Classic Vegan Blondies

January 22 is national blonde brownie (or blondie) day and May 9 is national butterscotch brownie day (which is another name for a blondie). Two days to celebrate every year! Were blondies the original brownie? Perhaps. The first recognizable brownie recipes popular in the late 19th century got their color from molasses not chocolate. Chocolate was an early-20th-century innovation that quickly took off and around the mid-century mark, molasses brownies became known as blonde brownies or blondies. The molasses in brown sugar is the main component of a chewy blondie.

Some may think aren’t these just chocolate chip cookies baked in a pan? You’d be somewhat right but blondies are thicker and chewier than their cookie cousins. They usually contain nuts and sometimes white chocolate chips. I went the classic semisweet chips and walnuts route but feel free to improvise!

There’s a few things that are a little different from a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that make these blondies. One is you need to beat the wet ingredients well until they’re light and fluffy. There’s also a secret ingredient of 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. It seems weird but it makes the blondies super chewy, so don’t skip it!

I’ve been using Country Crock sticks lately for baking and they’ve been fantastic. Their texture is better than any other butter sticks I’ve used. I’m not getting paid to say it, I just like them!

Another unusual thing about these is that they’re baked in a lower temp oven. These also keep them chewy and tender. Resist the temptation to over-bake. Better to under-bake than over.

To get perfect crisp edges, make sure to cool the blondies completely preferably in the fridge before cutting with a serrated knife. This will give you clean edges like mine. If your sides puff up, you can trim them off before cutting the rest. Some prefer the edges!

Classic Vegan Blondies

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 2 votes

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

24

minutes

The best chewy vegan blondies you’ll ever make!

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegan butter, softened (or two sticks)

• 3/4 cup plus one tablespoon vegan granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 tablespoons finely ground flax meal

• 6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) or water

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

• Whisk the flax meal into the aquafaba or water and set aside for five minutes to thicken.
• Cream the vegan butter, sugar and brown sugar in a bowl using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. 
• Add flax eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, blending with the mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don’t overmix. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.
• Preheat your oven to 300°. Grease a 13×9 baking pan and add the batter spreading evenly to all sides of the pan. I find an offset spatula does quick work of this.
• Bake for 22-24 minutes until
  just starting to brown and puff up. Don’t over-bake. Cool completely, then cut into squares.

Notes

• I find the combination of flax and aquafaba ideal as an egg substitute. You can use plain water with the flax as well.
  
• Feel free to use different chips or nuts but this is the classic combination.

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