Boozy blondies...could be the name of a great old rock band, a group of friends from college, or one of the greatest simple desserts of all time. What's your thought?
Do you ever want something sweet, but not something chocolate? Something that has depth and feels grown up? Something that’s not a cookie, not a brownie and not a cake? If you answered YES to any of these questions I have found the dessert for you.
These little bites of yum, boozy bourbon blondies!
I’m normally a chocolate girl, but then I found the simple infinitely adaptable blondie recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I changed my mind...for a bit anyway.
The recipe I want to share with you is great for the last minute invite to a summer BBQ or when you are asked to bring dessert to a holiday party. It’s geared more for the adults, but the kids will like them too (just don’t let them have too many).
"This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link."
Now, before we dig into what makes these boozy blondies so great, let’s rewind for a minute.
We need to talk about the bourbon. You may or may not know that the husband is born and bred in Louisville, KY and they happen to have a thing down there for bourbon. Not just run of the mill bourbon, although they will drink that when necessary, but they really like good bourbon.
Luckily (or unlikely depending on how you look at it) my husband has really found his passion in searching out hard to find bourbons. This means I get to play with the less expensive, but still delicious ones and incorporate those flavors into my baking.
Interested in learning more about bourbon? Check out @ratebourbon on Instagram and ask him anything you want!
What flavor does bourbon bring to these blondies?
Flavors of brown sugar, vanilla and oakiness standout in every bourbon. And it's these very flavors that make these boozy bourbon blondies so special.
Normally, bourbon’s warm flavors would play into the fall and winter holiday baking category, but this blondie recipe is just too good to only pull out a couple times a year. And since it's so easy, it's a great quick dessert to throw together when friends invite themselves over for a mid-week BBQ.
How do you make boozy bourbon blondies?
This is another one-bowl recipe. That’s right, everything you need to make this deliciously boozy dessert goes in one bowl.
You'll start by melting the butter either in the microwave (in 30 second increments) or on the stove top, whatever works for you. While the melted butter cools just a bit (we don't want the eggs to scramble), gather the rest of the ingredients and preheat the oven
Then in a mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar into the melted butter until smooth and totally combined.
Add in the egg, vanilla, salt and bourbon and mix until you have a smooth batter.
Then, carefully and slowly add in the flour and mix until it is just combined. Stir in any mix-ins you want to add and then pour into an 8x8 baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake.
Please note: You will taste the bourbon in these. If you want to leave it out, you can, but I would reduce the flour a bit and cook for less time. For just a hint of bourbon flavor, substitute bourbon for the vanilla and leave out the rest of the bourbon.
A bit about the mix-ins.
While I think these are good as is, you can also jazz them up with a variety of mix-ins. I wouldn't add more than a cup of mix-ins in total. Here are a few that I have tried successfully.
- chocolate chips (I like 60% cacao, but you can use any dark or semi-sweet chip here)
- walnuts
- butterscotch chips (can get a little sweet, so go light on these)
- white chocolate chips
- caramel swirl (use a thick salted caramel and swirl in before baking)
boozy bourbon blondies
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt
- ¼ cup bourbon we use old forrestor for baking, but any bourbon will do
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup mix-ins optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by coating with baking spray (I use this pan with this nonstick spray)
- In a medium glass bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat melt the stick of butter
- Once butter has just melted take off the heat and let cool a few minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients
- Whisk in the brown sugar until sugar has completely melted away
- Whisk in the egg, the vanilla, the bourbon and the salt until well combined
- Switch to a large spoon or spatula and stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined
- If adding in mix-ins, gently fold them in
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then on a cooling rack to completely cool
- Let cool on a cooling rack until completely cool, then cut into small squares
Notes
- These blondies will be thin, if you are looking for a thicker blondie, I would recommend doubling the recipe and using a 9x13 pan
- I like to cut these small, like one bite small. You can cut them to whatever size you like.
Nutrition
Looking for more one bowl recipes? Check these out:
Want to make these now? Are you missing some ingredients? Amazon Now can get them to you in a few hours, Instacart can get them to you today. Or add them to your Peapod grocery list and don't be stuck with out them again!
Really 3 sticks of butter?
The recipe calls for 1 stick of butter. I can't find mention of 3, but if you let me know where you see that I will quickly edit it. Sorry for any confusion 🙂
I love bourbon and I love blondies. Making these ASAP!!! Can't wait to try them. A caramel swirl would be an awesome mix-in to compliment the bourbon taste. YUM.
I'm not usually a bourbon fan, but these sound delicious - I'll give them a try for sure!
My goodness these sound, and look, delicious! I'm all about a dessert that incorporates liquor. Thanks for sharing!
I had no idea bourbon gave those type of flavors! I’m going to try this soon!
These look yummy & just in time for my daughters college grad party 🙂
Those sound amazing! I love the taste of bourbon in baked goods. I make my own vanilla extract and in one of them I use bourbon as the alcohol base... I bet that would work amazingly well in these. Great post, I’ll definitely have to try making these soon!
I didn't think of using bourbon to make vanilla. That sounds great! I'll have to try it.
These look and sound amazing! I really like the adaptations and warnings you included. I'm going to Pin this for the future!