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5 from 36 reviews

These brownie blondies are the perfect combination of blondies and brownies. They’re gooey and fudgy with notes of brown sugar and caramel – you’ll never have to choose between the two desserts again! Easy to make, 8 ingredients, and no mixer required!

brownie blondies stacked on top of each other with crumbs in front

Choosing between blondies and brownies is a regular dilemma for me. I crave the chocolatey fudgy taste of brownies but I also love the brown sugar, caramel flavor of blondies.

And so that’s how brownie blondies were born! If blondies and brownies had a baby, this would be it, and I have to admit – I might like these brownie blondies more than regular brownies or regular blondies on their own.

blondie brownies sliced and shot from above

Why These Brownie Blondies Work

  • They’re gooey, with notes of caramel and brown sugar from the blondie batter and so much fudgy chocolate flavor from the brownies.
  • These brownie blondies have the perfect crinkle top that we all know and love!
  • Even though two batters might seem like a bit of work, brownie batter and blondie batter require almost all the same ingredients, so making the two batters is easy! Just swirl them together in the pan and voila!
  • You can make this recipe using regular dairy butter or dairy free butter – it’s been tested both ways!

Ingredients Needed

  • Butter: you can use regular butter or dairy free/vegan butter in this recipe.
  • Cocoa powder: I recommend using unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder, but you can use natural cocoa powder if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Flour: This recipe uses all purpose flour. I don’t recommend substituting this as the recipe hasn’t been tested with other types of flours.
  • Brown sugar: Light brown sugar is what gives these brownie blondies their caramel flavor, so I don’t recommend substituting. The one exception is that you can use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar.
ingredients needed to make brownie blondies in bowls with labels

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

STEP ONE: Prepare an 8×8 inch square baking pan. Line it with parchment paper and leave some hanging over the sides to make it easier to remove the brownie blondies from the pan later. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

STEP TWO: To make the brownie batter, melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Add in the brown sugar and white sugar, then whisk well until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl like a paste.

STEP THREE: Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk well, then add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until just combined and set aside.

step by step process for how to make brownie batter for brownie blondies
step by step process for how to make blondie batter for brownie blondies

STEP FOUR: Make the blondie batter in a separate bowl following all the same steps as above, except the dry ingredients are just flour and salt (no cocoa powder).

STEP FIVE: Scoop around 1/4 cup of the blondie batter into one corner of the 8×8 lined pan, then use a different measuring cup to scoop 1/4 cup of brownie batter into the opposite corner. Alternate in a checker pattern (see step by step pictures below), always adding brownie on top of blondie and vice versa. The batters will seep together a little bit – that’s okay.

STEP SIX: Take a knife and make a swirl in the top of the batter, starting at one end of the pan down to the other. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownie blondies comes out mostly clean with just a few wet crumbs (see picture below). Let them cool completely in the pan before slicing.

process showing how to make brownie blondies
four brownie blondies stacked on top of each other

Expert Tips

  • Properly measure your flour – please! Use a $15 kitchen scale (this is the most accurate way) or the fluff, scoop, and level method.
  • Do not over-mix the batter! Only mix until the dry ingredients are just combined.
  • Be sure to whisk the butter and sugars together until they are paste like and pull away from the sides of the bowl, and whisk the eggs in well. This helps create the crackly top as well.
  • Don’t mix the two batters together too much with the knife, or else they will be too blended and you won’t have the two distinct flavors.
  • Use two different measuring cups to scoop the brownie batter and blondie batter into the pan so that the batters don’t mix together.
  • I highly recommend using an 8×8 metal baking pan. The brownie blondies will bake more evenly, and baking them in a glass pan will take longer as well.
  • Don’t over-bake the brownie blondies – if the toothpick comes out clean, you’ve likely over baked them and they won’t be gooey and soft like they should be! I like to start checking on them early, at around the 28 minute mark.
  • Don’t slice the brownie blondies until they have completely cooled – trust me. Slicing into them while they are still warm is a great way to ruin brownie blondies as they will be a gooey, liquidy mess!
four brownie blondies stacked on top of each other with more sliced in the background

Storage Instructions

The brownie blondies should be stored un-sliced in the baking pan covered tightly with tin foil. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days (if you can make them last that long!).

