Best Blondie Recipe
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Looking for the best blondie recipe? These rich, buttery blondies have chewy centers, crisp golden edges, and plenty of chocolate chips in every bite.
Blondies are rich, buttery bar cookies with a rich caramel flavor and chewy texture. Often described as the vanilla version of a brownie, they’re made with brown sugar instead of cocoa and studded with chocolate chips (plus optional pecans for crunch).
I’ve baked countless batches of blondies over the years, but I always come back to this recipe. they have the perfect balance of crisp edges, chewy centers, and gooey pockets of melted chocolate. It’s the kind of foolproof recipe you’ll bake again and again.
Perfect for bake sales, potlucks, holiday cookie trays, lunch boxes, or after-school treats, these blondies also freeze beautifully, making them an easy make-ahead dessert.
“Best blondie recipe I have made and my go-to for a quick and delicious dessert.”
Blondie Ingredients
- Melted Butter: Provides a rich, creamy base for the batter. Melted butter creates a denser, chewier blondie. You can also use browned butter for a nuttier flavor or swap it for coconut oil or non-dairy butter alternative if you need to make this without any dairy.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and a deep, caramel-like flavor, while granulated sugar sweetens and gives the blondies crisp edges and soft center. (Be sure to pack the brown sugar tightly.)
- Egg & Vanilla Extract: The egg binds everything together, while vanilla adds warm, aromatic flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure for the blondies. For the most accurate measurement, use the spoon-and-level method: spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge—don’t scoop directly from the bag, which can pack in too much flour.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips & Chopped Pecans: These mix-ins add texture and flavor—melty chocolate in every bite and a subtle crunch from the pecans.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Blondies
Step 1: Mix the butter and sugars. Beat the melted butter with both sugars until the mixture looks smooth—this is what helps create that shiny, crackly top later on.
Step 2: Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until the batter looks smooth and cohesive.
Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour and salt on low speed, stopping the moment you no longer see dry streaks. This is the step where it’s easiest to overdo it; extra mixing here develops more gluten and pushes the texture toward tough or cakey instead of dense and chewy.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. The batter will be quite thick at this point — that’s normal. If you’re skipping the nuts, a few extra chocolate chips in their place works well.
Step 5: Spread into the pan and bake. Transfer the batter to a greased pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top looks set and lightly golden, with edges just starting to darken. The center may still look a little soft—that’s exactly what you want
Step 7: Cool, then slice. Using the parchment overhang, lift the blondie brownies from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve warm or room temperature. The bars will keep nicely for a few days stored in an airtight container at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.
Pro Tips And blondie Variations
- Swap the mix-ins: Swap all or half the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips, change the nuts or leave them out, or even add some dried cranberries. Just keep the amount of mix-ins you add to 1¼ cups.
- Line your pan with parchment paper: It makes removing the blondies a breeze and ensures cleaner slices. Be sure to leave an overhang on two sides so you can lift the whole slab out of the pan once cooled.
- Don’t be tempted to add baking powder or baking soda. This recipe is designed to bake up dense and chewy with crisp edges. Adding a leavener will give the blondies a lighter, more cake-like texture.
- Don’t overbake. It’s better to slightly underbake blondies than overbake them. Remove them from the oven as soon as the center is set; they’ll continue to cook from the residual heat as they cool.
- Want to double the recipe? This blondie recipe works great doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 pan. You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time.
For more chocolate chip treats, don’t miss my classic chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate chip ricotta cake.
More Bar Cookie Recipes You’LL Love
Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with an 8 x 11-inch (20 x 28-cm) piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) overhang on two sides. You'll have to create seams in the corners and along the edges of the pan to get it to stay put (you can always add a few dots of butter underneath if necessary).
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the melted butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, mix in the flour and salt until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is set and lightly golden. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Using the parchment overhang, lift the blondie "cake" from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares. Store the blondies in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Do not make these, they have no leavening and end up like little thin rocks. I know the author is aware of this and thinks they are fine, but I say beware.
Your comment is ridiculous, Laurel. If this recipe did not work well it would not have all the great reviews it has… perhaps double check your measuring and follow the technique as written before posting such childish reviews.
I agree that this is not a good recipe. No leavening, too much butter , too much sugar. I think people just don’t bother to down vote this for some reason, or maybe people like dense rocks of butter and sugar. To each his own. Btw, this website has way too many ads and is trying too hard to monetize. I hope it works well for you, but it’s ridiculous.
I think your comment is unkind and I LOVED this recipe! Jenn is a real pro!
This recipe is great. I made mine with toffee chips and they came out a bit too buttery, so I’ll up the flour a tad next time. Overall, a really delicious blondie and the texture is perfectly soft and chewy. This recipe will become a staple for me. Thank you!
Fantastic recipe! My family loves them. I’ve made them so many times and they always turn out great. Since the butter is melted, I don’t bother with a mixer, just use a spoon. At first I was concerned because the recipe didn’t include baking powder, but no worries there, they turn out with a wonderful texture.
I tried this recipe last week and it turned out really nice!
The next time, can I use vegetable oil instead of butter?
Hi Amish, glad you enjoyed these! Unfortunately, vegetable oil won’t work here but you could use (solidified) coconut oil instead of the butter.
Is it ok to just butter the pan? Or, use wax paper? We’re out of parchment paper. Thank you.
Hi Monica, I wouldn’t use wax paper, but it’s fine to either butter the pan or use foil in place of the parchment.
Thanks Jen. Turns out I had parchment sheets, just not a roll. I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan. They turned out perfect as written! The pecans added a special touch. I’m thinking even people who don’t like nuts in bars and cookies would like them in these. I love how these are a breeze to whip up. We will be making these for years to come.
Glad they came out nicely!
Just made this and it is the best!!! Added a little more flour and the baking powder. I will make this again and again. Thank you!!!!
I wanted to make a simple delicious dessert using the chocolate chips and pecans I had in my pantry. I found this recipe and made it for my husband…. OMG were these good!! They were chewy and crispy and decadent. I served them with a glass of cold milk. Thank you!!!!
My husband and I agree that these are outstanding – love them even more than regular brownies. They are a definite keeper. Made as directed – perfect. Thanks for another great recipe.
Made these blondies last week – so easy and so good that I decided to make two batches for our son to take to work. Yesterday he texted that one of his co-workers wanted to know the name of the cookie bar, so I sent the recipe and your website (and suggested that she try the Best Ever Blueberry Muffins, my absolute favorite!). I like these bars because they are so much quicker to make than cookies, especially if you don’t have a lot of time. Thanks for another great recipe!
These were delicious! I added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder as some of the other reviews suggested, and they turned out great! Will definitely make again!