 g) light soft brown sugar - firmly packed (see note 2)
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter - melted
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 3 tsps vanilla essence/extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to180°C(350°F) conventional (see note 3 if using a convection oven with a fan) and line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside.
Roughly chop the white chocolate (if using a block) and walnuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl add in sugar and melted butter. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Avoid overmixing as we don't want to incorporate too much air into the batter. If the butter is hot, let it cool slightly before moving on to the next step.
Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined - avoid overmixing. Get any batter off the whisk as the rest of the mixing will be done with a spatula.
Add in the presifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture and using a spatula, fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Next add in the white chocolate and walnuts and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Distribute the batter evenly into the prepared cake tin. Level the top and drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles.
Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a little bit of undercooked batter on the tip (see note 4).
Allow the blondies to cool in the cake tin for about 45 minutes to set, before lifting them out using the parchment paper. Slice and serve!
Video
Notes
Note 1. I like to use a good quality white chocolate bar for this recipe and roughly cut it into small chunks. I personally feel it tastes a lot better, but you can also use white chocolate chips as well.
Note 2. If using measuring cups for this recipe, then you want to firmly pack your soft brown sugar. To do this, pack your measuring cup with sugar and using the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the cup with a little bit of pressure (not too much) and then fill the remaining cup with more sugar.
Note 3.If using a convection oven that has a fan function, bake at 160 °C (320°F) as the fan function bakes food faster.
Note 4.You want the blondies to be slightly undercooked in the middle. If the top isn't set (jiggles slightly), or there is a lot of uncooked batter when you insert a toothpick in the centre to check it, then bake for a couple of more minutes. Keep an eye on the blondies as you don't want to overcook them.
Nutrition
Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 412IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
Keyword: blonde brownies, blondie brownies, blondies, blondies cookies, blondies recipe, blondies recipes, dessert bar
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12 Comments
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Cakes by MK
Woohoo! So so happy to hear you loved the blondies Angela 😀 really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
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Kassandra
These are the best blondies I’ve ever made! I ran out of light brown sugar, so I did half light brown sugar and half dark brown sugar. Use pecans instead of walnuts. I am the lone sweet eater in our house, so I made a half of batch and put it in a loaf pan. Used the same temperature and timing, and they turned out perfect. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!-
Cakes by MK
Yay! So so happy to hear you loved them Kassandra 😀 I am honored that they’re the best you’ve had!! Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
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Adina aka Amenita7777
Hi Maryam,
I really like your blondies. They are so so tasty! So buttery, just as you said. I used pecan nuts instead of walnuts. What I also like, is that I only need a whisk and a spatula for combining the ingredients. Even my almost 3 year old daughter had to help. She loves stirring and whisking. 😄
So, thank you so much for this recipe! I will definitely bake these blondies again.-
Cakes by MK
So so happy to hear you enjoyed the blondies Adina 😀 and how special that your daughter was able to help 🙂
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Alicia Gray
Made these this morning and now they are sufficiently cooled to enjoy. They are amazing! I did not have walnuts so I used pecans and substituted M&M candies for white chocolate because that was how I remembered blondies from my childhood. I really love these and the recipe was so easy. I am baking a cake for my niece’s college graduation party in a couple of weeks and I will make these (with walnuts and white chocolate) as an additional sweet treat for those “who don’t like cake”. (Just saying those words, I feel like I’m committing a crime and I guess in a way it is – a crime against cake). I’m sure these will disappear quickly at the party. Thanks for the recipe!! I’m so grateful for all your hard work.-
Cakes by MK
Awesome! So so happy to hear you loved the recipe Alicia and found it easy to follow 😀
Haha sometimes I feel the same on days where I’ve done recipe testing and had a bit too much cake and I end up not wanting to look at a slice of cake again!! How could I feel such a thing against cake when my job revolves around it haha! Until the next day ofcourse when my sweet tooth kicks in again 😋
Hope you all have a lovely time celebrating your niece’s graduation party 🙂
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Mahmuda
Hi Maryam,
I don’t like walnuts. Can I use any other nuts?Please advise.
Thank you.-
Cakes by MK
Hi Mahmuda! 🙂
Yes you can totally use a different type of nut – pecans and macadamia nuts work really well too. You could even use other mix-ins like berries or shredded coconut.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the blondies 😀
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Juliet
Can’t wait to try this! I love that these were created to be not too sweet. I also appreciate the detailed instructions. Thank you!!
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About me
Welcome to my blog! My name is Maryam and I LOVE baking! :) I hope to provide you with the tools (i.e. simple, from-scratch, quality tested recipes), so that you can confidently bake up delicious treats to share with your family and friends!
