These chocolate chip gluten free blondies are made in one bowl, no mixer required, and incredibly soft, chewy with a gooey center. They’re completely paleo and the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Whether you call these gluten free blondies or chocolate chip cookie bars, this is a recipe that you definitely don’t want to miss.
My almond flour brownies have been incredibly popular lately, but I’ve always been more of a vanilla than chocolate kind of girl, so I thought almond flour blondies were in order.
They taste like a chocolate chip cookie, but they’re shaped like brownies, have a *slightly* crisp exterior and a gooey interior with juuuust the right amount of chocolate in every bite.
This is a paleo, gluten free, dairy free recipe that can be easily made vegan. I’m hungry so let’s start cooking.
Key Ingredients
Almond Butter: Any nut butter will work, but I suggest using one with a neutral flavor. Not all almond butters are created equal. Some have a very strong almond flavor. The raw almond butter from Trader Joes is the best of the best IMO!
Almond Flour: These blondies are not only gluten free, but paleo too! We’ll be using almond flour as the base, which helps these blondies get nice and fluffy while still maintaining a gooey center. Be sure to use blanched almond flour and not almond meal for this recipe.
Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar keeps the color of the blondies light, but adds a caramely flavor to the final recipe. You can sub with coconut sugar to make these refined sugar free.
Maple Syrup: Vanilla chocolate chip maple blondies just sounds too good to pass up. The maple syrup in this recipe is subtle, but adds some sweetness and moisture to the recipe.
Eggs: Two eggs help give these blondies rice and make them super fluffy. For a vegan option, you can sub for two flax eggs. Just mix 2 tbsp ground flax seeds with 5 tbsp of water and let thicken.
Oil: Virtually any oil or melted butter will work in this recipe, but I opted for refined avocado oil for a neutral flavor.
Arrowroot Starch: Arrowroot, tapioca, or even corn starch helps to absorb a bit of extra moisture and give the blondies a a fluffy, spongey texture.
Vanilla: You will need a full tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) of vanilla extract for this recipe.
How to make this recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until everything is well combined.
Stir in the wet ingredients (making sure to pour and level the flour, don’t scoop from the bag), and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
The batter should be on the thicker side, so don’t worry if that is what you have. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Transfer to an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper (they will stick without) and top with additional chocolate chips if desired. If you only have a 9×9, that will work too but they will be a bit thinner.
Bake for 32-37 minutes. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick should come out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing. If they haven’t cooled, slicing will get messy, so trust me when I say let them cool completely! They’re worth the wait.
Once cooled, if you want to drizzle them with more chocolate like I did in the photos, you’ll want to create a double boiler (or use an actual one if you have it) by adding a small pot into a larger pot with about 1 inch of water in the larger pot.
Add about 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1-2 tsp coconut oil and let melt over low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent clumps. Once it’s completely melted, take a spoon and drizzle on top.
Frequently asked questions
What is a blondie? A blondie is more or less a chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a brownie. Some call them chocolate chip cookie bars, but they’re more or less the same thing!
Why is it called that? Unlike a brownie, blondies don’t have any cocoa powder in the batter, giving them a paler blonde color, hence the name blondie!
How long will they keep? These gluten free blondies will keep for 3-5 days. They surprisingly do best when stored in a container with the lid slightly ajar. They can get a bit mushy if the lid is on completely, but will dry out if left completely out in the open.
What is the difference between a blondie and a brownie? Brownies and blondies are kind of the opposite of each other. Brownies are chocolate based, whereas blondies are vanilla based and taste more like a chocolate chip cookie than they do a brownie.
Can I make them vegan? Yes! Just swap the two eggs for two flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 5 tbsp water). Let the flax eggs thicken, then add to the recipe as usual. This will change the final texture slightly and they won’t rise quite as much, they’ll be delicious!
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Gluten Free & Paleo Almond Flour Blondies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- ¾ cup runny unsalted, natural almond butter
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup (dairy free) butter or refined coconut oil melted, I prefer butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder see notes
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until everything is well combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients (making sure to pour and level the flour, don't scoop from the bag), and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer to an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper (they will stick without it) and top with additional chocolate chips if desired. These blondies were photographed in an 8 inch pan, so they're thick, but I actually love them a bit thinner so lately I've been using the 9 inch pan! Either works, just depends on your preference.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes for an 8 inch pan and about 25-30 for a 9 inch. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick should come out clean. If you like really gooey centers, bake for less time!
