America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Easy Blondies

By America's Test Kitchen Kids

Published on January 4, 2023

Time

50 minutes, plus 2 hours cooling time

Yield

Makes 16 blondies

What Kids Are Saying

“Eat them in the sun so the chocolate melts a little bit!” —James, recipe tester, age 6

Easy Blondies

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon table salt 1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅔ cup pecans, chopped½ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make aluminum foil sling for 8-inch square metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In large bowl, whisk brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  4. Add flour mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until no dry flour remains. Add pecans and chocolate chips and stir to combine. Scrape batter into foil-lined baking pan and smooth top.
  5. Place baking pan in oven. Bake until top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 25 to 27 minutes. 
  6. Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let blondies cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours. 
  7. Use foil sling to carefully lift blondies out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.

Time

50 minutes, plus 2 hours cooling time

Yield

Makes 16 blondies

What Kids Are Saying

“Eat them in the sun so the chocolate melts a little bit!” —James, recipe tester, age 6

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

These sweet, chewy blondies are chock full of chocolate chips and chopped pecans, and ready to share with friends and family. After baking the blondies and waiting for them to cool, ask your young chef how they’d create 16 equal-sized blondies. If they get stuck, remind them that they baked the blondies in a square pan, so they’ll need to cut four rows of four blondies. To do this, they’ll want to make an even number of cuts lengthwise and crosswise. (They should make 3 cuts lengthwise, and 3 cuts crosswise). If they want to be really precise, kids could measure one side of the baking pan and divide it by 4 to figure out the length of one side of each blondie.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make aluminum foil sling for 8-inch square metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In large bowl, whisk brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  4. Add flour mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until no dry flour remains. Add pecans and chocolate chips and stir to combine. Scrape batter into foil-lined baking pan and smooth top.
  5. Place baking pan in oven. Bake until top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 25 to 27 minutes. 
  6. Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let blondies cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours. 
  7. Use foil sling to carefully lift blondies out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.