Perfectly chewy blondies begin with a browned butter batter that’s dotted with white chocolate chips. They are rich, buttery, and soft – everything you look for in the best blondie recipe!
Why this recipe works
These blondies have all the texture and richness that you’d find in a brownie, without the cocoa. They are packed with caramel-like flavor with the addition of dark brown sugar and have a subtle nuttiness thanks to browning the butter beforehand. A touch of almond extract in the batter elevates these rich and buttery blondies to a down-right addictive treat. Throw together a batch in around 35 minutes for potlucks, parties, or just because.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
BUTTER – Browning the butter adds a rich, caramelized nutty taste. It’s a quick and easy way to amplify the butter flavor in baked goods. I highly suggest taking the extra time it takes to brown the butter for these blondies!
FLOUR – Spoon and level your flour instead of dipping a measuring cup straight into the bag. If the flour is measured too compactly, you’ll end up with dense blondies. You can also use a kitchen scale to accurately measure your flour.
BROWN SUGAR – We prefer to use dark brown sugar for our blondies, however, you can easily substitute with light brown sugar just be aware that the intensity and the deep caramelized flavor won’t be as pronounced. It’s important to properly measure out the brown sugar, too tightly packed and the blondies will come out hard and crunchy. Make sure to lightly pack the brown sugar or use a kitchen scale to measure.
ADDITIONS – Almond extract adds an extra touch of nuttiness to complement the browned butter, but you can substitute it with extra vanilla extract if preferred. White chocolate chips are a no-brainer when it comes to blondies, however, you can easily substitute with semi-sweet chocolate chips like we do in our chocolate chip blondies if that’s what you prefer!
How to Make Blondies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- To brown the butter, place both sticks in a medium-sized saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam and bubble, stir for approximately 3 minutes until you notice a darkening of the butter. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until brown specks start to appear. Remove from the heat source and allow the butter to cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a metal square 9-inch baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper (to cover all 4 sides of the pan). Leave enough parchment paper to hang over the sides. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cooled browned butter with both sugars and beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is light in color.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing before adding the next egg. Continue to beat for an additional 2 minutes to get volume into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, a little at a time, into the butter/sugar mixture and stir on low speed until just combined.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
- Press batter into the baking pan, making sure to get the batter into the corners.
- Place the baking pan on the center rack and bake for approximately 20 minutes. 15 minutes into the bake time, check to see if the top is darkening, if so, cover the pan with tin foil for the remainder of the bake.
- Remove the blondies from the oven and allow them to cool before removing them from the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, if you would like to add nuts, I would suggest incorporating 1/2 cup. Or, you can use 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of nuts for equal distribution.
There could be a few reasons why your blondies are dry. The way your ingredients were measured may have been inaccurate. For best results spoon and level your flour or use a kitchen scale to weigh it out. You may have also cooked your blondies too long. The 20-minute bake time is an approximation as all ovens run differently. It’s a good idea to get an oven thermometer so you know the true temperature your oven is running at.
Yes, absolutely! If you are short on time, you can simply add room-temperature butter to your stand mixer, beat it with the sugars, and continue following the recipe as written. Be aware that your blondies won’t have that subtle nutty flavor that you get by browning the butter but will still have all the richness.
Store your baked and fully cooled blondies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Yes, you can freeze blondies. To do so, wrap the fully cooled blondie squares in plastic wrap then place them in a large gallon-sized zip-top bag or air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature. You can reheat the blondies in the microwave or oven if desired.
You should be able to tell when blondies are done baking when the edges begin to brown and look dry while the center is soft and looks slightly underbaked. Use the toothpick method to test for doneness. Insert the toothpick into the center of the blondies, if it comes out clean, they are done baking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve blondies warm or at room temperature with a tall glass of milk. Optionally substitute the white chocolate chips with butterscotch chips, semi-sweet chips, peanut butter chips, or a combination of your favorites!
Enjoy blondies on their own, or warmed in a bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle.
More Cookie, Brownie, and Bar Recipes
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Blondies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 10 ounces
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed, 6 ounces
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips 8 ounces
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Spoon and level your flour instead of dipping a measuring cup straight into the bag. If the flour is measured too compactly, you’ll end up with dense blondies. You can also use a kitchen scale to accurately measure your flour.
- I like to sift my baking powder to get rid of any small clumps, before adding it to the flour.
- It is important to properly measure out the brown sugar, too tightly packed and the blondies will come out hard and crunchy. Make sure to lightly pack the brown sugar or use a kitchen scale.
- If you are short on time, you can simply add room-temperature butter to your stand mixer, beat it with the sugars, and continue following the recipe as written. Be aware that your blondies won’t have that subtle nutty flavor that you get by browning the butter but will still have all the richness.
- If you would like to add nuts, I would suggest incorporating 1/2 cup. Or, you can use 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of nuts for equal distribution.
- Almond extract adds an extra touch of nuttiness to complement the browned butter, but you can substitute it with extra vanilla extract if preferred.
- You can substitute the white chocolate chips with peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, semi-sweet chips, or use a combination of your favorites.
Instructions
- To brown the butter, place both sticks in a medium-sized saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam and bubble, stir for approximately 3 minutes until you notice a darkening of the butter. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until brown specks start to appear. Remove from the heat source and allow the butter to cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.TIP – If you want to speed up the cooling process of the browned butter, simply place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a metal square 9-inch baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper (to cover all 4 sides of the pan). Leave enough parchment paper to hang over the sides (this makes it easier to lift baked blondies from the pan). Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cooled browned butter with both sugars and beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is light in color.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing before adding the next egg. Continue to beat for an additional 2 minutes to get volume into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated.
- Slowly add the flour mixture (a little at a time) into the butter/sugar mixture and stir on low speed until just combined.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
- Evenly distribute the batter by pressing it into the baking pan, (making sure to get the batter into the corners).
- Place the baking pan on the center rack in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. 15 minutes into the bake time, check to see if the top is darkening, if so, cover the pan with tin foil for the remainder of the bake.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center, (it should come out free of batter), if not continue baking at 5-minute intervals, checking for doneness frequently.
- Remove the blondies from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack before removing them from the pan.TIP – To get a cleaner cut, it is best to let the blondies sit for an hour (or place them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes) before cutting them.
- Cut the blondies into 16 equal-sized squares and serve.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store your baked and fully cooled blondies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freezing – wrap the fully cooled blondie squares in plastic wrap then place them in a large gallon-sized zip-top bag or air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature. You can reheat the blondies in the microwave or oven if desired.
Nutrition
Kristen Rittmer
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