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This Classic Blondies recipe is one everyone should have in their collection! Sweet, chewy and melt in your mouth good. Nothing beats a fantastic blondie!
When I was growing up, my mom made blondies for everything. Church party? Make blondies. School fair? Make blondies. No reason at all? Make blondies. In fact, my mother NEVER made chocolate brownies. But don’t feel too bad for me, because her classic blondies were amazing.
Often, she would add walnuts, or even chocolate chips if she was feeling crazy. The recipe I’m sharing today is just pure blondie with no add-ins, but I won’t complain if you happen to drop a few handfuls of chocolate chips or nuts in the batter 🙂 But there is almost something magical about the smooth, pillowy texture of a blondie all by itself. (And maybe a glass of milk to wash it down.
The reason these blondies are so tender is that they only use brown sugar, which has a higher moisture content than granulated white sugar. The batter is pale brown and really thick.
You can use practically any kind of oil or fat in these brownies, but different varieties do affect the appearance of the brownies. I find that butter and coconut oil cause the brownies to be a little more “wrinkly” around the edges, while vegetable oil gives it that perfect crackly crust.
My mom’s original recipe says to bake these in a 9×11 pan. Since that is not a standard-sized pan, I have baked these blondies in both a 9×13 and 8×8 pan. If you use a 9×13 pan, you can expect rather thin blondies. I personally prefer to use an 8×8 pan so I can get nice, thick blondies. (If you use a 9×13 pan, you’ll need to reduce the baking time to about 22 minutes).
As you can see in the picture above, the blondies sink down in the middle during baking. Every pan of blondies I have ever made in my whole life has done this. I think it is just the nature of blondies. So don’t despair. All it means is that there are perfect blondies for everyone! People who like super soft blondies from the middle of the pan, and people who like the edge pieces with a little crunch. (Those are my favorite!)
These are SUPER fast to whip up, and I guarantee you already have all the ingredients right now. So the next time you need a treat in a hurry (without a trip to the store), these blondies are just the ticket!
Can’t get enough brownies and bars?
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Brownies
- Snickerdoodle Brownies
- Strawberry Lemon Blondies
- Magic Layer Brownie Bars
Want more delicious treats you can make in no time?
Classic Blondies
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) Salted butter, melted
- 1 cup Dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup All purpose flour scooped
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- Optional: heaping ½ cup mix-ins, like butterscotch or chocolate chips, chopped nuts *see notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray an 8”x8” baking dish with non-stick spray. Line with parchment paper for easy removal if desired.
- Add melted butter and brown sugar to a large bowl, whisk until combined.
- Add egg and vanilla, whisk until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt, mix until combined. Fold in ½ cup of the mix-ins if using.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, smooth with a silicone spatula or spoon. Dot the top with any remaining mix-ins.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, overnight is best. Remove from pan if desired, cut into bars or triangles and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Such an easy to follow recipe and the blondies are delicious. I don’t usually keep butter in the house so I like that you can use oil instead.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Hannah.
Can I double the recipe and use a cookie sheet?
If you want to double the recipe, I recommend using 2 pans or bake in a 9×13″ pan. I haven’t personally tested a baking sheet so I’d worry it would spill over the sides. But if you give it a try I’d love to hear how it works out for you!
Easy to make and customize with added flavours like almond etc. I threw in a few wafers and caramel.pieces and it turned out amazing!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Sifa.
Delicious! I added frozen blueberries, so Blueberry Blondies are Best!
Awesome feedback Yankeleh! Thanks for stopping by.
Super easy to make and uncomplicated ingredients! These are the best blondies I have ever eaten! Everyone loved them. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome Michelle! Thanks for stopping by.
Im not sure if i did something wrong but the batter is really thick. I followed the recipe to a T and it came out thick. Is it supposed to be thick before baking?
Yes bars like Blondies or brownies are typically a thicker batter.
What flower is on top/ what you used garnish
Was wondering if it’s edible
It’s not, it’s something the photographer and developer of the recipe added for color in the photo.
This recipe sounds amazing. I dont have any vegetable oil could I use canola oil instead ??
thanks so much 🙂
Yes canola oil is a perfectly good substitute.
Amazing recipe so chewy and delicious!
Thank you Mel!
If I can’t get black walnuts, I use black walnut flavoring and it gives an incredible flavor.
Thanks
This recipe was easy and delicious. Instead of the standard square pan, I used a new pan that makes 12 individual square blondies. I just cut the bake time in half. Yummy.
Nice! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by Patricia.
Can I add butterscotch chips to this recipe?
Sure, they would pair well with the flavors.
These were really delicious! I only had dark brown sugar so used half white sugar. I also added walnuts because I like them. I adjusted slightly out of necessity but this is a really good recipe and I’ll definitely make again.
Awesome feedback Candice! Thanks for stopping by.
Made them this weekend and they were a huge hit! Followed the recipe exact and baked for about 35 mins. Success all around! Thanks!
You are so welcome Tracie! (Awesome feedback) Thanks for stopping by.
Mine came out more cakey, less gooey than yours. I don’t know why. I used the same size pan and cooked for about 25 minutes. The only thing I had to sub was canola oil and dark instead of light brown sugar. :/
Hi Mars, My guess is it didn’t cook long enough, which could indicate an oven issue (every oven is different and can be slightly off). I actually just made these a few weeks ago and they came out great.
Hi, Thanks for posting the recipe. Can I use a 50/50 combination of gran sugar and dark brown sugar? Do I need to change the amount if I do? thanks
Yes you can do a combo of white/brown sugar. I definitely recommend brown sugar for these though, for the best flavor.
Best, best, best blondies ever! Thank you for this fabulous recipe- I have made it more times than I can count!
N×
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Natalie.
