Why Blondes (Brownies that is!) Have More Fun

Can blondes have more fun? They can if they are delicious blonde brownies!

What better reason to celebrate National Blonde Brownie Day on January 22 than to stir up a batch of this deliciousness?

If you are unfamiliar with blonde brownies (and I would have to ask you where you have been all your life not to know about this sweet treat), they are what their name implies – a light, almost blonde-colored brownie. Instead of white sugar used in traditional chocolate brownies, blonde brownies use light brown sugar in the recipe, giving the brownies a delicate butterscotch taste.

For this fun holiday, I am compelled to share my favorite blonde brownie recipe — you won’t regret making your own batch this weekend.

Keep scrolling for the recipe!

The recipe below is the original one I’ve had since the mid-1980s when I received it in a recipe exchange at work. As many times as I’ve made it, I can’t remember when it didn’t turn out perfectly.

How I make my Blonde Brownies:

For all my baking, I now use butter instead of margarine, using two sticks cut at 1/3 cup (to make 2/3 cup required). To soften, I put it in my high watt microwave for 2 minutes at the level 4 power level.

I hand mix all the ingredients in order and have a lovely color batter before the flour. Today I’m trying the H-E-B grocery brand brown sugar substitute (see photo above), with a one for one replacement.

To make it easier, I add a cup of flour at a time, mixing well before adding more. Finally, the chocolate chips — I use a full cup. Dark chocolate would work well with this recipe too.

The thick batter will need to be pressed into the greased baking pan.

Particularly important: bake on the middle oven rack for 25 minutes. Only 25 minutes or it will easily overbake.

And once again, the blonde brownies turned out wonderfully, with the crackled top just like chocolate brownies. And the stevia sugar substitute didn’t make it overly sweet.

Ready to make your own? Get ready for some butterscotch-y goodness!

Recipe for Blonde Brownies

This recipe uses a 9×13 pan.

2 cups brown sugar (lightly packed)
2/3 cup margarine (see my substitute recommendations below)
dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2-3/4 cups flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips (use a semi-sweet or dark chocolate of your choice)

Directions:
Soften margarine and cream with brown sugar.
Add salt, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well.
Add flour and baking soda. Mix until well blended. Don’t overmix.  
Add ½ to 1 cup of chocolate chips (to taste).
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
Don’t overbake!

Helpful Tips:
Having had this recipe for so long, I’ve made changes along the way. As mentioned, I replaced the margarine with butter. (Other exchanges for margarine are applesauce or coconut oil in the same amount. Know that coconut oil may alter the final taste.) I’ve also tried adding nuts to this recipe, as you would with chocolate brownies, but to me, the nut taste doesn’t seem to blend well.

A greased 9×13 glass pan is what I prefer to use for this recipe. Remembering not to overbake is important. Let them cool completely before serving. 

Note: The sugar substitute worked well and did not alter the taste. However, the brownies did not keep as well to the next day. They can be wrapped in a paper towel and microwaved for up to 30 seconds to bring back softness.

Let me know if you decide to try this recipe!