Chocolate Chip Blondies – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Blondies with the texture of a brownie and loaded with chocolate chips and pecans have become a favorite treat.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

These bars are my immediate thought when I haven’t planned dessert in advance or when we have unexpected company. The brownie-like bite with a soft chewy center and crispy browned edges are always a crowd-pleaser.

Brownies get their flavor from cocoa powder and chocolate. Their close cousin the blondie gets its flavor from brown sugar and vanilla. Brown sugar and butter are a rich backdrop to the chocolate chips and pecans.

I often find myself making blondies when I need a quick treat to take to an event or a snack when the kids have friends over. The easy batter mixes quickly and baking them in one pan instead of sheet after sheet of cookies is so handy.

Using this as your base recipe you can create all sorts of versions from what you have on hand. Dried fruit, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, other nuts, and coconut. The possibilities are endless.

I’ve been making this recipe for years now and we all love it. When I started adapting it for gluten-free flours, I played with a few different options. You could also use a store-bought gluten-free blend in a 1:1 scenario.

The combination of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch works extremely well in this recipe. This is my favorite version and I’ve made these at least six times now. I made a triple batch for a recent trip and they were a huge hit.

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!

Chocolate Chip Blondie Recipe

• butter 
• light brown sugar
• eggs
• vanilla
• all-purpose flour*
• kosher salt
• baking powder
• chocolate chips
• chopped pecans

*Gluten-Free Alternative

• brown rice flour
• tapioca flour
• potato starch

Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or foil and grease very well. (You do not need to grease the parchment paper.) Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the sugar and continue beating until smooth and fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and ½ cup of chopped pecans.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips and ¼ cup of pecans. Bake for 25-28 minutes, just until an inserted toothpick has moist crumbs. They should be slightly browned along the edges and about a brownie consistency in the center.
4. Cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes and then lift the brownies out by the foil/paper and remove to wire rack to finish cooling before storing in an airtight container.

Brownies and Bar Cookies

Bar cookies and brownies are an easy fix to a sweet craving or when you need a quick dessert. If you are taking them to an event, I can pretty much guarantee you will bring home an empty pan.

Chewy edges, crazy moist blondies, and a crackling crust add up to these mouthwatering, slightly sweet apple brownies.

Slightly more gooey than the cookies and still crisp on top and bottom, this is one of the best bar cookies I’ve ever tasted. Monster Cookie Bars are a new twist on the old favorite.

So, I combined my love of almond and chocolate with my fondness for coconut, the result was a rich chocolate, almond, and coconut brownie that is completely and totally irresistible to me.

{originally published 7/10/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/19/22}