The Best Blonde Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a blondie and a brownie? ›

Both have chewy textures. However, blondies have a much lighter and softer taste than brownies. The ingredients used in brownies are where the two recipes diverge the most. Blondies use vanilla extract and brown sugar instead of cocoa powder to get their flavor, while brownies use chocolate and cocoa.

They are gooey, fudgy in the middle, and taste like rich, buttery caramel. Use melted butter, which is excellent, or you can add extra flavor by browning your butter first. I've shown how to brown butter for blondies below.

You can tell the difference using the edges; if they are a little burnt-looking and very dry, it's likely that the brownies are overcooked. If the edges are overcooked but the centre is not, the temperature of your oven was too hot.

Blondies are basically 'blonde brownies.' There is no cocoa or melted chocolate in the batter of a blondie. Instead, blondies are made with brown sugar for a rich butterscotch flavor and plenty of vanilla extract for a wonderful vanilla flavor. A good blondie is gooey, chewy, and a little fudgy.

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

There are various names these confectionary items go by; they are most commonly known as blondies but they can also be called blonde brownies or butterscotch brownies.

I always bake my blondies for exactly 25 minutes, until there is an ever so slight wobble in the middle of the tin. There is no point in doing the skewer test, as you want them to be a little be gooey when they are still warm! Cool the blondies completely in their tin, and then put them in the fridge overnight.

Metal Baking Pans Were Generally Better

As a recipe developer and cookbook author, I have always recommended light-colored metal for baking pans, especially ones that are used for cakes, brownies, blondies, and bread. This is because darker pans heat up faster, leading to overbrowning on the sides and bottoms.

The egg-sugar mixture MUST go from dense, runny, and dark to light, thick, and pale for it to work.” The mixture should end up “SUPER thick and fluffy, but not stiff,” as shown in her visual comparison, below.

Cakey blondies can be a result of too much liquid in the batter, over-baking, or under-stirring. First and foremost, follow the recipe instructions and only add 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk. That means you'll have an extra egg white leftover when making this recipe.

Why are my brownies cooked on top but not in the middle? ›

If the middle of the brownies are not cooking while the edges are burning, then you may need to lower the oven temperature and/or reduce the baking time. Additionally, you can try covering the brownies with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning.

Over mixing the eggs: If you over mix the eggs, that can incorporate more air into the batter and cause them to sink.

It's a swap that makes sense since mayonnaise is made of mostly oil and egg. It provides moisture, which keeps the baked goods soft and tender, just like oil does.

Box brownie mixes call for vegetable oil as the shortening, which makes them nice and chewy. The chocolate comes from cocoa powder, which gives box brownies a lighter, less rich chocolate flavor than the homemade variety. Most people say brownies from a mix remind them of childhood.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Other ingredients such as walnuts or chips can be added to the mixture. Blondies are soft and chewy. The name blondies comes from their light color, which contrasts with the dark color of traditional brownies.

Unlike a Brownie, Blondies don't contain any cocoa powder. Other than that, the recipe is fairly similar. Both contain flour, sugar, butter and eggs, although you'll often add vanilla extract to a Blondie to replace the cocoa powder.

Technically, though, a blondie is also a cookie bar. The two desserts look very similar. Of course, the primary difference is in the ingredients rather than the appearance. What type of sugar you use is the specific difference.

If your blondies still seem raw, you may have over mixed the mixture (just like brownies taking longer in some ovens!) – cover in foil, and bake in 5-minute increments.