Gluten-Free Blondies

Why This Recipe Works

Chewy but crisp around the edges, blondies are simply butterscotch-flavored brownies that rely on brown sugar and butter to give them their signature flavor. We began our testing by swapping in our all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in our traditional blondie recipe. It was no surprise that these blondies had problems: They were flat, sandy, and greasy. To start, we scaled way back on the butter, from 12 tablespoons to 7 tablespoons, to eliminate the greasiness. The reduced amount of butter also lightened the batter so that the blondies now had a nice rise. Next we tested mixing methods and found that the key to getting that hallmark blondie “chew” was to use melted butter, rather than creaming the butter with sugar. To fix the sandiness, we added a couple tablespoons of milk, which helped to hydrate and soften the flours. For sweetening, we used a combination of light brown sugar (for its toffeelike ­flavor) and granulated sugar (for structure). To further enhance the flavor we used a substantial amount of vanilla extract (4 teaspoons), and a little salt to sharpen the sweetness. To add texture and flavor to the bars, we included both semisweet and white chocolate chips. The blondies required a longer than usual baking time to dry them out or else they tasted mushy.