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Gluten-free blondies cut into squares. One is stacked on top of the another to show the chocolate chips.

Gluten-Free Blondies

One-bowl gluten-free blondie recipe. These are buttery, soft, and irresistible thanks to the brown sugar and butter.

Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 18 bars
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ sticks butter, melted (6 ounces; 170 grams)
  • 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar, light or dark, see note (9 ounces; 255 grams)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour. (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free Baking Flour recommended.) (7½ ounces; 212 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, optional (dark, milk, or white) (6 ounces; 170 grams)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (3½ ounces; 100 grams)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Let the parchment overhang the pan by about two inches. Lightly grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. Stir together the brown sugar and melted butter until smooth in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until creamy and smooth.

  3. Add gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the batter is thick and smooth. If using chocolate chips and/or nuts, stir them in now.

    Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

  4. Bake until the bars are golden brown and the top is shiny and slightly cracked, about 30 minutes.

  5. Let the blondies cool in the pan. They might sink in the middle as they cool.

    When cool, lift the bars out of the pan with the overhanging parchment paper. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. When cut, the bars might look underbaked. That's normal. They are very moist and buttery.

  6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Freeze cooled bars in a freezer container for up to two months. If you need to stack the bars, place a piece of parchmene paper or waxed paper between the layers.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour. Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. If yours doesn't whisk ¼ teaspoon into the flour before using.

Brown Sugar. The terrific butterscotch flavor comes from brown sugar. For a caramel-like flavor, use light brown sugar. For pronounced molasses flour, use dark brown sugar. 

Butter. Cool the butter slightly before adding it to the brown sugar. 

Nuts. Toast nuts on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. Remove nuts from the oven when they are golden brown and aromatic. Allow nuts to cool before chopping. 

Dairy-Free Variation. For dairy-free bars, use a dairy-free butter and dairy-free chocolate chips.