All hail the golden-girl (or boy) of the dessert world: the Blondie. While you might be astonished, and rightly so, that anyone would want to make a chocolate-less brownie, don’t pass up these sugar-laden, butter-heavy squares until you’ve given them their proper taste-testing. Gluten free blondies are an old after-school favorite of mine – my grandma used to throw a batch of these into the oven mid-afternoon and drive to pick us up from high school with a few (still warm) bars tucked away in a paper towel between the front seats. Blondies will now forever take me back to those delicious rides home, munching on the melt-in-your-mouth, often-coconut-topped, blondies and the warm, sun-drenched bliss of post-school freedom. It’s funny how treats can root us in the sweetest memories.
No promises though – these will not take all of you back to high school (and many of you probably prefer to avoid that anyway), but they will take you to cozy, lazy afternoons (or mornings, we’re not judging) where the sun always shines and butter is the word of the day. Hot tip: these are not low-fat. But they are low-gluten! Zero of it, to be precise. They’re ridiculously easy to make, too, which makes them the ultimate danger-dessert. One of these days we’ll try a combo of these golden goodies with their deep dark counterparts: the brownie. You can never have too much of a good thing.
Because this recipe is so simple, it also gives you room to experiment. Maybe you toss in toffee chunks or swirl raspberry preserves on top before baking for a totally different fruity note. Coconut, as mentioned earlier, is also a wonderful addition, for a chewy, caramelized version. Or, go full chocolate-chip-cookie route and toss in handfuls of your favorite chunked chocolate bar. Macadamia nuts would be divine in these too – just adding to the buttery-ness. The keys that we recommend keeping the same in this recipe are: the butter and sugar (don’t skimp), and the vanilla (it looks like a lot but trust us, that’s what gluten free blondies are about). From there, have fun, and post any delectable variations that you come up with by tagging @sisterssansgluten on Instagram! If you’re into these and want to try out another indulgent pan of something, try out our Brondies (blondies + brownies – best of both worlds!) or if you’re into the caramel-y hints you’re getting here, hop over to these graham cracker toffee bars!
Gluten Free Blondies for a Crowd
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup softened butter 2 sticks
- 1 Cup dark brown sugar packed
- 3/4 Cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 Cup gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
- 3/4 Cup almond meal
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup chopped chopped white chocolate
- 3/4 Cup chopped raw unsalted macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Prep a 9×13 pan: grease the pan, then line with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until lighter and fluffy. Add in the eggs, and vanilla and blend to combine.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the first bowl and stir to fully combine. Add in the chopped walnuts (or a mix of other fun add-ins!) and stir until evenly distributed. Pour the mixture into the prepped pan and bake for 30 minutes or until top and edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. These can last days in an airtight container, but they may be gone pretty quickly!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your blondies!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
3 Comments
Emma
I brought these to my track club, a group of gluten-eating people some of whom had never heard of blondies (!) and they were polished off in a matter of minutes. Perfectly delicious, and easy!! Thanks for the lovely recipe. Will be trying lots more of yours!
Amelia Farber
So so glad these were a hit!! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe Emma!!
Tara
Oh, thank you for this recipe. I used to buy a gluten-free bagged mix for these and it was very expensive! So I couldn’t do it very often. Now I can create them at home without having to go buy the mix. Score!