Whip up a pan full of scrumptious gluten-free blondies with white chocolate chips. Dairy-free as well, this simple recipe is so quick and easy to make, anyone can make it!
Up until recently, my kids didn't even know what a blondie was! It only took one batch of these ooey gooey, melt-in-your-mouth dairy free blondies before all of my kids declared that they are now a family favorite.
So what are blondies, and what do they taste like? To put it simply, they have the soft, chewy texture of a brownie with the irresistibly rich vanilla flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, despite the higher fat to flour ratio. However, blondies are way easier to make than either brownies or chocolate chip cookies, the perfect sweet tooth fix for a busy schedule.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Gluten free blondie bars are great for kids. Actually, I figure that most anyone would have a hard time passing up these yummy cookie bars!
- They're quick & easy. You mix up the dough, dump it in a pan, and bake in the oven; that's it!
- Blondie bars are baked like a brownie, but they take on the vanilla flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, the best of both worlds!
- They're irresistibly rich and chewy with a crisp, sweet top, and they're full of melt-in-your-mouth white chocolate chips.
What's the Difference Between a Brownie and a Blondie?
Although blondies have the soft chewiness of most brownies, there are some starkly contrasting differences between the two.
Unlike brownies, blondies have no cocoa powder or melted chocolate. So the dominant flavor in blondies comes from the brown sugar, not chocolate.
The lack of cocoa is also responsible for their signature blonde color.
What's the Difference Between a Blondie and a Brookie?
Brookies are made by alternating layers of brownie batter and chocolate chip cookie dough in a baking pan. The result is a rich, fudgy cookie bar that is half chocolate chip cookie and half brownie.
On the other hand, blondies are made of their own unique dough that resembles features from both brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Although they share many similarities and are equally delicious, blondies and brookies are not the same.
Ingredient Notes
Let's talk about a few of the ingredients for this gluten-free blondie recipe…
- Vegan Butter – I use dairy free plant butter, like Earth Balance sticks. Other dairy free substitutes might include vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil, applesauce, and even some mayonnaise! Of course, if you don't care to make this recipe dairy free, you can simply substitute 1:1 with regular salted butter.
- Brown Sugar – For this recipe, I use a mix of light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains. It's crucial that you use the exact amounts specified, as the type of brown sugar used can greatly affect the final flavor and texture of the bars.
- Vanilla Extract – I always avoid imitation vanilla, instead opting for 100% real vanilla extract. In my opinion, real vanilla is far superior in flavor.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour – I almost always use Authentic Foods Classical Blend gluten-free flour. Time and time again, this flour blend has given me the best results and gluten-free baked goods that taste no different than the original.
- Xanthan Gum – I add xanthan gum to my flour to help give the blondie bars a leavening agent. Some flours already contain xanthan gum, so be sure to check the ingredients before adding more. Too much xanthan gum and/or baking powder can give the blondies a soapy flavor.
- Dairy-Free White Chocolate Chips – Being a dairy free recipe, it is important that you use dairy free white chocolate chips.
How to Make Gluten-Free Blondies
Before getting started, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
To make gluten-free blondies with white chocolate, just follow these steps…
- Mix together the melted butter, brown sugars, and sugar.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
- Add the white chocolate chips and walnuts, thoroughly mixing them both into the dough.
- Spread the dough in the parchment paper lined baking dish.
- Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, or 'til a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs.
- Once baked, allow to cool; then cut into squares and remove from the pan. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's
Although cakey blondies can be a result of either too much liquid in the batter or under-stirring, the most common cause is over-baking. To obtain that soft, chewy texture that blondies are so well-known for, it's important that you bake them only to the point that a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, but with a few moist crumbs. If there are no crumbs on the toothpick, your blondies are over-baked.
Most of the time blondies will sink when they are too raw in the middle. This can be either a result of undercooking or, more commonly, it can also happen when the eggs and sugars are not mixed together well enough. In fact, under-aeration of the blondie batter will result in a doughy, greasy mess. For more information, check out this great article on, “Why Your Blondies Are Raw In the Middle” over at Food52.
Although they shouldn't be overly greasy, it's normal for blondies to be slightly gooey in the middle. If you prefer a more cake-like blondie, bake them longer, or 'til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no crumbs.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, gluten free dairy free blondies will typically last for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can. The best way to freeze blondies is by wrapping them in either plastic wrap or aluminum foil and placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the deep freeze. Stored this way, they should last up to 3 months. To defrost, simply leave them on the counter at room temperature for a few hours.
What Can I Add to Blondies?
Bored of just plain blondie bars? Although I'm not sure if that's possible, here are a few ways you can change things up…
- Add nuts– chopped walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and almond slices come to mind.
- Try substituting semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or even mint chocolate chips for the white chocolate chips in this recipe.
- Add Reese's Pieces or even Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups, or try adding toffee bits.
- Add raisins or Craisins!
- I like to serve blondie bars with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream. This would go so well with a thick lathering of maple butter!
More Bars and Cookies
Here are a few more treats you'll enjoy, especially if you love gf blondies. Even if some of these are not gluten-free or dairy-free, you can easily switch up the ingredients to make them so.
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
- Microwave Rice Krispie Treats in 5 Minutes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Quick and Easy Buckeye Bars
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
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Gluten-Free Blondies (DF)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan or plant butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces dairy-free white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350º F, and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugars, and sugar.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
- Add the white chocolate chips and walnuts, thoroughly mixing them both into the dough.
- Spread the dough in the parchment paper lined baking dish.
- Bake at 350º F for 45 minutes, or 'til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs.
- Allow the blondies to cool; then cut into squares, remove them from the pan, and serve.
