Coffee Blondies

Make butterscotch-sweet coffee blondies with our easy blondie recipe! They’re outrageously good…

 

Espresso blondies on grey board beside mug of coffee

 

I’m a brunette. Which I love most of the time. But what do I do when I want to have fun (because blondes have more fun, right?)?

 

I make blondies!

 

That’s right. I scoot over to the kitchen and whip up a batch of devilishly dense coffee and walnut blondies following this easy blondie recipe. Give them a go! All it takes is a half-hour pootle in the kitchen, and you too will be treating your sweet tooth to delicious espresso blondies.

 

And, yep, you’ll be having fun!

 

Stack of three blondies on a plate beside blue tea towel and white chocolate

 

What are Coffee Blondies?

Blondies have been around for a while, so we guess you might have heard of them. Probably even tried one, or made a batch yourself.

 

But don’t worry if not. Here’s a little description!

 

Stack of walnut blondies on a plate beside limited edition Two Chimps Coffee

 

Blondies are similar to brownies in texture, but the flavour is quite different. They taste buttery and sweet rather than rich, with caramelly notes of vanilla and white chocolate.

We’ve upgraded the standard white chocolate blondie with a splash of fresh coffee. It brings a new depth to these easy blondies and contrasts beautifully with their white chocolate sweetness. And those walnuts? Perfect for channelling the coffee-and-walnut vibes of our favourite cake!

 

Coffee and walnut blondie on a plate with a cake fork and mug of Two Chimps speciality coffee

Blondie vs. Brownie

We sometimes refer to blondies as ‘white chocolate brownies’ or ‘blonde brownies’. Don’t let this fool you: they’re not a mere twist on the oh-so-chocolatey chocolate brownie. They have their own character, and deserve full recognition as such.

 

Here is the main difference between a blondie and a brownie:

Brownies are made with cocoa powder. Blondies are not. It’s why they’re so lusciously fair and, well, blonde.

But your blondie isn’t missing out because it lacks cocoa. Blondies enjoy a deep, caramelly sweetness instead of the cocoa-chocolate flavour that dominates a brownie. This comes from the brown sugar which is, along with the white chocolate, a blondie’s defining feature.

All the other usual brownie suspects are there (flour, butter, eggs, vanilla), but it’s the inclusion of brown sugar and the omission of cocoa powder that sets blondies apart!

 

Close up shot of coffee blondie squares

Blondie Ingredients

Butter

It’s best to stick with unsalted butter for these espresso blondies. This means you can control the precise amount of salt you add.

 

Sugar

If chocolate is the main flavour in a brownie, brown sugar is the star of your lovely blondie! Every blondie method has its preferred type of brown sugar – we’ve used a combination of light brown and light brown muscovado in our easy blondie recipe for the perfect butterscotch flavour. Feel free to experiment, but be aware that using too much dark brown sugar will make your blondies bitter.

 

Light brown soft sugar in an sideways teacup

 

Eggs

Why are we always told to use room temperature eggs in baking? It’s because it helps them to mix evenly with the other ingredients and create a smooth batter. The result? Well-behaved blondies that rise as they should!

 

Coffee

Rich, fragrant speciality coffee works wonderfully in baking. And it really does take lovely blondies to the next level. Sweet and buttery with a flavourful coffee kick, these espresso blondies tick every box!

 

Coffee beans besides Two Chimps enamel mug

 

Walnuts

You can use any nuts in this easy blondie recipe, or none at all. We love the walnuts in these coffee and walnut blondies – you know it’s a combo that works!

Maybe you want to up the chocolate ante with extra chocolate chips? Go for it. Nuts are a good shout, though, as they bring some textural crunch to the soft, squishy batter.

 

Two blondies on a plate with cake forks and raspberries

 

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter (also called beurre noisette) is regular butter you have melted and cooked gently. This process gives the butter a lovely, toasted nuttiness that’s just perfect in your coffee blondies.

To make brown butter, you simply melt regular unsalted butter in a pan until it foams. Keep cooking until the milky whiteness turns brown and the milk solids separate to the bottom of the pan. What you’re doing here is cooking and caramelising the butter’s milk solids. You’ll see brown specks come as you cook the butter – this is good! These specks pack lots of flavour, so be sure to scrape them all out of the pan!

Make brown butter, and your kitchen will smell lusciously nutty, and your baking will taste deep, toasty and awesomely pro!

Let’s bake: Coffee Blondies Recipe

 

Coffee Blondie Ingredients

  • 175g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for the tin
  • 175g white chocolate, chopped into chunks
  • 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
  • 175g light brown sugar
  • 100g light brown muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • One shot espresso or 45ml very strongly made coffee
  • 200g plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 45g walnuts, optional

 

Ingredients for coffee blondies laid out on a chopping board

 

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

Butter and line a brownie tin (a 23cm square tin is great).

