I have a major sweet tooth, and so do my kids. I love baking special treats for them and they love getting involved, too!
One of our favorite treats to get at coffee shops has always been blondies, but they’re so easy to make at home that we’ve begun doing that as well!
The best thing about making blondies at home is that you can customize them however you want to. That could mean swapping ingredients to make them gluten-free or vegan blondies or adding multiple kinds of chocolate chips to make them even sweeter, like I’ve done here.
Whatever the reason you’re thinking about making blondies at home, I highly recommend it. They’re fairly simple to make even for beginning bakers, and the reward for the work is definitely sweet!
Read on to find out how to make easy blondie brownies at home!
What are blondies? How are blondies different than brownies?
I don’t know why but it took me a long time to realize blondies were a totally different thing. I was a teenager before I finally realized that it wasn’t just one bake shop’s cute nickname for their unique brownies!
Blondies are very similar to brownies in texture, but are made with some important differences. Brownies are made with white sugar, but blondies are usually made with brown sugar.
Blondies are usually flavored with vanilla extract, while brownies are not. And finally, as you may have guessed, brownies typically contain cocoa powder- and blondies do not.
{Some blondie recipes also call for brown butter, but that’s not a requirement of blondies so it’s not something that explicitly separates it from brownies.}
Are blondies brownies or cookies?
Technically blondies are their own thing due to the differences in their ingredients, but for all intents and purposes you could consider them a subgroup of brownie. They bake very similarly and have a very similar texture, with just a couple of key ingredients swapped out.
You may have seen recipes for things called Cookie Bars {if you haven’t, you need to try my Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars!}, and they do look quite a bit like Blondies.
But the main difference between Cookie Bars and Blondies is the texture- Cookie Bars are basically just thicker cookies while blondies have a texture that’s very much like a brownie.
How can you make vegan blondies?
One of the best reasons to bake at home is that you can make sure your food has exactly the ingredients you’d prefer.
If you are dairy-free or vegan, you can easily make this recipe without dairy! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Butter – use a plant based butter, multiple options are usually available at your typical grocery store.
Some brands I really like baking with include Country Crock Plant Butter, Miyoko’s Creamery, and Trader Joe’s Vegan Buttery Spread. All of them work exactly like butter, without the dairy!
Egg – while not dairy, you’ll want to skip the egg if you’re vegan.
Some options include using a 1/4 cup of plant-based yogurt per egg {just one egg is needed in this recipe}, 1/4 cup of applesauce or just using a ready-made egg subsitution like Just Egg {according to their website, use 3-4 tbsp of Just Egg for each egg that you’re replacing}.
Chocolate Chips – there are some pretty great vegan options for chocolate chips, including Enjoy Life which is available in most grocery stores or online {links below}.
What Supplies Do You Need to Make This Easy Blondie Recipe?
To make these Chocolate Chip Blondies, you’ll need:
{These links are affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission on your purchase at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!}
- 8×8 square pan
- Parchment Paper
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Another medium or large mixing bowl
- Sifter {optional, but recommended}
- Silicone spatula
- Toothpicks
Step by Step Guide
Ready to cook? Grab the printable recipe at the bottom of this post and come back here to get started!
Hungry for More?
Want more delicious brownies & cookie bar recipes? Try these:
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
- Homemade Brownies with Strawberry Filling
- Lemon Cookie Bars
- Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie S’mores Bars
- 4 Ingredient S’mores Bars
Double Chocolate Chip Blondies
It doesn’t get much easier than these Double Chocolate Chip Blondies! This recipe is so simple and uses stuff you already have in your pantry. No brown butter required and made with both milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, you’ll love this basic blondies recipe made these brownie cousins a little better with some extra chocolate! {Includes vegan variation!}
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter (approx. 1 ½ sticks), melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Begin by preheating oven to 350 degrees F. Line a square pan (8x8) with parchment paper with an overhang and set aside.
Add melted butter and brown sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Next, add egg and vanilla and mix some more.
In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour.
Add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until batter forms.
Add both chocolate chips and fold it into the batter.
Evenly pour the batter into the lined pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the blondies pass the toothpick test (ie.: insert a toothpick into the center of the blondies, and if it comes out clean, then it is ready).
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