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Chewy gluten-free blondies cut into squares and stacked on parchment

Chewy Gluten-Free Blondies

on Dec 09 2025
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    A blondie is what you get when you make a brownie and leave the cocoa out. Brown sugar and vanilla do the work instead of chocolate, which gives them a warm butterscotch flavor and a dense, chewy bite that is completely their own thing. Ours are made in one bowl with our 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, loaded with chocolate chips, and baked in a single square pan. Ten minutes of work, and the hardest part is waiting for them to cool. So good, no one will guess they are gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

    What is a blondie?

    A blondie is a brownie without the cocoa powder. Everything else about the format is the same, a dense, chewy bar baked in a square pan and cut into squares, but the flavor comes from brown sugar, butter, and vanilla rather than chocolate. That combination tastes distinctly of butterscotch and caramel, which is why blondies are sometimes called blonde brownies. Most versions, including this one, fold in chocolate chips, so you still get the chocolate, just as an accent instead of the whole point.

    Why you'll love them

    • One bowl and about ten minutes of hands-on time.
    • Genuinely chewy, with a butterscotch flavor you only get from brown sugar.
    • Loaded with chocolate chips, a full cup in a single 8-inch pan.
    • No special binders needed. Our flour is already bound with guar gum.
    • Gluten-free without compromise, made with our GFCO-certified 1:1 All-Purpose Flour.

    Do you need a gluten-free blondie mix?

    No, and this is one recipe where a mix would genuinely be a waste. A blondie is brown sugar, butter, an egg, vanilla, and flour, stirred in one bowl. There is no cocoa to bloom and nothing to melt. A bag of Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour gives you these blondies plus cookies, quick breads, and everything else you would use flour for, which is a better use of pantry space than a single-purpose mix.

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 to 30 minutes
    Total Time about 40 minutes, plus cooling
    Yield 9 squares
    Serving Size 1 square

    Ingredients

    Shop Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 4 lb.

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides, and set aside.
    2. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Whisk it into the brown sugar until smooth and glossy, about a minute. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until fully combined.
    3. Add the 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
    4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spatula. It will be thick.
    5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is set and lightly golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The center should still look slightly underdone; blondies firm up as they cool.
    6. Cool completely in the pan before lifting out on the parchment and cutting into 9 squares.
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    Recipe Tips & Notes

    Melted butter, not creamed. Whisking melted butter into the brown sugar is what gives blondies their dense, chewy texture. Creaming softened butter whips air into the batter and makes them cakey instead.

    To keep them gluten-free: Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is GFCO-certified, and it is already bound with guar gum, so no xanthan gum or other binder is needed. Choose gluten-free chocolate chips too.

    How to make blondies chewy, not cakey

    Two things decide it. Use melted butter rather than creamed, because creaming beats air into the batter and lightens the crumb, which is the opposite of what a blondie wants. And pull them early. A blondie is done when the top is set but the center still looks slightly underbaked, because it keeps cooking in the hot pan. If yours come out dry and cakey, both of those are usually why.

    How to keep gluten-free blondies from crumbling

    Crumbling is the common complaint with gluten-free bars, and it comes down to binding and patience. Our 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is bound with guar gum, which does the structural job gluten would, so you do not need to add anything. The rest is cooling. Blondies are still setting when they come out of the oven, and cutting them warm is what makes them fall apart. Cool completely, lift the whole slab out on the parchment, and cut on a board with a sharp knife.

    Blondies vs brownies vs brookies

    Three bars that get confused constantly. A brownie is chocolate all the way through, made with cocoa powder or melted chocolate. A blondie is the same format with the cocoa left out, so brown sugar and vanilla carry the flavor and it tastes of butterscotch. A brookie is different again: a brownie layer with a chocolate chip cookie layer baked on top, so it is two doughs rather than one. If it is the two-layer version you are after, try our gluten-free brookies.

    Variations

    • Butterscotch blondies: swap the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips to lean into the flavor the brown sugar is already giving you.
    • Brown butter blondies: brown the butter before whisking it into the sugar for a deeper, nuttier flavor. We have a full [apple brown butter blondie] recipe if you want to go further.
    • Caramel blondies: see our caramel blondies for a version with a caramel swirl.
    • White chocolate and macadamia: a classic pairing with the butterscotch base.
    • Salted: a few flakes of sea salt across the top as they come out of the oven.
    • Egg-free: substitute one chia egg, 1 tablespoon of ground chia mixed with 3 tablespoons of water and left to gel. Test before relying on it, since the egg is doing structural work in a bar this dense.

    Make ahead & storage

    • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Blondies keep better than most bars and are arguably best on day two.
    • Freeze cut squares in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
    • The batter comes together fast enough that making it ahead is rarely worth it, but you can press it into the pan, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours before baking.

    Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 4 lb.

    Featured Product

    $19.49

    View full details

    Size: 4 lbs

    Pack Size

    Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is a GFCO-certified artisan blend that swaps cup for cup into the recipes you already love. No dairy, no nuts, no corn, no soy, no salt, no leavening. Just scratch baking, back in your life.

    Bake like you always have

    Measure it 1:1 in place of wheat flour for cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and pie crusts. Most recipes need no changes at all; if a batter thickens as it sits, thin it with a splash of liquid and keep going. The subtle flavor works in savory cooking too: thickening gravy, coating chicken, breading fish.

    Yes, even yeast breads

    Use 1 teaspoon of dry yeast per cup of flour and add water until the dough is a sticky batter, like banana bread. For a taller loaf, line the pan with a parchment collar 3 to 5 inches above the rim.

    Never scoop the bottom of the bag

    The 4 lb. bag keeps serious bakers stocked, and Subscribe & Save delivers a fresh bag on your schedule with 10% off every order. Pause or cancel anytime.

    Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Guar Gum, Sweet Rice Flour, Rice Bran.

    Pamela's Products are manufactured in a Gluten-Free Certified Facility and peanut-free facility. Our products are produced on equipment that processes Tree Nuts, Coconut, Eggs, Soy, and Milk.

    We've Got Answers

    A blondie is a brownie made without cocoa powder. Brown sugar, butter, and vanilla carry the flavor instead of chocolate, which gives it a butterscotch taste, and most versions fold in chocolate chips. It is sometimes called a blonde brownie.

    Cocoa. A brownie is chocolate all the way through, while a blondie leaves the cocoa out and builds its flavor on brown sugar and vanilla. The method, the pan, and the dense chewy texture are the same.

    Use melted butter rather than creamed, since creaming whips air into the batter and lightens the crumb. Then pull them from the oven while the center still looks slightly underdone, because blondies keep setting as they cool.

    Usually because they were cut before cooling. Blondies are still setting when they come out of the oven, so cool them completely, then lift the slab out and cut on a board. Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is bound with guar gum, which handles the structure gluten would.

    Not that we have found, and you do not need one. Blondies are a one-bowl recipe with no cocoa to bloom and nothing to melt. A bag of Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is all the specialty ingredient required.

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