 

Lined brownie tin from above

 

Start by browning the butter. Melt in a pan over a medium heat and then cook gently for a few minutes, swirling it around. You’ll know when it’s done because it will start to smell biscuity-sweet and turn light golden brown in colour.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Add 75g of the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then allow to cool until just warm.

 

Browning butter in a saucepan

 

Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs and yolk with the sugars until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs, along with the vanilla and coffee.

 

Whisking eggs and brown sugar

 

Sieve over the flour, baking powder and salt and fold until just combined. Take care not to overmix.

Stir in the remaining chocolate and nuts, if using.

 

Folding walnuts and white chocolate into blondie batter

 

Pour into the tin and bake for 25 minutes.

 

Smoothing coffee and walnut blondie batter in a tin with a purple spatula

 

Take a look. They should be risen and set on top, but still have a slight wobble in the centre. Cook for a few more minutes if you prefer cakey blondies rather than squidgy ones.

 

Cooked blondies in baking tin

 

Leave in the tin to cool completely, preferably overnight, before slicing.

 

Cutting coffee blondies with large knife

 

Storage: how long do blondies keep for?

Polish off your coffee blondies in one go, or store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

 

We won’t tell if you go for Option 1…

 

Coffee blondies on a small chopping board with white coffee mug

Can you freeze blondies?

Yes, you can freeze blondies! Brownies and blondies are great cakes to keep in the freezer because it doesn’t affect taste and texture.

How to freeze:

  • Let the coffee blondie slab cool completely and then wrap it in a double layer of clingfilm or foil and freeze for up to three months.
  • To freeze individually, place single squares in an airtight container, separating layers with baking parchment paper to stop them from welding together as they freeze. Alternatively, wrap each blondie individually in film or foil and put them in a freezer bag.

Two white chocolate blondies on a plate with cake forks and blue tea towel

 

To thaw the blondies, unwrap them from the foil and clingfilm and leave them standing at room temperature for three-to-four hours until completely thawed.

If you just can’t wait for your white chocolatey treat, pop them in the microwave on low and heat in short, 20 second bursts.

 

Two Chimps blondies beside branded coffee tin

 

How do I serve these easy blondies?

Do we need to tell you how to eat cake? Of course not. But we’re just going to give a few suggestions to make sure you achieve pure blondie satisfaction. Aren’t we kind?

 

Try serving your coffee blondies:

  • Warm
  • With whipped cream and grated chocolate
  • Accompanied by a big scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream
  • With berries
  • Drizzled in chocolate sauce (hello, mocha blondies!)

 

White chocolate cake bar on a plate with raspberries and blackberries

 

Blondie problem solver

My blondies are cakey (and we want dense, gooey blondies!)

There might be several reasons why your blondies are too cake-like in texture:

  • They were in the oven for a little too long – remember, take them out while they’ve still got a bit of a wobble!
  • Overmixed batter – if you overmix your batter, you will incorporate too much air into the blondies and cause that cakey texture. Mix until the ingredients are nicely incorporated, but no more!
  • You used too much flour – We think these coffee and walnut blondies contain just the right amount of flour, but too much flour in a blondie recipe can cause cakeiness. This is because flour soaks up the moisture from the other ingredients.

 

three espresso blondies with ribbon and Two Chimps Coffee mug

 

My blondies sink after baking

Overmixing can cause your baked blondies to start channelling the crater look. Oven temperature can be the culprit, too. If your oven is too hot, your blondies will rise and fall when you put them in.

 

My coffee blondies don’t cut neatly

Listen, I know it’s hard, but it really is a good idea to leave your blondies overnight before cutting. This gives them time to set 100%. For a super-clean cut, you can also chill them in the fridge before slicing and heat your knife in hot water.

 

coffee blondies on a chopping board with knife, silver ribbon, coffee beans and raspberries

 

More baking? More cake? Of course. Find lots more coffee baking recipes in our online recipe file!

 

Smoothing icing over coffee cakes on cooling rack

 

Take me there

Andy Cross

Meet the chimp behind this article!
Head Chimp founded Two Chimps alongside Laura in 2016 after being self-employed from the age of 21. He caught the coffee bug from using an at-home roaster, and the rest is history!

What Andy does outside of the treehouse:
When the weather’s nice, Andy loves going on bike rides with his trusty sidekick, microchimp Felix (who always leads the way, of course). Andy also enjoys spending time tending to the family’s vegetable garden, and looking after their at-home farmyard, which includes a cat, two guinea pigs, and six chickens!

Andy says…
“I believe every day is a school day, and I’m always looking for opportunities to stick my head in a book and absorb new knowledge. I also love a problem to solve and fix – there’s no such thing as problems, only solutions.”

Join the troop