If they’ve already been sliced, you can store them in an air tight container at room temperature.

I don’t recommend freezing these bars!

MORE BLONDIES YOU’LL LOVE

peanut butter blondies cut into squares with the one in the center on its side

Peanut Butter Blondies
Three White Chocolate Raspberry Blondie squares stacked with raspberries around

White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies
Oreo blondies sliced into squares with one in the middle on its side

Oreo Blondies
nutella blondies slices and closeup shot from overhead

Nutella Blondies

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

four brownie blondies stacked on top of each other
5 from 36 reviews

Brownie Blondies

Gabby Kislanko
These brownie blondies are a perfect combination of blondies and brownies! Gooey, fudgy with notes of caramel and just 8 ingredients and no mixer required!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16 brownie blondies
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Ingredients
 

Brownies

  • 6 tbsp butter, melted , (regular or dairy free)
  • 6 tbsp (75 g) light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tbsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, SEE NOTES
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp (48 g) all-purpose flour, SEE NOTES

Blondies

  • 6 tbsp butter, melted, (regular or dairy free)
  • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp (79 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tbsp vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour, SEE NOTES

Instructions
 

Brownies

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan so that you can easily remove the brownie blondies from the pan later.
  • Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan over the stove. Transfer the melted butter to a medium sized bowl.
  • Add in the light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk the butter and sugars together. Keep whisking until the mixture resembles a paste that pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl when you mix it.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk well.
  • Pour the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into the bowl and mix with the whisk until just combined. Do not over-mix! Set aside while you make the blondies.

Blondies

  • In another medium bowl, add melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Again, whisk the butter and sugars together until it resembles a paste that pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla, then whisk well.
  • Add the flour and salt into the bowl and mix with the whisk until just combined. Again, do not over-mix!
  • Use a measuring cup to scoop about 1/4-1/3 cup of brownie batter into one corner of the baking pan. Use a different measuring cup to scoop the 1/4-1/3 cup of blondie batter into the space beside it. They will start to spread together since the batter is runny – that's okay.
  • Add another scoop of brownie batter to the corner opposite where the other scoop of brownie batter was, then if there is room, do the same with the blondie batter. Add a scoop of brownie batter over top of the blondie batter, then a scoop of blondie batter over top of one of the brownie batter areas, and alternate this way until all batter is gone. (Process photos are in the post above for reference).
  • Take a butter knife and lightly draw an "S" shape in the top of the batter with the tip of the knife, creating a marble effect (Photo in post above for reference). This step is optional, as it just creates a prettier look on top. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownie blondies comes out with just a few wet crumbs on it (but not covered in batter).
  • Let cool completely in the pan before slicing!

Equipment

8x8 inch Square Baking Pan
8×8 inch Square Baking Pan
Whisk

Video

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the “Metric” tab.
COCOA POWDER: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder, but you can use natural if that’s what you have.
MEASURING FLOUR and COCOA POWDER: Either measure your flour using a kitchen scale or use the proper scooping method: fluff the flour in the bag/container with a fork then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then run the back of a knife along the top of the cup to even it out. Do the same for the cocoa powder.
BAKING TIME: This will vary depending on your oven. If using a glass baking dish instead of aluminium, the brownie blondies will take longer to bake as well.
MARBLING: Your brownie blondies will likely have a different pattern than the ones in the photos, as it all depends how the batters decide to blend. Each time I make these the pattern is slightly different! The most important thing is to try not to mix the batters together too much, so that the blondies don’t get lost in the brownies.
MEASURING CUPS: Use one measuring cup to scoop the brownie batter into the pan, and another measuring cup to scoop the blondie batter in. Using the same cup will cause the batters to mix together too much.
Storage Instructions: Store un-sliced in the pan, covered tightly with tinfoil 3-4 days. If they’ve already been sliced, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container. 
Doubling Instructions: To double the recipe, double all ingredients and bake the brownie blondies in a 9×13 pan for 20-35 minutes.
Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 116mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 431IU, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg
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The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.