Never Fail Blondie Bars

These chewy blondie bars come together with just a bowl and a spoon. Mix them up with your favorite add-in’s and the batter will be ready before the oven preheats! 

Yesterday, I experienced the first crisp fall day in Chicago. It was glorious and almost made me reconsider my current stance on pumpkin baked goods. It even peer-pressured me into buying my first decorative white pumpkin. I’m not mad about it.

The cooler weather is also getting me excited to bake all the things! I really, really don’t enjoy turning on my oven during the summer. I mean, I do it (pizza, duh), but I really don’t look forward to it. I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.

Another reason why I love fall? It is officially cookbook season. Several internet friends are releasing their very own cookbook babies right now, and I love having the opportunity to share them with you! Today’s chewy (seriously chewy!) never fail blondie bars are from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook by Mary Younkin.

I met Mary (author of the blog The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook) on a photography retreat two years ago, and was struck by her kindness and wonderful sense of humor. Mary is a true gem, and also happens to be a busy working mom to three to the cutest kids (all boys!) ever. On that note, follow her on Snapchat.

Mary’s motto in the kitchen is cooking from scratch as simply as possible, and her new cookbook channels that philosophy perfectly. It is filled to the brim with weeknight-friendly dinner recipes, and creatively divided into chapters based on preparation time. Each recipe includes ideas for easy side dish, preparation tips, or adaptations. The book also includes weight conversions, which I love, love, love!

Despite offering a huge range of savory dinner recipes to choose from, I got totally distracted by the dessert chapter and Mary’s recipe for never fail blondies. The recipe name drew me in from the beginning, and a craving for blondie bars immediately ensued. Let’s start baking!

As the name suggests, this blondie bar recipe could literally not be easier. Who doesn’t love a no fail dessert that you can turn to any day of the week?

The blondie batter can be thrown together with just a bowl and a spoon, and it will be ready before your oven even has time to preheat. Like my favorite cookies, these bars use only brown sugar, which helps make them extra chewy.

If you’re a chewy dessert bar or cookie fan (is there any other way?), you will love these! The best part is that you can customize these blondie bars to your liking with various add-in combinations. Mary offers six different combinations as a starting point, but the possibilities are endless.

When I prepared this recipe, I took inspiration from the contents of my pantry. My version below contains semisweet chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, and unsweetened coconut flakes – but feel free to mix them up to your liking.

Dried fruits, nuts, extracts, chocolate, you name it and you can add it. Go wild!

Other Flavor Combination Ideas:

• 1 cup (175 grams) chocolate chips, any kind
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) + 1/2 cup (55 grams) chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) white/dark chocolate chips + 1/2 cup (70 grams) macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) dark chocolate chunks + 1/2 cup (55 grams) chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (80 grams) shredded coconut + 1 cup (175 grams) mixed chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup (110 grams) caramel bits + 2/3 cup (115 grams) semisweet chocolate chip

Continue to Content

Never Fail Blondie Bars

Yield: 9 - 12 Servings

These chewy blondie bars come together with just a bowl and a spoon. Mix them up with your favorite add-in’s and the batter will be ready before the oven preheats!

Print

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Blondies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick; 112 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup (225 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1 whole large egg
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (120 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips*
• 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes*

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square span with parchment paper or line with foil and grease the foil very well.
2. To make the blondies, in a large bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine. Stir in the flour and salt, just until combined. Stir in the semisweet chocolate chips, pistachios, and coconut (*or any of the other flavor combinations mentioned above the recipe), reserving a small handful of each to sprinkle on top if you’d like.
3. Scoop the bater into the prepared pan and spread to the sides. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until an inserted toothpick has moist crumbs. The blondies should be slightly browned along the edges. Cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes and then lift the blondies out by the paper/foil and set on a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing and storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Tips for Success:

• Make Gluten Free: Substitute the flour with: 2/3 cup (98 grams) brown rice flour + 1/4 cup (32 grams) tapioca starch + 3 tablespoons (33 grams) potato starch, to make these bars gluten-free.
• Feel free to swap out the chocolate chips, pistachios, and coconut with any other flavor combination mentioned above.
• This recipe can be doubled to fill a 9 x 13-inch pan. The doubled recipe will need to be baked for 40 to 45 minutes, until an inserted toothpick has moist crumbs. Slice into 16 – 24 servings.
• You can make this recipe in a greased pan without any liner at all, if necessary. The parchment will make it easier to lift the bars from the pan, and for slicing outside of the pan.

OTHER FLAVOR COMBINATION IDEAS:

• 1 cup (175 grams) chocolate chips, any kind
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) + 1/2 cup (55 grams) chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) white/dark chocolate chips + 1/2 cup (70 grams) macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) dark chocolate chunks + 1/2 cup (55 grams) chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (80 grams) shredded coconut + 1 cup (175 grams) mixed chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup (110 grams) caramel bits + 2/3 cup (115 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

Recipe reprinted with permission from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook by Mary Younkin.