This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Blondie bars are a fabulous twist on the classic brownie, known for their rich butterscotch flavor and ultra chewy texture. Fill your kitchen with the comforting aroma of brown sugar and vanilla, and get to a great batch of blondies very easily!
Couple of months ago, I showed up at a family dinner with not one, but two kinds of cookies: a beautiful plate of graybeh, which is normally gobbled up, and another beautiful plate of white chocolate-dipped molasses, which was new to our people, gorgeous and chewy and delectable.
What happened took Aunt Maureen aback. When it was cookie time, and I said so loud and clear, my niece squealed: YOU MADE BROOKIES?!!!!!
The others heard her and came a-running. I unwrapped my plates of goodness, and I tell you, faces dropped. Dropped. I heard someone say, โthose arenโt the ones.โ
The ones what?, I asked.
The blondie brownie cookies Aunt Peg makes.
Okay, read the rest of the story here. Get everything you need to know about making the very best blondie recipe below!
Notes About the Ingredients
Unlike their chocolatey brownie counterparts, my blondies get their goodness from browned butter and a brown sugar flavor that is the classic rich butterscotch taste.
- Dark Brown Sugar vs. Light Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar will give your blonde brownies a deeper molasses flavor and slightly chewier texture. Light brown sugar is more chocolate chip cookie-esque.
- Unsalted Butter: There’s salt in the recipe, so if you use salted butter, reduce the salt by half. Do you know how to brown butter? It adds tons of flavor, and an extra rich nutty flavor, wherever it goes (check out my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe).
- Chocolate Chips: Expected. Needed! I go for dark chips, 60% cacao.
- Vanilla Extract: Don’t skip. Vanilla is key to the blondie bar.
- Orange Blossom Water. To this I also say: don’t skip! The caramel notes in blondies pair like a dream with a splash of pure orange blossom water (find my favorite from Lebanon, Mymoune Orange Blossom Water, in my shop).
- Tahini. The nutty flavor of this sesame seed paste goes so well here!! See my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe for more of same!
Tips for Making Blondies
Crafting the perfect blondie bars requires very little of you! This is an easy blondie recipe, but here are some tips to ensure every single time you bake, your blondies are divine:
- Blondie Batter Consistency: Donโt over mix once the dry ingredients and then the chocolate chips are added. Just a few good stirs with a rubber spatula in a large mixing bowl will suffice. This is a stiff dough, cookie dough.
- Baking Time and Temperature: To avoid dry blondies, err on the side of underbaked so they don’t go from chewy blondies with crispy edges to hard pucks. Keep the baking time to 28 to 30 minutes, even if the center of the blondie batter in the pan still looks moist. Look for a light golden brown on top as a sign they are done.
- Slicing: Allow the blondies to fully cool on a wire rack in the pan before lifting the block from the pan with the parchment paper sling. Now slicing clean edges will be much easier. Put them into storage right away to keep them moist.
Delicious Substitutions and Additions
Personalize your blondie bars with these yummy tweaks:
- Sundaes. Our favorite way to eat these! With a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of homemade caramel sauce (add orange blossom water to that, too!) or a good one from the store. Easy, excellent dessert! A dusting of flaky salt adds even more.
- Chocolate Fix: Add chocolate chunks rather than chips for more chocolate flavor. Or melt a bit of chocolate and drizzle over the top, serving cake-style with a scoop of ice cream and a fork.
- Butterscotch Chips or Peanut Butter Chips: Consider these for a more intense flavor.
- Favorite Mix-Ins: From macadamia nuts to white sugar and dark chocolate chips, the sky’s the limit.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Storage Tips: Once cooled and cut, wrap the sliced blondies in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container like a zip top plastic bag to maintain moisture. This is essential. Leaving them out will dry them out and that can happen quickly.
- Freezing: Blondies freeze well! Lay them out on a cutting board, wrap individually or the whole block, uncut, and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.
- Reheating for Freshness: Even after storing, a quick warm-up in a preheated oven, wrapped in foil, can bring back the gooey texture we love.
Blondie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more to coat the pan
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1/4 cup tahini, stirred before measuring
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar, dark or light brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 60% cacao
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350โ. Coat a 13x9x2-inch pan lightly with butter. Line with a sheet of parchment that hangs over the long sides by a couple of inches, to form a sling.
- Make the browned butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Increase the heat to medium and continue melting until the solids turn brown. Stay close, as this will happen quickly at a certain point. This will take 5-10 minutes total.ย Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, orange blossom water, tahini, and brown sugar until well-combined. Add the cooled butter and whisk to combine.
- In another smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a spoon to mix the flour mixture with the batter, stirring just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the brookies are golden but still quite soft.
- Cool in the pan completely, then run a knife around the edges on the short ends where there is no parchment sling. Use the hanging edges of the parchment to lift the blondies from the pan. Cut into bars or squares and serve.ย Store immediately in an airtight container if not serving right away.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Bar Recipes
Make a perfect fall dessert with my easy Pumpkin Bars Recipe. They’re frosted with my Cream Cheese Frosting and just divine.
Olive Oil Brownies and Mint Chocolate Brownies deliver the chocolately, chewy goodness we love!
Pecan Pie Bars are a wonderful alternative to a pie, easy to make and serve (and take on the run or to a potluck!!).
step 5 should be “In another smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.” correct?
Gosh yes. Thanks for your patience, one and all on this one….
Did you leave out incorporation of butter??
This looks amazing!!! One question though, do you use the whole cup of butter to grease the pan, or should some of the butter be softened and go into the batter?
So amazing! Coat the pan with a little extra butter, then the whole cup goes into the blondies. Instructions all fixed, thank you!
Re: Caramel Blondies – Instruction #3 says to whisk eggs but there are no eggs listed in the recipe! How many eggs are in the recipe.
Thanks
All set now Pat, thanks!
In reading through the recipe, I noticed there is no mention of the butter. Was a step omitted?
Yep, I must have been eating too many blondies when I wrote this! All fixed now, thank you!