- Let cool completely before slicing. If they haven’t cooled, slicing will get messy!
Kristen says
I made these last night finally and so happy I did! I used corn starch and vegetable oil since it’s what I had already. Followed rest of directions as written and they came out PERFECT! Love this recipe.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad those subs worked out!
candice says
Delicious! I made with flax egg and replaced the sugar with coconut sugar. otherwise followed the rest of the recipe as written. I baked them for a bit longer. Came out perfect. Have made them twice already and the whole family enjoyed them! Thank you for this recipe!
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So happy you’re all enjoying them!
Deserie says
Excellent recipe this is my third time making them they are wonderful thank you
Vicki says
Yes the aroma and taste are amazing. I want to make them again but need to correct something. Unlike a few others whose came out dry, mine were like raw. Cooked for a little over the 37 minutes, straw test was clean, let them set out for around 3 hours. Taste was great but center pieces were like mush. Baked bread and it came out perfect so I don’t think my oven is off. Any suggestions?
Claire Cary says
I would just add an extra tablespoon of the arrowroot or tapioca starch. The center is supposed to be soft, definitely not raw, but the extra tablespoon of starch should help absorb things a bit more!
Alice says
I made these this morning and they turned out perfect! I didn’t have powdered milk so I used powdered malted milk and I guess it worked. My husband really liked them, too. Will make it again. Thanks for sharing!
Claire Cary says
So glad you liked them! What were you using the powdered milk as a sub for?
Cheryl says
Followed recipe as written, but used only 1/3 light brown sugar instead of 2/3rds and a quarter of a cup of chocolate chips and sprinkled the rest on top since I didn’t want an overly chocolate taste. Also used 1 Tbl. grated fresh ginger, but next time will use 2 Tbls for a more gingery flavor. Texture was great, but will bake for less than 37 minutes because I think they came out a bit too dry, but still soft and the flavor was yummy. Will definitely make again! Best Blondie recipe I’ve tried.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Cheryl, so glad you liked them! When you’re cutting back on the sugar that much, I’d definitely recommend a shorter bake time since the sugar adds a good amount of moisture and slows down the baking process. Sounds delicious with the ginger!
Carla says
This came out 😊 so good. I replaced the eggs with flax eggs to make them vegan. I will definitely make these again 😋
Claire Cary says
So happy that worked out! Thanks Carla! If you don’t mind leaving a star rating with your next review, I’d really appreciate it!
audra says
What is the arrowroot measurement? The recipe lists a “range”? I’m not sure what that means. Thanks!
Claire Cary says
Hi Audra, sorry about that! It should just be 2 tbsp 🙂
Margo says
Damn, these are amazing. They also turned out fine even though I didn’t have Arrowroot starch or tapioca starch on hand. I did make them vegan and they tasted like real blondies. Thanks Claire!
Claire Cary says
Yay! So glad they worked as a vegan version. Thanks for the feedback Margo!
CSilva says
We made these the night before the superbowl. They were super moist and yummy! I can’t believe we had any left for the game the next day. Ours never got mushy or dried out. We had to modify just a tad due to our sugar limits….we supplemented a bit of brown sugar Swerve for the brown sugar and we used Lily’s chocolate chips. This is a favorite that we will make again!
Claire Cary says
So glad the substitutions worked out! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Madison says
So, so delicious. A great cross between a chocolate chip cookie and blondie.
Elis Valentin says
Hi Claire,
I made these tonight, and they came out a bit dry. 🙁
What could I have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly! I think I would leave out the arrowroot and adjust the almond butter to a half cup.
I will keep trying and tweaking here and there but excited to have found a simple recipe that will be safe for my daughter who has celiac and to satisfy my chocolate craving now and then!
Claire Cary says
These should definitely not be dry! But reducing the almond butter would only make them more dry, this is one of the key ingredients to keep them moist. When you measured the flour, did you scoop it right from the bag? You don’t want to measure GF flour that way because you will end up using much more than you really need. Always scoop it into the dry measuring cup and level off the top, don’t pack it in! These should be very, very soft/gooey in the middle, not dry! Also, be sure to use runny almond butter to keep them moist, some brands can be a bit dry. Hope that helps!
olivia says
super good to make. I reccomand them they taste just like a normal blondie.
Claire Cary says
Thanks Olivia, you’re too kind. See you tomorrow 🙂