Chewy Blondies
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and King Arthur Baking.
Buttery, chewy blondies loaded with dark chocolate and toasted pecans, baked in a 20cm tin for a dense, fudgy bite.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Heat oven, line tin. Heat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan) and let it run for at least 20 minutes before baking, with a shelf set in the middle. While it heats, line the 20cm metal tin with a baking-paper sling so the blondies lift out cleanly later.
- 2
Melt and cool butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then leave it for about 5 minutes until just warm rather than hot. Butter that's too hot will cook the egg when it's added, so a short cooling pause protects the batter's texture.
- 3
Whisk butter and sugar. Whisk the warm butter with the brown sugar for about 30 seconds until combined, then add the egg, yolk, vanilla and salt and whisk for roughly 1 minute until glossy. Mixing by hand rather than creaming keeps air out of the batter, which is why blondies turn out dense and chewy instead of cakey.
- 4
Fold in dry ingredients. Fold in the flour and baking powder with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain, then fold through the chocolate and pecans. Overmixing at this stage develops gluten and toughens the bake, so stop as soon as everything is combined.
- 5
Spread and bake. Spread the batter evenly into the lined tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Look for a shiny, crackled, light golden top with just-set edges; a skewer pushed in 5cm from the side should come out almost clean with a little moist batter clinging to it.
- 6
Cool completely. Leave the blondies to cool completely in the tin, at least 1 hour, before lifting them out with the paper sling. The crumb is still setting as it cools, so cutting too early gives a gluey rather than fudgy slice.
- 7
Cut into squares. Cut into 16 squares once fully cool, wiping the knife between cuts for neat edges.
Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze the cut squares for up to 3 months, layered between baking paper. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Free sugars
16.3 g per serving
32.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 65.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 20 cm square metal baking tin (not glass), lined with a baking-paper sling
- saucepan
- large bowl and whisk
- spatula
- wooden skewer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 202 kcal |
| Protein | 2.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 24.4 g |
| of which sugars | 16.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 16.3 g |
| Fat | 11.4 g |
| of which saturates | 5.5 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Salt | 0.24 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
