Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies

Have you ever had a hankering for something sweet but couldn’t quite put your finger on what you really wanted? These chocolate chip blondies are perfect for days like that! Not quite a cookie, not quite a brownie, not quite a cookie bar. Gooey, chewy, and crisp on the edges. . .they are (in a word) perfect.

What is a Blondie?

Let’s start by talking about what a blondie is. . .and what it’s not. Many people think it’s a blonde brownie. That’s close! If you removed the cocoa powder from a traditional brownie mix you’d have something similar. But most blondie recipes (mine, anyway) call for brown sugar instead of white.

Blondies date back to the early 20th century. According to cakerholic, the very first published recipe for this sweet treat was found in the 1896 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by a woman named Fanny Farmer.

Let’s just pause a moment to thank Fanny for her fine work.

Back then more blondies were made with molasses. These days we’re so blessed to have yummy brown sugar options. I went with light brown in my recipe but you could certainly use dark (or a combination of light and dark).

Is a Blondie a Cookie Bar?

Yes. . .and no. Cookie bars are thinner and nowhere near as gooey as these Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies. These are the height of a traditional brownie. But, without the addition of cocoa, they look more like tall cookie bars. Then you bite into one and realize it’s a whole new experience, one you’ve never had before!

If you love chocolate chip cookies, you’re going to adore these easy to make blondies. I sometimes call them my “everything” blondies because I throw in everything I can find. In this case, I added pecans and oats. (If you’re not a fan of those things you can simply leave them out! I’ll explain as I break down the recipe below.)

Chocolate Chip Blondie Ingredients

Are you salivating, thinking about these warm, gooey blondies? You will find the complete printable recipe at the bottom of this page. In the meantime, here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• salted butter, softened
• light brown sugar (or a combination of light and dark)
• large eggs, room temperature
• vanilla extract
• salt (omit if you use salted butter)
• all purpose flour
• quick oats
• baking powder
• chopped pecans
• chocolate chips

How to Make this Simple Blondie Recipe

This recipe comes together so easily you won’t even need a stand mixer or a hand mixer! I stirred mine with a fork, believe it or not! You could use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

First, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, soften your butter in a medium bowl. I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds until it was almost melted, but not quite.

Next, add your brown sugar. Stir, stir, stir!

Now it’s time to add those eggs. Stir until fully incorporated.

Next, add your vanilla and dry ingredients (salt, flour, oats, and baking powder). If you’re not an oats fan, just add an additional 1/2 cup of all purpose flour.

Mix, mix, mix! (It comes together so easily!)

Now for the good stuff! Add your pecans (if you choose) and most of the chocolate chips. I held back about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top because I wanted a gooey topping.

Y’all, this blondie batter looked good enough to eat! (Temptation, temptation!)

Prepare your baking dish. I used an 8×12 pan but you could certainly go with a 9×9 pan, if you choose. 8-inch pans are too small! You’ll end up over-filling the pan and the blondies won’t bake correctly.

Add your batter to the prepared pan and then gently press it down to fill the pan.

Place in center of oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, (until lightly golden).

Note: If the center of the blondies is too gooey, leave them in the oven for an additional five minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for another 30 minutes to cool down.

The end result is spectacular!

Cut into squares and serve. You can serve straight from the dish, of course, but I happened to be taking mine to some very special grandkids, so I put them onto a plate.

Y’all, these blondies are sheer perfection! They’re crisp on the outside but gooey and delicious on the inside. They’ve got both a chewy texture and a gooey one. They hit all the spots!

Only one regret: I only wish I had a large scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with the one I ate before passing these off to the kids.

Variations on Chocolate Chip Blondies:

• Skip the oats and go with all-purpose flour throughout.
• Load them up with mini M&Ms instead of chocolate chips!
• You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate. You can even use white chocolate chips if you want a milder flavor.
• For more of a molasses flavor, use all dark brown sugar.
• Another way to add depth of flavor is to use brown butter. I covered the ins and outs of brown butter in my Brown Butter Frosting recipe.
• Speaking of my Brown Butter Frosting, it would be perfect on top of these blondies!
• If you want a thicker, less gooey blondie, up the flour by 1/4 cup. Next time, I might try this.
• For added texture, toss in half a cup of shredded coconut.
• Not a fan of chocolate? No problem! Add peanut butter chips or even caramel chips.
• Looking for an Almond Joy experience? Add chocolate chips, coconut, and slivered almonds.
• Make a peanut-butter blondie! Add half a cup of peanut butter and some chopped peanuts. Adjust your flour, adding a bit more to accommodate.
• Add 1/4 – 1/3 cup cocoa powder to turn these into traditional brownies.
• Turn these into cookie bars by baking on a cookie sheet. Add parchment paper to the sheet first.
• Looking for a classic chocolate chip cookie? Just add a smidgeon more flour and scoop these like you would scoop any cookie.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Since we are on the blondie train, you should also try my Pecan Pie Blondies!

These blondies remind me of my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies with brown butter. They’re my favorite! You might also enjoy these brown butter pecan cookies, which have a similar warm taste.

I found an Easter Egg Blondies recipe over at South Your Mouth. Yum!

This is such an easy blondie recipe, but it’s one your guests are sure to remember. Be sure to store them in an airtight container so that they stay fresher longer.

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.