This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
This is the ONLY Blondie Recipe you will ever need! These easy, one-pan blondie bars are thick, fudgy, and loaded with that classic brown sugar flavor. If you love the chewy edges of a cookie but the soft, gooey center of a brownie, these blonde brownies are the perfect hybrid dessert. They stay soft for days and are a total blank canvas for your favorite chocolate chips, nuts, or M&Ms.
Besides being one of my favorite desserts, a blondie is a fudgy baked bar reminiscent of a brownie without the chocolate. (You’ll often hear them called “blonde brownies” for this reason.) They’re crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside and are better than any cookie, and easier to make too. I’ve been making this recipe for 15 years and it gets rave reviews every time someone takes a bite.
The secret to the best blondies is achieving that perfect balance of a crunchy outside and a fudgy inside. Unlike some recipes that come out cakey, this version relies on a high ratio of brown sugar to provide deep molasses notes and a superior chew. This has been my go-to base recipe for years because it’s reliable, incredibly easy to make, and is a guaranteed hit at every potluck or party. It’s chewy and soft, stays soft for days, and is great with any candy or even plain!
This easy blondie recipe yields 24 servings and features a fudgy, cookie-like texture made from softened butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. The bars are baked in a 9×13-inch metal pan for a signature crunchy edge and soft center. This versatile “blank canvas” recipe can be customized with various mix-ins like chocolate chips or M&Ms.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients in the Best Blondie Recipe
- The main reason the texture of this blondies recipe is so great is because of all the brown sugar in them. There are 2 cups of packed brown sugar in this recipe! Brown sugar gives so much flavor and texture to baked goods. I use light brown sugar but you can also use dark brown sugar (not granulated sugar).
- This recipe uses only brown sugar because the molasses content is what provides the characteristic chew of a professional blondie. The moisture in the brown sugar reacts with the eggs and butter to create a dense, fudge-like crumb that stays soft for days, whereas granulated sugar would result in a crisper, more cake-like bar.
- There are 2 eggs in the batter, which make it a looser dough, allowing the end product to be gooey. But the egg yolks lend to a chewy texture, making them very brownie-like.
- Instead of using baking soda these blondies use baking powder, which helps keep them soft. While brownies don’t typically use leavening, you need a bit for blondies.
- Mix-ins: this is where it gets fun! You can add any kind of mix-ins you like (see my list below) or you can leave them plain.
- It’s best to bake these in a metal pan so they cook through.
- These will stay fudgy and gooey – it’s best to under bake them. They’ll set as they cool – but stay gooey. They might look like how brownies do in the center – that’s how they’re supposed to look. Don’t worry – they’re done!
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
Dorothy’s Expert Blondie Tips
- Use real butter, not oil or fake butter.
- The dough is wet, so spray your hands with cooking spray to press them into the pan. Same goes if you press it with a rubber spatula.
- For the best results, always bake blondies in a metal baking pan rather than glass or ceramic. Metal conducts heat more efficiently, allowing the edges to crisp up and the center to set evenly without becoming gummy. If you must use glass, reduce your oven temperature by 25°F to prevent the outside from burning before the middle is finished.
- This recipe has been tested with a foil lined pan and parchment paper lined pan – both worked just fine.
- These are best under baked so they finish setting as they cool. To avoid the common mistake of over-baking, look for the glossy sheen on the surface to just disappear. Blondies should be pulled from the oven when the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown and the center still looks slightly under-done. They will continue to firm up as they cool in the pan, resulting in that signature fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Best Blondies Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups (400g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups (242g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups mix-ins: toffee, chopped candy bars, M&Ms, chocolate chips, nuts, etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray well with cooking spray.
- Mix butter and brown sugar with a stand or a hand mixer until crumbly. Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in salt, baking powder, then flour. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the mix-ins.
- Spread in prepared pan. The mixture is wet so it’s best to spray your hands with cooking spray and then smooth the dough with your hands to get an even layer. Top with remaining mix-ins
- Bake for about 22-25 minutes until they start to turn golden. Err on the side of under baked with these – they’ll finish baking as the cool and you don’t want them over baked.
Recipe Notes
- Use real butter, not oil or fake butter. The flavor of butter is a must!
- BROWN SUGAR, as before mentioned. Use 2 full cups, packed!
- The dough is wet, so spray your hands with cooking spray to press them into the pan.
- I highly recommend using a metal pan for these. They might not set properly or bake properly in a glass or porcelain pan.
- These are best under baked so they finish setting as they cool. Take them out when the edges JUST look done.
Recipe Nutrition
How to make Blondies
How to make this blondies recipe
- Cream the softened, room temperature unsalted butter and sugar in a large bowl until crumbly.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth.
- Mix in the all purpose flour.
- Decide on what mix-ins you want to add or leave them plain. Press cookie dough into pan.
- Bake these in a metal 9×13-inch baking pan until they just lose their glossy sheen and are lightly golden around the edges. They’re better under-done!
I cooked my blondies only 20 minutes and they turned out rock hard. Can hardly eat them. Recommend checking them after 10 minutes and again at 15. Very disappointed!!
Have you checked your oven temperature? All ovens cook differently but they shouldn’t have been overdone at 20 – possibly on the far side of done but not that bad.
Made them and followed the recipe exactly.. took like 40-45 minutes in the oven. I’m not sure what went wrong.
I kept checking after 20 minutes and it just wasn’t “done”.
If your oven takes longer to cook a lot of things, then check the calibration (use an oven thermometer to measure the temp inside the oven to see if it’s correct). If that’s all fine, it could be that these look like they’re not done when they are – they are still jiggly and look not done, but if they’re golden around the edges they will finish cooking as they cool and taste better when taken out when still jiggly.
Thank you for a wonderful blondie recipe! My daughter and I added some mini Milky Ways and it was chewy, caramelly heaven! Baked it a tad bit longer cause we love browner edges.
The thing bubbled all the way over in the oven and looked nothing like the pic.
What size pan did you use? If you use a standard 9×13-inch pan (which has 2-3-inch sides) that definitely should not have happened.
Not sure of a rating yet, but I found it odd that there’s a Tablespoon of vanilla. When I saw the video, it looked more like a fat teaspoon. (She doesn’t measure.)
Can anyone comment on that? I have 17 minutes to go before I get to try them!
My batter was super sweet. Have not tried them baked yet but maybe 1 tablespoon is too much vanilla?
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment