BLONDIES RECIPE

This recipe for blondies is chewy brown sugar cookie bars studded with dark chocolate chunks and baked to gooey perfection. A super easy treat that’s perfect for parties, bake sales or as an after school snack.

I often make bar cookies when I’m looking for a sweet treat, they’re so easy to make and you don’t have to bake multiple batches like you do with traditional cookies. I often make Oreo bars, rocky ledge bars, or these decadent blondies.

Thank goodness I had this easy blondie recipe planned to share today!

If you’ve been following my Instagram stories you already know that Zach and I are fostering three 7-week old puppies. They are the cutest, goofiest, fluffballs I’ve ever seen, but they’re also exhausting, so excuse me if a few of my sentences are a little incoherent today. Bonus puppy pics at the bottom of the post!

But back to the blondies.

Buttery, soft, chewy, loaded with your favorite add-ins, these cookie bars are packed with flavor and they are the perfect easy snack when you need a dessert in a pinch. Fortunately today’s recipe is super simple because I don’t know that I’d have the brainpower to focus on anything even mildly complex right now, but I do have a few tips and other info I want to share with you.

HOW DO YOU MAKE BLONDIES?

This is a one bowl recipe that starts with melted butter and brown sugar. The dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients and blended together until a smooth dough forms. The final addition is a generous amount of semisweet chocolate. The blondies go into the oven to bake, then once they’re cool you can cut your treats into squares to serve.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN BLONDIES ARE DONE?

You can tell when blondies are done because they’ll start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges will be light brown. Be sure not to overcook your blondies or they might turn out overly hard and dry. You can also insert a toothpick into the middle of your pan to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached your bars are ready!

YOU WILL NEED

• 8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup (215 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, semi-sweet, dark, etc.)
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped and toasted nuts
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped dried fruit or shredded/flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup liquor (bourbon, whiskey, rum, etc.) note: Increase flour by 1 tablespoon to accommodate
• 1/2 teaspoon flavorings or extracts (coconut, mint, rum, raspberry, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176C). Line an 8-inch by 8-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and brown sugar until blended. Add the egg, vanilla, almond extract (optional) and salt then stir vigorously until smooth.
3. When the batter looks well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be quite thick). Beat vigorously here. You want to see the batter pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Fold in the chocolate chip, nuts or dried fruit (if using). Spread the batter evenly in lined pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes until the edges look browned, but the middle looks slightly underdone (the middle will continue to cook while it cools). Place the pan on a wire rack and let the blondies cool in the pan. Cut into 16 squares.