The BEST Classic Blondie Recipe

This easy, classic, one-bowl Blondie Recipe is quick to make and completely customizable! Load your blondies with anything from classic chocolate chips to your favorite candy, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and more!

Easy one-bowl customizable Blondie Recipe with text overlay.

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I've called upon today's beloved cookie bars multiple times for various occasions over the past few weeks, so it occurred to me that it's high time I share an oldie but a goodie...my all-time favorite Blondie Recipe!

Aerial view of stack of blondies with chocolate chips.

Reasons to Make this Blondie Recipe

This blondie recipe is fantastic for a variety of reasons:

  • It's quick and effortless to make in just one bowl. That means it's perfect for whipping up a speedy sweet treat for your own family or to serve at a get-together. It also makes a quick dessert to share with friends, neighbors, teachers, or really, just about anyone.
  • These blondies are supremely easy to customize. You can go with classic chocolate chips, of course. But they're also amazing stuffed with leftover holiday candy, from Valentine M&Ms to chocolate bunnies at Easter to chopped mini candy bars at Halloween to peppermint bark at Christmas.
  • For being so simple, these treats are flat-out scrumptious. I mean, it's hard to beat butter + sugar + chocolate.
Blondie Recipe baked in glass dish.

Ingredients

Just SEVEN ingredients are all you need to achieve blondie recipe bliss!

  • Butter. Unsalted, melted, and cooled. If you only have salted butter on hand, halve the amount of added salt in this recipe.
  • Brown sugar. Either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work, or I often use a combo of the two. The final blondies will be slightly lighter or darker as a result of the sugar that you use, but the flavor and texture will be good either way. Just make sure that your brown sugar is tightly packed into your measuring scoop when you measure it.
  • Egg. I recommend having it at room temperature. You can speed up this process by setting your uncracked egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
  • Vanilla. The vanilla flavor really shines through in a blondie recipe, so using a good-quality pure vanilla extract is very important.
  • Flour. All-purpose flour is the standard, but if you'd like to make a slightly more wholesome version of blondies, whole wheat pastry flour also works beautifully in this recipe.
  • Salt. I prefer fine sea salt, but regular table salt works just dandy.
  • Add-ins. Chocolate chips are classic, of course. But you can scroll down this post for additional delectable ideas!

How to Make Blondies

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

Have I mentioned that this blondie batter comes together in ONE BOWL in less time than it takes to preheat your oven?! You don't even have to wait for any butter to soften.

  1. Preheat the oven and grease an 8- by 8-inch baking dish or pan; set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and whisk in brown sugar until well-combined. Beat in an egg and vanilla until completely incorporated.
Melted butter and brown sugar in bowl.
Adding eggs and vanilla to the batter.
Blondie batter ready for chocolate chips.
  1. Blend in flour and salt until combined. Fold in half of your chocolate chips (or other add-ins).
Whisking the batter in a glass bowl.
Folding chocolate chips into batter.
  1. Scrape the batter into your baking dish or pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips.
  2. Pop the pan in the oven and -- less than half an hour later -- you'll have a dish of dense, chewy, goodie-studded blondies ideal for satisfying any sweet tooth or spreading a little joy (and sugar) to others!
Close-up of Blondie Recipe in glass dish.

Customization Ideas

And now to get your creative juices flowing, allow me to suggest some custom add-in inspiration, which you can stir into your blondie recipe batter and sprinkle on top!

First we have ubiquitous M&Ms of any variety...regular, mini, peanut, peanut butter, holiday color combos, etc...

Studded with M&Ms on white plate.

Chocolate chunks and shredded coconut...

Blondie on white plate with coconut and chocolate.

Peanuts and white chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips...I just didn't have any on hand)...

With peanuts and chocolate chips.

Milk chocolate chips and toasted pecans...

Blondie on plate with pecans and chocolate chips.

And a few more blondie recipe add-in ideas (which I didn't actually make and photograph):

  • Reese's pieces
  • chopped-up candy bars
  • malted milk balls
  • chewy caramels
  • chopped Oreos
  • colorful sprinkles
  • dried cranberries
  • pretzels
  • potato chips
  • a sprinkle of sea salt on top

...the list goes on and on!

Yep, these easy blondies can accommodate just about any of your favorite mix-ins and toppings, from leftover candy to different types of chocolate chips to a variety of nuts (I recommend toasted) and so much more.

What other add-ins can you think of?

Close-Up of blondie recipe cut into bars.

