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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!