Recipes • Posted by Andy Cross • 17th February 2022
Coffee Blondies
Make butterscotch-sweet coffee blondies with our easy blondie recipe! They’re outrageously good…
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Butter and line a brownie tin (a 23cm square tin is great).
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.
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.
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.
Pour into the tin and bake for 25 minutes.
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.
Leave in the tin to cool completely, preferably overnight, before slicing.
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…
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.
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.
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?
Drizzled in chocolate sauce (hello, mocha blondies!)
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.
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.
More baking? More cake? Of course. Find lots more coffee baking recipes in our online recipe file!
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.”
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