Blondies are the best quick dessert, and they taste like a million bucks! These are my all-time faves—soft, chewy, and packed with mix-ins.
Customize them your way! My top picks? Dark chocolate with pistachios or white chocolate with macadamia nuts! Or try these fun Snickerdoodle Blondies.
The Best Blondies Recipe!
As a total chocolate lover, I usually reach for brownies first, but these Blondies might just steal the top spot. They still have chocolate in them, but you know what I mean, right?! 😊
This recipe is inspired by Inspired Taste‘s famous blondies, and it’s hands down the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried a lot!).
What I love about this recipe is how easy it is to switch things up. Change up the chocolate chips and nuts, and you’ve got a whole new treat!
Another thing I love? These come together super fast with just a few ingredients. No baking soda or powder needed! That makes these bars extra dense and chewy—the best!
What is the Difference Between a Blondie and a Brownie?
Blondies are lighter and with a caramel-like flavor, made with brown sugar and vanilla. Brownies are darker and taste more fudge-like, made with cocoa or chocolate.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Browning adds rich flavor to these blondies. If you’ve tried these Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies, you know how good browned butter can be!
- Light brown sugar: Use fresh, soft sugar for moist, chewy blondies. Avoid dark brown sugar—it’s too moist for this recipe.
- Vanilla bean paste: Adds a strong vanilla flavor; vanilla extract works well too. Try almond or maple extract for a unique blondie flavor.
- Large egg: Keeps the blondies together and moist.
- Salt: Boosts and balances sweetness—don’t skip it!
- All-purpose flour: Mix just until combined for soft, tender blondies.
- Chocolate chips: Use your favorite—semi-sweet, milk, dark, or white.
- Nuts: Adds crunch and a salty contrast. Use any nuts you like, but roasted and salted ones add more flavor and stay crisp. If you prefer no nuts, just add more chocolate chips!
How To Make Blondies
- Preheat Oven: Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a good-quality 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Brown the Butter: Melt the butter in a light-colored pan until it turns brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix Sugar and Butter: Whisk the brown sugar into the cooled butter until it looks like wet sand.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Whisk in the egg, vanilla, and salt until the mix is smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gently fold in the flour, chocolate chips, and nuts until just combined.
- Spread Batter: Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake: Bake for 25-27 minutes, until the edges are golden and the top is set.
- Cool and Serve: Let the blondies cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift them out, then cut and serve.
Tips For Making Blondies
- Brown the Butter: Watch closely to avoid burning. Use a light-colored, wide saucepan so you can see the flecks as they brown. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a bowl, making sure to scrape in every bit—those browned bits add tons of flavor!
- Don’t Overmix: Fold the batter gently to keep the blondies tender.
- Cool Completely: Let the blondies cool in the pan before cutting to prevent crumbling.
- Use Parchment Paper: Makes lifting out and cutting easier, and helps the bottom stay golden, not too brown.
- Use Light-Colored Pan: Ensures even baking and prevents over-baking.
Storage
How To Store Blondies
- They’re softest and chewiest the same day they are made.
- For leftovers, store in an airtight container at room temp for 2-4 days.
- To freeze, wrap each blondie individually and place in a large zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Cookies And Bars:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a “secret” ingredient to make them super chewy
- Energy Bars Recipe only 5 ingredients and no baking required
- Magic Cookie Bars with a graham cracker crust
- Twix Bar with an easy homemade caramel filling
- Peanut Butter Bars no baking required
Blondies Recipe
Blondies are the best quick dessert, and they taste like a million bucks! These are my all-time faves—soft, chewy, and packed with mix-ins.
Equipment
- 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper
- Light-colored saucepan Note 1
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips, or chips of choice (semi-sweet, milk, white)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted and salted pistachios, or nuts of choice (or extra chocolate chips)
- Optional: a handful of extra chocolate chips and pistachios for topping the bars
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray an 8×8-inch pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Melt the butter in a light-colored, wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, reduce to medium and stir constantly with a silicone spatula. The butter will bubble and foam. When it smells nutty and you see light-brown specks under the foam, quickly remove from heat and pour the butter into a bowl, scraping all the bits from the pan. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar to the cooled butter and whisk vigorously until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the egg, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk briskly until the mixture is very creamy and emulsified. Add the flour, chocolate chips, and nuts then switch to a spatula to fold the dough until no dry streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the top is set.
- Remove from the oven and let the bars cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Use the parchment paper overhang to transfer the bars to a cooling rack, then remove the parchment paper. Cut into bars and serve.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Browning butter is much easier with a large, light-colored saucepan so you can SEE when the butter specks turn brown. This simple switch made all the difference for me!
Storage: These bars are best enjoyed on the first day when they’re freshest/softest. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature—they’ll still be good the next day, but not as soft. For longer storage, you can freeze them, but they’re at their best when eaten fresh.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7.9g | Cholesterol: 26.9mg | Sodium: 45.2mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 12.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
