Classic soft and gooey blondie bars, with chocolate chips in every bite – just the way a blondie should be!
I know…
You’re wondering about the title.
It’s really my friend’s fault.
When I brought the blondies to a party on Friday night and people were going crazy for them, she said it was clear the blondies had seductive powers. This sparked a conversation over other things with seductive powers… and soon the blondies were being compared to hot fudge sundaes, Tollhouse cookie dough, Ben & Jerry’s, George Clooney, and Ryan Reynolds. I was told that if I ever posted the recipe on the blog, I had to call then Ryan Reynolds blondies.
So here we are.
(Hopefully if he ever happens to somehow stumble across this post, he will be flattered and not think it’s too crazy!)
Unlike Ryan Reynolds, these chocolate chip blondies are not married… meaning you can keep them all to yourself. And trust me, you’re going to want to keep them all to yourself – they are so soft and gooey, with rich chocolate in each seductive bite. You also don’t have to compete with Blake Lively for their affection, which is good because it would be kind of impossible, because she’s kind of perfect.
The recipe was adapted from my Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars, only these make a much larger batch, and the amount of sugar has almost been cut in half… yet they are still somehow just as good!
(See the video, above)
Of course there’s a video too, because there had to be a video. You need to see the blondie-making in action.
Call them whatever you’d like, but definitely be sure that you try these blondies!
The bars are or can be egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto, and refined-sugar-free. If you need them to be nut-free, just swap out the peanut butter for your favorite allergy-friendly alternative, such as sunflower butter or pumpkin seed butter.
If you make them, feel free to tag me on Instagram, @ChocolateCoveredKatie, so I can see and like your photos!
Ryan Reynolds Blondies
Ryan Reynolds Blondie Bars!
Ingredients
- 2 cups peanut butter OR allergy-friendly sub
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup flour, such as oat, white, spelt, sorghum, or even almond
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar, unrefined if desired (or xylitol for sugar-free)
- 1/2 cup or more chocolate chips – I used 1/2 cup in the batter, plus more on top
- up to 1/2 cup milk of choice, as needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment. Stir together all ingredients to form a batter (see the video above if you want to watch the bars being made). Add milk of choice to achieve a cookie-dough-like batter – the amount needed will depend on the flour and type of nut butter you use. Smooth batter into the pan. If desired, press more chocolate chips on top. Bake 15-20 minutes on the center rack. They’ll look way underdone – let them cool for at least an hour, during which time they firm up, and they firm up even more overnight (covered loosely on the counter).
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(Vegan, GF Options)
I feel like this last recipe is ALWAYS trending… but for good reason! It’s a huge reader favorite!
the title is a perfect fit! these look delicious!
I used Trader Joe’s almond butter which tends to be less solid than some other brands. I used only only one individual serving sized container of unsweetened applesauce which is slightly less than 1/2 cup. I used mostly oat flour (ran out and added about 2 tablespoons of whole grain spelt flour.) I used 1/2 cup of Florida Crystals organic raw cane sugar which is half the recommended amount. (I would have preferred Sucanat Whole Cane Sugar which tends to be less sweet but I could not find it in any local store.) I did not add any milk. I baked mine in a convection oven for 15 minutes. They turned out great. My only disappointment is they have 129 calories each when I cut them into 32 servings (4 across the length of the pain and 8 across the width.) That is too many calories to eat the amount I would LIKE to eat because they are so tasty. I just keep reminding myself they have a lot of good protein in them, too I plan to freeze them cut in one-serving-pieces and take one out each day to eat with my lunch. Microwaved 1 minute power 3 – I am sure they will taste just like fresh baked!
Hello. Thanks for another excellent recipe! I used oat flour and homemade almond butter and they turned out great :). Do you think these would do well in the freezer? If so, for how long do you think they could be kept frozen before they go bad?
You can definitely freeze them!
I have a peanut allergy. My almond butter from Costco is very runny. Trader Jo’s almond butter is not runny at all,and I don’the have that one right now. Will the Costco -Kirkland brand make these brownies more runny even after they sit overnight?
I know some commenters have used Jif or Skippy, and those are not super firm, so I don’t see why it would not work.
Jason
Mine turned out awesome. Loved that they were soft but not super sweet. I’m definitely making these again amen again!!!
Hi Katie,
I have tried this recipe and the bars are extremely tasty – I have made them countless times already. I would, though, like to point out that your calorie count is very misleading for your readers. The calculator that you use ( VeryWellFit) can be finicky and you really must double-check the ingredients. When you said it was calculated with regular peanut butter, I decided to calculate it with that too and I saw that it automatically changed the amount from 2 cups to 1. It is in a smaller print, but is still noticeable. So, once I fixed that, it came closer to 160 calories than just 90. Hopefully now that you are aware of this you can change the calorie count, as it is a big difference.
Has anyone used stevia instead of sugar?
okay so the top of it was crispy nice and inside was definitely goey…but I swear the entire content of the pan just rose up …like a cake lol and I kept it in there for 20 minutes…it was jiggly so everything was followed no substitutions…the only thing that was different was the pan I used was probably 8.5x 11 and it was slanted at the walls.. could this have anything to do with it? The pan you use seemed straight walls and flat not slants. ugh let me know BUT it tasted good and still ate it with vanilla ice cream haha
okay so the top of it was crispy nice and inside was definitely gooey…but I swear the entire content of the pan just rose up …like a cake lol and I kept it in there for 20 minutes…it was jiggly so everything was followed no substitutions…the only thing that was different was the pan I used was probably 8.5x 11 and it was slanted at the walls.. could this have anything to do with it? The pan you use seemed straight walls and flat not slants. ugh let me know BUT it tasted good and still ate it with vanilla ice cream haha
8.5×11 is very very different from 9×13. That’s like trying to fit the same amount of batter in half the size pan, so it would make a huge difference. Glad it still tasted good 🙂
These are great! My one complaint is that I could really taste the baking soda, so I might decrease to 1-2 tsp next time instead of 1 Tbs. I couldn’t stop eating them anyway. Thanks!
Has anyone tried making these with honey instead of sugar? Measurements? Results?
Dear Chocolate Covered Katie,
These were chocolate covered DELICIOUS!!! WOW. My husband came home and took one bite and said “WOW”. I think this may be our new bday celebration dessert. For anyone reading trying to decide if you should make these or not…. DO IT!!
Also, I was out of applesauce and used your suggestion in another comment for plain coconut yogurt and it worked like a charm. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!
Sarah
I made these about 3-4 weeks ago, ate the entire pan with my son the next day, and have literally thought about them EVERY SINGLE day since. I’ just caved and looked up the recipe to buy the ingredients again.. they are the best.
These were the best! Everyone who tried them said they were a keeper.
Amazing considering the simple ingredients. I used the Almond flour option and used Swerve/erythritol instead of the sugar.
Mine were too soft even after cooled, so I put them back in the oven for 15 minutes. Still soft but edible, and as promised firmed up overnight.
I am wondering if refrigerating would make them firm up faster? Keeping them overnight is torture.
Hm I made these exactly as stated in the recipe using almond flour and they came out pretty gooey. The batter even seemed a little wet, so I added a few more tablespoons of flour to combat that. I’m going to put in the fridge to see if they firm up some more, but right now a little disappointed in how they came out.
Just let them sit overnight and they firm up!
Looks so yum! Can I use coconut butter instead of the nut butter, and coconut/tapioca flour for the flour?
Unfortunately you will never know unless you try, but please be sure to report back if you experiment!