Brown Sugar Blondies

Name: Brown Sugar Blondies
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled); 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar (tightly packed); 2 count eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; ¾ cup chopped pecans (optional); ½ cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter - Melted butter is the base of these blonde brownies to give it a beautiful, chewy texture and taste. It's similar to how we make cookie bars or recipes like my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie skillet!

Brown Sugar - The molasses in brown sugar gives the perfect amount of moisture to this dessert - as well as the golden-brown color of the blondies. I prefer light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar works as well.

Eggs - Provides a perfect amount of richness to this recipe! If possible, get the eggs to room temperature before mixing into the bowl.

Cornstarch - A great ingredient to add to baked goods like this. It helps give our blondies a chewy texture, and prevents them from becoming too dry while baking.

Mix-Ins - We're using white chocolate chips and chopped pecans in this recipe, but you can switch it up to whatever you fancy.

Variations and Substitutions

White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies: Stir in a combination of chopped macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips for a fun twist on the classic cookie flavor.

Birthday Cake Blondies: Use multi-colored sprinkles as your mix-in for a festive blondie that tastes even better than it looks. A great alternative for birthday cake!

Salted Caramel Blondies: Grab a bag of toffee chips and drizzle salted caramel on top. I have a recipe for homemade caramel in my cookbook Plate Night In - if you haven't grabbed a copy yet, click the link to order.

Chocolate Chip Blondies: People actually love the buttery taste of a blondie with chocolate! Try chopping up a dark chocolate bar and stir it in the batter towards the end.

How to Make Brown Sugar Blondies from Scratch

A mixing bowl containing a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar.

Step 1: Start by taking your (cooled) melted butter and pour in brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.

A mixing bowl containing brown sugar and butter mixed, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Step 2: Add in two eggs and some vanilla extract.

A spoon stirring a melted butter and brown sugar mixture.

Step 3: After mixing well, it should have a fluid consistency.

A flour mixture being added to the wet ingredients for blondies.

Step 4: Sift together your dry ingredients, then add them to the wet bowl a little at a time.

A wooden spoon displaying a scoop of blondie dough.

Step 5: Your batter should be thick and golden brown, like this. Now, you can add in any mix-ins.

Chopped nuts and white chocolate chips poured on top of blondie batter in a grey mixing bowl.

Step 6: For this recipe, we use chopped pecans and white chocolate chips.

Add the finished batter to a parchment-lined baking pan and bake at 350°F until a knife in the center comes out clean.

Recipe Pro Tips

Let your butter cool. To avoid cooking the eggs, you want to make sure your melted butter is cool to the touch, but not solidified.

What type of sugar? Light brown sugar is what I recommend for this recipe. However, if all you have is dark brown sugar - use that! The final product's color will be slightly darker, and the flavor will be a touch richer and sweeter; but it won't change anything significantly.

Take it out just a bit early. When the edges are set, and the middle looks slightly undercooked (but still firm), you're ready to take the pan out. The blondies will finish cooking outside of the oven.

Use a plastic knife. A fun trick for brownies and bars like this: to get clean lines while cutting, use a plastic knife!

Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between blondies and brownies?

Blondies use vanilla extract and brown sugar to get their signature flavor, while traditional brownies use cocoa and chocolate. They both have a really soft, chewy texture and are great baking recipes for beginners.

My blondies are dry. What gives?

They could have possibly been left in the oven for too long. After 18 minutes of baking, check the pan every 2 minutes. You want the edges to be set and slightly golden brown, and the middle should be light brown and shiny (but should not jiggle). The blondies finish cooking outside of the oven to keep that moist, chewy texture!

Why did my blondies take longer to cook than the recipe stated?

A lot of home ovens aren't calibrated correctly which can affect the baking time. I recommend grabbing an oven thermometer. Also, if you use a glass baking pan, the baking time will be longer.

What's the best way to store these?

Once completely cooled, store your brown sugar blondies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

Can I freeze brown sugar blondies?

Yep! Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container. I recommend wrapping 1-2 slices at a time so they thaw quickly and evenly.

When you're ready to eat, defrost on the counter or thaw overnight in the fridge.

Berniece Ford says

December 25, 2024 at 8:14 pm

These are so good!! They almost taste like a brown sugar cookie bar. The texture is really chewy and soft. I doubled the recipe for a holiday exchange and did one as written, and the other pan with chocolate chips. Everyone raved about them—Thank you so much.