Hi, are they supposed to be eggy? Mine turned out eggy. I added less salt and made some crispy sugar on top. They are good btw.
I’m not sure what you mean by “eggy.” They should be dense and chewy.
Hi, what I mean is they tasted more of the eggs…I’m not sure if it should taste like that or the eggs I used are too big, lol.
Hi Mai, I’m not sure why they would taste like eggs. You want to use large eggs, and the blondies should be chewy and sweet.
loved the recipe. replaced the vegetable oil with cannabis infused vegetable oil and added chocolate chips. Cannabis infused chocolate chip cookie bars; can’t really go wrong there!
I absolutely love this recipe! The blondies come out absolutely amazingly sold and chewy, but I would have to reccomend that you use 1/2 tsp to 3/4 tsp of salt because my batter was a bit too salty. I would also suggest that you make this in a smaller pan as I used a 8 by 5 inch pan and they were still a bit thin.
Thanks for sharing your honest feedback Tuba! Glad you enjoyed the blondies.
YUmmy! Tried this recipe. Just reduce sugar because my aunt doesn’t like too sweet. It’s awesome
These have become a go to for me and they are a hit with everyone who tries them! Super easy to make, would highly recommend.
Awesome feedback Amy! Thanks for stopping by.
Can i mix this by hand? Or does it have to be with a mixer?
You can mix by hand with a wooden spoon. I use a hand mixer because it goes a little faster and it easier to stir.
Thanks, Kristin! Darling little recipe when my pantry is not full. Perfect for something sweet while
staying in and making do. I added some chopped walnuts from the freezer.
Easy, few ingredients and comes together fast.
Nice! Glad it worked out for you Gail. Thanks for stopping by.
Perfect and easy!
Thank you Holly!
Theses have become my go to when I need to make a desert for any thing…My family loves them I have made them with butterscotch chips and have also made them with caramel swirled o top.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Kathleen.
omg so good, i totally would make this again, i loved it
That’s awesome Susan! Thanks for stopping by.
I bake these for 30 minutes like the instructions said let them cool and they were still real gooey in the middle. I used an 8 by 8 pan baked according to the instructions. Why did this happen?
It’s tough to say since I wasn’t in the kitchen with you. Best guess it could be that your oven temp is a little off.
Hi there! I’ve made these before and they’re delicious! I’m looking to try something new, do you think I could swirl salted caramel through these before baking, or would that throw off the texture? Thanks!
I think it’s worth a try!
Hi, I’ve made these twice now. After making them with sun flower/olive oil. I got the aroma of apple pie. Do you have an idea of how to add actual apples into the mix?
I’d worry they would give off two much liquid. But maybe try replacing the oil with apple butter. That would probably be delicious. If you do try regular apple, be sure to cut them into very small pieces and remove the skins first. You might also cut the vegetable oil slightly to make up for the extra liquid. These are just suggestions, I haven’t tested this myself so I don’t know for sure how it would turn out.
I could suggest you to precook the apple to make to dehydrate it
Was a hit with my spouse, who hates sweets.
I didn’t think they were too salty and it also took 40 mins in an 8×8 pan. I added two handfuls of semi sweet chocolate chips. Turned out great! I think next time I will double the batter and make in a 9×13 pan.
Thank you!!!
That’s awesome Michael! thanks for stopping by.
I made them a week ago, and I’m making them again today– the only thing I did different was add 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips. DELICIOUS !
awesome! thanks for stopping by.
everyone’s saying they’re too salty but i used the full teaspoon and sprinkled kosher salt on top and i think they were fine ? i added chocolate chips though because i love salty chocolate chip anything. so good they stayed really soft but i did have to bake for 40 mins in the 8×8.
Thank you Amber! and thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi! I made these Blondies and substituted Gluten Free flour and used the 1/2 tsp Salt. I use this flour in other baked goods all the time and usually everything turns out alright. The flavor is ok but they seem a little uhm… dense. Could this be an indication that I mixed the batter too long?
Using any ingredients other than those specified in the recipe can yield a less than desirable result. Substituting the flour may be fine in some recipes and not so much in others.
Agreed. Sometimes it doesn’t work. They were great the next day. I’m keeping the recipe and will try again another day.
Which gluten free flour do you use? I’m looking for one that works with baking for my mom. I’ve tried some flours before that ruined every recipe. Thanks!
Hello Ava!
I actually use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 All purpose flour. It is a light blue bag and everything I bake as far as cakes and cookies go turn out very well. I have found that cake recipes work much better with a 15 minute rest prior to going in the oven. (A word of caution dont use Bobs yellow bag GF flour. It is made with beans and will ruin the flavor of every thing you try to make with it.
This was a really good base recipe. I followed it almost exactly but i ran out of vanilla extract so used half vanilla and half almond extract. And halved the amount of salt based on other reviews. I had odds and ends of different types of chips and nuts left over from holiday baking so added them and the result was a light and tasty blondie bar. Thank you for a great recipe i will use for years to come!
Thank you Michele! I love that you were able to make it work for you!
These were wonderful! Easy to make and even easier to eat! Will definitely make them again and again.
Thank you Sue!
Wow turned out amazing! I used a little less salt like the comments say and it was really good! Thanks!!
These turned out disappointingly salty. I’m glad I made a test batch before serving them to anyone else, because unfortunately I didn’t read the comments first. As another poster said, this might be good with just 1/2 or 1/4 tsp of salt. I likely won’t be trying this recipe again.
Sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you HB, but thanks for sharing your feedback.
These are VERY salty. I recommend only using 1/2 tsp of salt. Maybe even only 1/4 tsp. If I use this recipe again, I’ll experiment with it and let you know.
I love blondies even more than I like brownies! It’s the ultimate treat ♥ Looks sensational!