Almond Flour Blondies

Almond Flour Blondies are soft and chewy with a rich butterscotch flavour and plenty of dark chocolate chips. They’re also gluten-free and dairy-free, made with almond flour and no butter!

These blondies are a go-to sweet treat for us, especially when we’re craving something decadent!

For a festive version, try these Christmas Blondies with peanut butter and holiday sprinkles!

I’ve tested so many different combinations of ingredients for this almond flour blondie recipe. I wanted to keep the standard elements of brown sugar and vanilla, but I didn’t want them quite as sweet as typical blondies. I also wanted to make them dairy-free, which met eliminating butter, a key blondie ingredient.

In place of butter, this recipe calls for almond butter and coconut oil, and after several recipe tests, I finally landed on the right ratio. And combined with the other ingredients, these blondies have the perfect texture. They’re chewy, moist and golden brown, and you’ll never miss the butter.

What is the difference between a blondie and a brownie?

Blondies are often referred to as blond brownies. While they’re both dense and chewy bars, brownies contain chocolate – either in the form of cocoa or melted chocolate. Blondies, on the other hand, have a caramel-like taste with an emphasis on brown sugar and vanilla as key ingredients.

For me, I think of blondies as less like brownies, and more like chocolate chip cookie bars, especially since my favourite way to enjoy them is loaded with chocolate chips.

After you try this blondie recipe, if you’re craving brownies, I highly recommend these salted almond butter brownies!

Details on the ingredients

Brown sugar – It helps create a rich butterscotch/caramel flavour and a moist and chewy texture. 

Cane sugar – Just a quarter of a cup for added sweetness. You can use granulated sugar if you don’t have cane sugar.

Almond butter – There’s half a cup of natural almond butter in this recipe, so you could really call these blondies almond butter blondies. It’s used in place of butter and adds some healthy fats.

Coconut oil – Just two tablespoons work with the almond butter to replace the butter in this recipe.

Eggs – Two large eggs for added moisture and some leavening.

Vanilla – A full tablespoon of vanilla extract works with the brown sugar to enhance the butterscotch flavour.

Almond flour – Not only does it keep these blondies gluten-free, but it keeps them moist and chewy. 

Coconut flour – Just a tablespoon works to balance the moisture of the almond flour.

Baking powder – For leavening to help the blondies rise.

Salt – Kosher salt in the batter and sea salt sprinkled on top before baking.

Chocolate chips – I used dairy-free dark chocolate chips but other types of chips work nicely too.

How to make almond flour blondies

Step 1: Add your sugars, almond butter and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until the ingredients are well combined. 

Step 2: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Continue to beat on high until the mixture turns a lighter colour. This may take a few minutes.

Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. You may need to sift if your coconut flour is lumpy.

Step 4: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, beating on medium speed until just incorporated. Don’t over mix.

Step 5: Stir in most of your chocolate chips, reserving some for the top of the batter.

Step 6: Spread the batter out into an 8-inch square pan that has been greased and lined with overhanging parchment paper. Add more chocolate chips to the top and a sprinkle of sea salt. Bake on 350F for 27-29 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Additional recipe tips

• Make sure your cold ingredients like the almond butter, eggs and even almond flour (if you store it in the refrigerator) are brought to room temperature so they mix together easily.
• I used brown sugar in this recipe as it’s a key ingredient in blondies. I don’t normally bake with refined sugars, but I tested this recipe with coconut sugar and it just didn’t have the same texture as the brown sugar version.
• There are two different kinds of salt in this recipe – kosher and sea salt. The kosher salt goes in the batter. If you don’t have any, you can use table salt. Sea salt is more of a finishing salt, so I don’t recommend using table or kosher salt as a substitute.
• These blondies were made in an 8-inch square pan. You can also use an 9-inch square pan, but you will need to decrease the bake time as the blondies will be thinner.
• Make sure you let the blondies cool before cutting into them. They need this time to set up and they will also cut into squares more neatly. Of course, if you like melty chocolate and a gooey middle, feel free to cut into them!

Other almond flour desserts

• Lemon Almond Flour Cake
• Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pecan Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you make these almond flour blondies, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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