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Sometimes you just need a basic recipe that is the BEST one out there. These Milky Way Blondies are that recipe.
You guys, I’ve created a monster. A Taylor Swift monster.
Remember how Jordan is O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. with Miss Taylor? First there was the album. Then the concert. Then she begged for a long bob and bangs.
Now? Now Jordan is planning a Taylor Swift birthday party. She’s got all the details planned: invitations, activities, outfits, and a Surprise Inside Cake with Taylor’s face inside.
Her birthday is in February.
Last I checked, today is October 1.
It’s gonna be a long 4 months, my friends.
To be honest, I’m kind of obsessed with Taylor Swift too. I love her music, her style, and her persona. I also remember my NKOTB obsession whenever Jordan says, “Mom, it would be really great if Taylor could come to my birthday party,” and since she gets what she wants most of the time I don’t think she gets that is not happening.
Gulp.
Instead of presenting Taylor Swift at her party, in the flesh or in the cake, I’m thinking blondies would be more appropriate. (Get it? #badjoke)
While Jordan and her party planning is anything but basic, these blondies kind of are. But that’s okay, because we all need basic recipes once in awhile. A good base recipe can be the springboard for so many things.
Like, for example, this brownie. It’s my favorite brownie recipe and it’s been turned into pie, cookies, and more brownies than I can count.
Same goes with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Gooey bars, cookie cups, cupcakes, and so many chocolate chip cookie versions have come from that recipe.
Now I’m adding Blondies to the list of basic recipes that you need in your life.
I’ve shared this recipe before. I’ve used it to make basic blondies, but I’ve also turned it into pie. And this base recipe is what I turned into peanut butter blondies and oatmeal bars.
There are a couple secrets to making the perfect blondie recipe:
- Butter. Use real butter! One stick of unsalted butter – softened – is the base of these bars.
- Brown sugar. There is a FULL 2 cups of packed light brown sugar. That makes these perfectly sweet but also super soft, chewy, and rich. They stay soft for DAYS!
- Do not over bake them. Err on the side of under-done for these blondies. I always take them out when they are still a little jiggly in the center. They set up as they cool. If you wait until the center is done to take them out the edges will be dry.
These blondies are nothing if not rich, soft, and perfect.
To make these a little more special than a plain bar, I added a ton of Milky Way flavor to them in the form of caramel bits, chocolate chips, and chopped Milky Way candy bars. The caramel and chocolate give great texture to the bars, as well as flavor. Hello, Milky Way!
The best part about this recipe is the variation you can use. Can’t find the caramel bits? Use more Milky Ways.
Don’t like chocolate? Leave it out. Want peanut butter? Add some chopped peanut butter cups.
Really, the sky is the limit. Add you favorite flavors!
- Any “chip”: chocolate, white, butterscotch, peanut butter, cinnamon.
- Toffee bits
- Reese’s Pieces or M&Ms, chopped Kit Kat bars or peanut butter cups
- Nuts
- Coconut
- ANYTHING YOU LIKE!
How will you make your bars?
Enjoy! I know I do, like it’s 1989. 😉
Milky Way Blondies (aka The BEST Blondie Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- See note about mix-ins below:
- 1/2 cup Caramel Bits or use caramel squares that have been cut in quarters
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 15 Fun Size Milky Way Candy Bars chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13” pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cream brown sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add baking powder, salt, and flour and mix.
- Stir in caramel bits, chocolate chips, and chopped Milky Way bars (see note).
- Press into prepared pan (dough is sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray to avoid it sticking to your hands).
- Bake for about 22-25 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook - the center will still be jiggly when you take these out of the oven and they will finish cooking and firming up as they cool.) Cool completely before slicing into squares.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutter Butter Butterscotch Blondies
Sweets from friends:
Birthday Cake Blondie Bombs by The Domestic Rebel
Coconut White Chocolate Chip Blondies by Averie Cooks
Salted Caramel Crunch Blondies by Culinary Confections by Peabody
These were fabulous. Soft and gooey, but they held their shape and were easy to cut into pieces. I used Werther’s soft caramels because I’ve recently had trouble with the Kraft caramel baking bits turning hard in baked goods. I also used Rolos as a candy mix in. This recipe can be customized with different candy, but the most important part is the base is terrific and people loved it!
Amazing!!! These are so good, everyone LOVED them!!!
Really stupid question… If I don’t have the paddle attachment for my mixer, would it be better to mix by hand or to use the standard beaters with my mixer?
Not a stupid question. I’d like to know the answer. My guess is that regular mixer beaters will work.
Standard mixer is fine!
I made these and my husband told me I never had to make anything other than these brownies. They are delicious!!!
I made these this weekend and found the baking time to be way too short. Wish I had trusted my gut instead of the recipe. Had to throw the whole pan in the trash. What a waste!
How long did you cook them for? I have made these blondies hundreds of time (with different mix ins and toppings) and always bake them for the same amount of time, 22-25 minutes. They continue baking as they cool and it is important for the recipe that they are somewhat under done. Once they get too done in the center they get dry, in my opinion. However, if you like your baked goods on the more done (sort of like rare vs. medium vs. well done in a steak) then, by all means, cook them longer. I have never once baked this recipe longer than 25 minutes. (You can see how gooey they should be from the photos.) That all being said, have you checked your oven temperature lately? Possibly the temp runs low, and then they would need to take longer. Also, if you ever get to the point where something is cooled and still not done to your liking, you can always pop it back into the oven for a few minutes. It won’t kill it and it’s better than throwing it away!
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