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).
Â
Â
Â
Trending Right Now:
Â
(Vegan, GF Options)
Â
Â
I feel like this last recipe is ALWAYS trending… but for good reason! It’s a huge reader favorite!
Â
Â
If I’m using an 8×8 pan, do I just half the recipe? What about cooking time? And do I need to refrigerate overnight?
Just use this recipe instead: https://lett-trim.today/2015/03/18/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-bars/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I put them in my oven for an extra 30 minutes and they were perfect 🙂
These come out AMAZING every time for me. I have a hard time not eating too many at once! Have you tried freezing them? My only thing is that I always half the recipe (I selfishly make them for myself instead of bringing them to friends haha) but if you think I could freeze half then I’ll start making full batches!
You can definitely freeze them! 🙂
Amazing thank you! 🙂
These had great flavor but were very crumbly, even after chilling for 8 hours. Additionally, sprinkling chocolate chips on top did not stick, the chips rolled off.
Is the recipe correct with 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of baking soda? I made it with that much and I definitely tasted the baking soda. Couldn’t eat them.. maybe another ingredient I added was no good but wanted to see if others used that much and didn’t have issues. Thanks.
Hmmm, looking through the comments it doesn’t seem like any others encountered the issue and I didn’t when I made them, BUT could it possibly be that the baking soda clumped and you got a bite that was extra baking soda-y? Or is it the entirety of the bars that are all too much of that taste? I’m not Katie, but I don’t see why reducing the baking soda couldn’t work – maybe your tastebuds are just more sensitive than mine!
Jason
Hi,
I grew up without an oven and as an adult am fascinated by the magik of baking and really want to learn this art!
But can someone please help me discern what I did wrong!
These bars were sinfully good out of the oven, while they were still gooey and falling apart, but after covering them w a towel in the fridge overnight, they are dry and hard! And not really that good anymore sadly! They are crumbly and leave a lot to be desired.
I followed the recipe to a T, using a blend of peanut butter and coconut butter for the 2 cups.
I did bake them for the optional 20 minutes.. could that have been what made the difference?! Needed to do just 15?
Thanks for any help out there!
Hi, coconut butter is extremely drying because coconut soaks up water like a sponge. That substitution would be what made them dry.
Jason
Here is a picture , it’s hard to tell how completely lacking any moisture and softness they are!
These are so amazing!!! Wow! I will be making them on a regular basis! I made them exactly as written, but I did not need to add any milk. The key to getting them to firm up is to let them cool! I stuck mine in the freezer so I wouldn’t have to wait as long.
Oops, I forgot to add that I did reduce the baking soda in half after reading the comments. These were perfection!!!!!
Holy moly I can see why these are called Ryan Reynolds blondies! They are amazing!