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These gingerbread blondies are the ultimate holiday dessert made in just ONE bowl! Chewy, gooey, and with cakey edges, they come together in less than 30 minutes!
Gingerbread Blondies
Come the holiday season, we are ALL about holiday flavors.
Peppermint, eggnog and, of course, gingerbread flavors are all the rage. While we aren’t the biggest fan of the former two (unless it’s eggnog), we are ALL about the gingerbread!
While we do like the classics like gingerbread cookies and a gingerbread latte, to do things a little differently, we transform them into blondies!
This gingerbread blondies recipe is the perfect dessert for the holiday season! They use just one bowl and take minutes to make. The texture hits all the spots- Chewy, gooey, and slightly cakey around the edges. They are sweet and have a lovely gingerbread flavor, thanks to the combination of the molasses and brown sugar.
What I love about this recipe is just how easy it is to customize to be vegan, gluten free, or both! I had some friends over the other day who couldn’t have eggs or dairy, so I made a few tweaks and they turned out absolutely perfect.
How do you make gingerbread blondies?
The Ingredients.
- Butter– Softened to room temperature and unsalted.
- Brown sugar– Gives the blondies an even richer flavor and, when paired with the molasses, gives an even more authentic gingerbread flavor.
- Egg OR egg replacement– Either eggs or egg replacement works. I recommend using a flax egg compared to other egg replacements.
- Molasses– Keeps the center of the blondies extra gooey.
- Vanilla extract– A must for any good blondie or bar.
- All purpose flour– Also known as plain flour or white flour. Easily make this recipe gluten free by using a gluten free flour blend that contains added xanthan gum.
- Baking soda– Leavening agent used to give the blondies some rise and depth.
- Salt– Just a pinch to balance out the sweet ingredients.
- Allspice– A mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Ground ginger– Adds some lovely ginger flavor.
- White chocolate– Optional, but fold through some white chocolate chunks.
The Instructions.
Start by creaming together the softened butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs (or egg replacement), molasses, and vanilla extract and mix until glossy. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt, then add the spices. Fold through the white chocolate chunks at the end.
Now, transfer the mixture into a lined 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake the blondies for 20-25 minutes, or until tender on top. Remove the blondies from the oven and let them cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Dietary swaps and variations
- Make them vegan. Instead of using eggs, use flax eggs and dairy free white chocolate. To make flax eggs, combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water.
- Keep them gluten free. Swap out the all purpose flour for a gluten free flour blend. Just be sure that the flour blend contains xanthan gum.
- Skip the sugar. For sugar free gingerbread blondies, replace the brown sugar with a brown sugar substitute.
- Make them keto friendly. Make keto blondies and replace the chocolate chunks for sugar free white chocolate and add gingerbread spice.
Tips to make the best recipe
- If you prefer gooey blondies, remove them from the oven at the 35-minute mark. If you like cakey blondies, cook them for up to 45 minutes.
- The white chocolate chunks are completely optional. You can substitute it for walnuts, pecans, or even raisins!
- Always cook the blondies on the middle rack of the oven, to ensure the tops don’t brown too quickly.
Storing and freezing instructions
- To store: Leftovers can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to one week. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- To freeze: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More holiday dessert recipes to try
Gingerbread Blondies
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter vegan or standard
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg or flax egg
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour gluten free, if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon ginger ground
- 1/ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 6 x 6-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the egg (or flax egg) and molasses and vanilla extract, until glossy. Gently add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold through the white chocolate chunks.
- Transfer your batter into the lined pan and bake the blondies for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are just tender.
- Remove the blondies from the oven and let them cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Do you recommend light brown sugar or dark?
Dark is preferred- it has a much better flavor with molasses
Is there anything I could use instead of molasses?
Honey would work!
Does the recipe call for 1 teaspoon of salt or 1/2 teaspoon? The text says, “1/”.
It is 1/2 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Turned out perfectly with a good outer crust and edge and a deliciously soft, chewy, spiced centre filled with white chocolate chunks. My parents loved them too, served with icecream, and asked me to make another batch!
Yum yum yum. This fits in perfectly with Christmas feels. Santa has come early!!
Ok; so I attempted to make these with substitutions, but I think too many for them to come out. I added 1 scoop protein powder and took away 1scoop worth of the almond flour. I didn’t have tahini or any other subs that were suitable but found on the internet that you could sub full fat whole milk greek yogurt, plain. So I did. So the taste is to die for. The texture is that they will not hold together in a bar form. I think it is the addition of the protein powder; I know you cannot just sub 1 scoop of powder and remove 1 scoop of flour, but I was desperate. These WILL be eaten, but just with a fork.
Can you use unsweetened almond milk?
Of course 🙂