I'm telling y'all, these blondies are so good, they've even been known to attract whatever riff-raff happens to be playing outside when you set them in front of a sunny window to photograph them. 😉

Customizable Blondies with little boy peering in through window.

So the next time you need a sweet treat but you're short on time or energy, I hope you'll give this super quick and simple blondie recipe a go.

Better yet, I hope these amazing blondies land a permanent spot in your recipe files!

Aerial view of Blondie Recipe in baking dish.

Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment

  • You can make this recipe in either a baking pan or a baking dish. I typically use a baking dish since I can then use a knife or metal spatula to slice my blondies without worrying about scratching the bottom. Just keep in mind that your baking time might need to be on the slightly shorter side if you bake these in a dark pan, and slightly longer if using a glass dish.
  • These are very dense, moist cookie bars that may look a tad underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but they will continue to firm up as they cool. I prefer their texture when baked for closer to 25 minutes, but you may like them more or less done. After you bake these blondies the first time, you'll have a better sense of how long to bake them next time in order to achieve your desired outcome.
  • If you'd like to double this blondie recipe and bake it in a 9- by 13-inch pan, start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. The center pieces of this recipe always turn out softer/gooier than the edge pieces, so a doubled batch baked in a larger pan is going to result in more center pieces. If you prefer firmer edge pieces over gooey center pieces, simply divide your doubled batter between two 8- by 8-inch pans instead.
  • These blondies will stay fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days. After that, I'd recommend storing them in the fridge...though they never seem to last that long around here. 😉

More Easy Sweet Treats

Stack of blondies made from classic blondie recipe.

Classic Blondie Recipe

This easy one-bowl Blondie Recipe is quick to make and completely customizable, from classic chocolate chips to your favorite candy, nuts, coconut, dried fruit, and more!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 230kcal
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Video

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
  • 1 cup light OR dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips OR other mix-ins, DIVIDED

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish or pan and set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Use a whisk to stir in the brown sugar until well-combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until completely incorporated. Blend in the flour and salt until fully blended. Fold in half of the chocolate chips or other add-ins.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared dish or pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips/add-ins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center is set. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  • Nutrition info was calculated using semi-sweet chocolate chips as the add-in.
  • The baking time will be slightly shorter if you bake these blondies in a metal pan versus slightly longer if baking them in a glass baking dish.
  • Some people prefer gooey blondies and some people prefer them firmer. Either way, keep in mind that these are very dense, moist cookie bars that may seem a tad underdone when you first pull them out of the oven. They will continue to set and firm up as they cool. The first time you make this recipe, take note of the specific baking time for your oven that achieves your optimal blondie texture.
  • If you'd like to double this blondie recipe and bake it in a 9- by 13-inch pan, start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. The center pieces are always softer/gooier than the edge pieces, so a double-batch baked in a larger pan is going to result in extra center pieces. If you prefer firmer edge pieces over gooey center pieces, simply divide your doubled batter between two 8- by 8-inch pans instead of using a 9- by 13-inch pan.
  • These blondies will stay fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days. After that, store any leftovers in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Adapted from How to Cook Everything.
Post originally published on February 12, 2018.

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5 from 37 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

    1. Ha ha, Kiply...the riff-raff was definitely the highlight of this post! 😉

      (And so glad you enjoy my recipes!) 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    I make these every single week. I modified the recipe for my large family.
    Double batch, less sugar into a 9x 13 dish bake at 350 for 27 minutes.
    Delicious every single time, thank you! 🙂
    HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

  2. 5 stars
    These blondies are in the oven and the fragrance wafting over to me is making my mouth water! Thank you for this super quick, yummy, and simple recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    So glad I never knew what a blondie was until now because the 8x8 is all gone! First bite and I am now hooked. Thank you for making this recipe a keeper. Off to walk the dog now!! Haha

  4. 5 stars
    Super yummy and I love that this is a one bowl blondie recipe. Everyone loved them and clean up was super easy.

  5. 5 stars
    These blondies were soft, gooey and SO GOOD! And it was such a quick recipe. I'll be making these again for sure!

  6. 5 stars
    Such fun decadence, The blondies came together in a snap and were as scrumptious as you’d described them to be. Bravo and many thanks! I made mine with white chocolate, pecans, unsweetened coconut and red valentines sprinkles. The friends who got some send thanks also.

    1. Awww...yay, Carolyn! So happy to hear it. I love all of the goodies you added, and I'm sure your friend did, too! 🙂