Deliciously chewy and full of rich buttery flavor – these gluten free blondies are the perfect dessert for all ages!
Sink your teeth into these rich, chocolate chip filled, dairy free blondies and you may have found the ultimate gooey bar that might just make to your ‘most requested recipe’ list. In this classic version, brown sugar and non dairy butter combine to make the sweet, soft, buttery texture. And since chocolate makes everything better – sprinkle some chocolate chips in that lovely batter and bake just until golden. Yum.
What’s the difference between a blondie and a cookie bar and a brownie?
One bite into a blondie and the thought immediately pops up – what makes this different from bars or brownies… Well it has to do with a couple things…
1. The chewy texture
2. The lack of cocoa powder
The higher brown sugar content gives blondies that chewy, gooey texture. Whereas cookies and cookie bars have an equal balance of white sugar and brown sugar, blondies have a much higher brown sugar content making them slightly more tender than a cookie bar. And they don’t fall into the brownie category either because of the lack of cocoa powder, as the name says, ‘blond’.
The Key to Making Gooey Gluten Free Blondies
The texture we're aiming for is gooey - not gooey like fall apart gooey, but gooey in a sense that they're not crusty but incredibly soft and tender to eat. And the way to get this texture is with brown sugar. I wouldn't recommend substituting it if you can help it. Brown sugar offers a higher level of moisture which keeps these blondies gooey!
What substitutes can I use?
Fortunately for sweet baked goods, substitutions are a lot easier to manage than for something like this white bread where the results can vary greatly. Here are some tested substitutions for a few ingredients:
Psyllium husk powder – use xanthan gum instead with no other modifications
Non dairy butter – use coconut oil, not melted, or regular dairy butter
Chocolate chips – dark chocolate chips work great also
A word about gluten free flours
Wondering about substituting flours? This recipe has been tested with both King Arthur Cup for Cup gluten free flour and with my own gluten free flour mix with equally delicious results.
Tips for making this gluten free blondie recipe
The ingredients
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature – butter should be softened and the egg should be at room temperature. And both flours should be weighed with a kitchen scale for accuracy (accuracy is a must in gluten free baking!).
Mixing
A stand mixer makes it super simple to combine the ingredients. You’ll want to cream the butter and sugar completely before adding in the dry ingredients. After it’s nice and creamy, add in the dry ingredients and mix until there’s no dry spots left. It will look like dry batter.
Add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix until fully incorporated. It should look like thick batter at this point. Mix in the chocolate chips for the most mouthwatering blondie batter ever!
Pan prep
The pan prep can be a little tricky. Using an 8” x 8” metal baking pan, start by spraying the bottom with cooking spray. Then place parchment paper along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Spray the paper lightly with cooking spray. If there are pieces that don’t lay flat (for instance on the sides of the pan), fold the paper in.
Baking and cooling
Once the pan is ready, the batter has rested and the oven is heated, pour the batter into the pan and bake it for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick tests done.
Cool the blondies in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
Sweet golden brown gluten free blondies make an amazing dessert any day of the week!
Gluten Free Blondies {Dairy Free}
Ingredients
- 130 grams gluten free flour mix about 1 cup
- 30 grams sorghum flour about ¼ cup
- ½ teaspoon psyllium husk powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons non dairy butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips dairy free and gluten free
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the gluten free flour mix, sorghum flour, psyllium husk powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together until fully combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Mix on low speed until combined, then turn to medium to mix for 1 minute.
- Add the dry mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Mixture will be dry.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg to the batter and mix on medium for 1 minute.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold in using a rubber spatula.
- Set batter aside to rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare an 8” x 8” baking pan by spraying with cooking spray, then placing a sheet of parchment along the bottom and sides. Then spraying the paper again.
- Scrape batter into the pan, smoothing it with a spatula.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick tests done.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Make sure to weigh the flours with a kitchen scale.
- Use a stand mixer or hand held mixer to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Blondies may be served warm.
Nutrition
Looking for more yummy gluten free desserts? Check out these tasty recipes!
Sherry Rhoads
I was wondering if you could substitute stevia brown sugar for the regular. I would also use sugar free chips. I am a diabetic and must watch sugar content very closely.
Christine
Hi Sherry,
Yes, I've tested it with sugar free chips and they work wonderfully. I haven't tested it with Stevia brown sugar, but as long as it's the brown sugar variety it should work well.
~Christine