One-bowl gluten-free blondie recipe. These are buttery, soft, and irresistible thanks to the brown sugar and butter.
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.
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.
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.
Bake until the bars are golden brown and the top is shiny and slightly cracked, about 30 minutes.
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.
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.
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.