Cook's Illustrated's Blondies Recipe on Food52 (2025)

I wanted to make these to serve at my Book Club after reading an article rating these as “the best blondies”. After reading the reviews on Food 52 that they were “ soup” in the middle, that the recipe was wrong and that I should use fake vanilla - I was afraid to make them. The mixing and baking process was uneventful. And they were done and perfect in 20 minutes. Nice crumb, crispy top and brown buttery edges. Very nice blondies. I am not sure what all the fuss is about?

Did not work for me. Very dense and seemed uncooked despite cooking it for extra time.

Recipe said 23-25 on 350… 33 minutes and still mush. Put oven on for another 10 minutes. That’ll bring it to 43. 20 more than recipe calls for. Idk why…Unless there is something wrong with my oven?!

Love this recipe! Easy to make and they taste delicious!

These are HORRIBLE. I followed the recipe to a t. Middle is soup and the outside tastes like a dry muffin. HORRIBLE!!

Ed237 January 18, 2023

These were pretty terrible, did then exactly plus followed advice from another article and the comments and they never cooked they were constantly raw

Sybil January 16, 2023

They turned out perfect at 24 minutes!💗 People having trouble with the recipe need to recheck their measurements and oven temperature…accuracy is essential.

Like others have said these turned out awful—underbaked to the point of being raw despite adding time. The actual CI recipe calls for 1.5 t of vanilla, not the 4 called for here. I threw out the first batch and remade them using the actual CI recipe and they came out perfect. Go to the source!

Ali December 16, 2022

Why did my blondies come out all liquidly? I’m so confused😣

I followed this recipe except I subbed the white chocolate for cookies and cream bars because I didn't have anything else on hand, and it still came out tasting very vanilla-y and caramelly. For people that are worried white chocolate is too sweet, when you bake it caramelizes and has a richer flavor than its regular form. Great texture, edge pieces were crunchy but inside is still chewy and the inner pieces (which are my favorite) are soft and chewy. If you like the idea of brownies but find them to dry and like rich vanilla, caramel flavors, this is a great recipe to try. Also, I think people think the cook time needs to be longer because they aren't letting them cool to room temp and set in the fridge beforehand so let this happen unless you want dry, overbaked blondies!

Avas October 17, 2022

too cakey.

delicious recipe! the flour weight and cup measures do not agree, which could be part of the reason folks have such mixed experiences. 1.5 cups of flour should equal 6 3/8 ounces (using the King Arthur chart)...7.5 ounces is closer to 1.75 cups flour. i've never had trouble with this recipe bc i bake by weight - would be terrific if the recipe could be clarified or corrected.

I made the recipe exactly as written and the blondies were amazing, (removed from oven at 23 minutes). I will have to reduce the amount of sugar next time if I want my wife to eat them, but the grandkids and I had no problem finishing them haha. Also, looking at the reviews, there were several people that mentioned the baking time wasn't long enough (22 to 25 minutes), and I have to imagine that they probably don't know how accurate their oven control is...like they believe every oven set to 350 degrees is exactly 350 degrees. No one making these comments said they used an oven thermometer and 'know' their oven temp was 'right on'. I think you shouldn't make a comment about temp until you check your oven. My oven used to measure 335 degrees when set to 350, so I just added 15 degrees....close enough. When it started dropping even more, a repairman repaired it, now it's +/- 3 degrees...don't mess with it anymore.

I made these today and they are AMAZING!!! Will definitely make them for years to come!!!

I’ve made these bars for years, a variation almost identical to Ina Garten’s recipe. I tried these today. I would say stick to Ina Garten! These are underwhelming!

A. R. December 13, 2020

This is my second attempt at a blondie, made very carefully with walnuts and a bit more chocolate and less white chocolate. At 25 minutes VERY undercooked, used a metal pan, parchment paper. I think the altitude (7297') may be to blame, will try it again with high-altitude adjustments - but not sure if I make adjustments for cookies or cakes. For us (boys 9, 12 and myself) these were crazy sweet even with a little less white sugar (another clue that it might be a high-altitude issue)

I've been making this for 3 years now, I only use it as a guide and swap in and out ingredients all the time, never had a fail, always delicious and the entire pan finished by the end of the day.

Made them just as written except about 20g less brown sugar (I would go even a bit less next time making them with white chocolate).I didn't brown the butter but certainly could. I used lovely chopped blond chocolate which gives a bit of depth and a wee bit less sweetness to the blondie. Made for the white chocolate lover in the family. Used pecans. They loved them and even though I am not a big white chocolate fan thought they were very good. Was very careful not to overbake (a bare 23 minutes). They were chewy and not at all dry or conversely underdone. Do need the cooling time to setup.

Made these, also watched the hilarious recent IG video with the humble Amanda. I burned the pecans and had to toast another cup: quite a sacrifice. I followed the recipe precisely, used a thin metal pan and parchment for 22 minutes. Perfect. Delightful. Well received. A note: burnt butter as an ingredient would make these Burnt Butter Blondies, a variation, also delightful, but not the same thing. Make these! (Also very nice without the chocolate and nuts.)

I was a sceptic, too! First, I could tell from the video it was going to be a slimmer profile blondie than my usual go to recipe. This was true, but resulted in an elegant, smooth, delicious blondie! The deep toasted pecans, buttery texture, and vanilla gave it an almost praline type taste, but these were far more satisfying than any praline I’ve ever eaten! The tender crumb and the delightful fragrance were addictive. These are going to be my new go to blondie!
*Notes:
I used only dark chocolate chips (60%). For me, white chocolate would have been too sweet. I didn’t bother lining the pan, but just buttered very generously. It would probably have been slightly easier to get the blondies up with the sling, but it was an at-home quarantine recipe, so we didn’t mind a couple of imperfections. For my oven with no sling and a glass Pyrex, they were perfect at 22 minutes. I think the recipe could be upsized to make a deeper blondie, but it might lose a bit of the velvety texture.