Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies

These chewy, densely fudgy raspberry white chocolate blondies have a rich, buttery brown sugar flavor with a caramelized base and edges and a beautiful shiny top. They feature white chocolate chunks and are studded with tangy bites of raspberry.

It's a very simple recipe with a dough you can mix together (by hand!) in minutes. Easily substitute frozen raspberries to enjoy these decadent bars whenever you have the urge.

As an avowed dark chocolate brownie lover, I never thought I'd enjoy eating blondies. This easy raspberry white chocolate blondie recipe changed that for good. I'm a blondie fan for life.

Wait...what in the world differentiates a blondie from a brownie?

Brownies are chocolate based bar cookies made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder and granulated sugar. They're dark brown in color, and usually intensely chocolate in flavor. Their texture ranges from cakey to dense and fudgy (my preferred end of the spectrum).

Blondies, while also decadent and fudgy, don't include any cocoa or chocolate. Their signature golden color and caramel taste comes from butter and brown sugar. They have chewy edges and a soft, fudgy middle.

This blondie recipe is dressed up with a bright, tart punch of fresh (or frozen!) raspberries and creamy, sweet white chocolate.

If you're a fan of blondies, you'll also love these chewy biscoff blondies, which include a generous amount of creamy biscoff cookie butter spread and biscoff cookies. And for the best of both worlds, try these brownie blondies, which combine the two favorites so you don't have to choose!

And for more cookies with white chocolate, there are vibrant lemon white chocolate cookies, and matcha white chocolate cookies too.

Ingredients

* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total quantity of salt in the recipe. Melting the butter makes this a really easy recipe to whip together without a mixer. Using melted butter also gives you a more chewy, dense cookie.

Brown sugar - Brown sugar adds caramel flavor and extra moisture, which makes these bar cookies chewy and dense in the center.

I don't recommend using coarse organic brown sugar in this recipe. It doesn't dissolve well into the melted butter and results in a grainier finished product.

White chocolate - Part of the white chocolate is finely chopped and melted into the dough along with the butter and brown sugar, while the remainder is coarsely chopped and folded into the dough.

I tested this recipe with both white chocolate chips and a good quality white chocolate bar. In short, both options work. However, the batch I tested using melted white chocolate chips didn't end up with a smooth, shiny top and had a slightly grainy texture to it.

My Callebaut white chocolate bar contained sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, soy lethicin and natural vanilla. If you can find white chocolate chips with a similar ingredient list, they should work.

Egg yolks - This recipe uses two egg yolks. I know it's a pain to separate eggs, but I promise the results are worth it.

I tested this recipe using a whole egg plus the yolk, and the blondies just aren't as chewy and rich. The added fat and reduced moisture produces that fudgy taste and dense texture.

However, if you prefer a somewhat more cake-like blondie, use one whole egg plus one egg yolk instead.

Raspberries - You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries in this recipe. I tested them both with equal success.

If you use frozen berries, don't defrost them first. Simply add them to the dough directly from the freezer. Frozen berries are a bit more resilient to being mixed into the dough.

Instructions

These photos provide visual cues. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter, finely chopped white chocolate and brown sugar until fully melted. Mix together until butter is well incorporated and mixture looks smooth and glossy.

Add egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Mix thoroughly.

With a spoon or spatula, mix in flour.

Add larger white chocolate chunks and mix in until evenly distributed throughout dough. Gently fold in raspberries.

Scoop the dough into the pan and gently spread or press into an even layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, until center is fully set, top is golden brown, and bars are pulling away from the pan at the edges.

Variations

Lemon - add the zest of a large lemon when adding the vanilla for a bright and tangy citrus flavor. Lemon and white chocolate make great flavor companions (as evidenced by my lemon white chocolate drop cookies!)

Berries - If you don't have raspberries on hand, substitute with other berries such as blackberries, blueberries or marionberries. You could also use dried cranberries if you don't have berries. Ooh, orange zest would be great here!

Chocolate - Instead of white chocolate, substitute milk or dark chocolate chunks, or use a mix of all three for triple chocolate blondies!

I don't recommend replacing the finely chopped white chocolate that is melted and stirred into the dough. It will significantly alter the taste and color of the blondies.

Equipment

Square metal pan - I use this 8 inch square nonstick metal pan to bake most of my bar cookies.

Glass and metal pans conduct heat differently. Glass bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and retains heat for longer once hot. Using a glass pan without adjusting this recipe might result in overbaked edges, as the dough will take longer to cook, and might bake too long towards the sides.

If you only have a glass pan, you may need to experiment with lowering the heat by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and baking for an additional 10 minutes. King Arthur Baking has visual examples of recipes tested using different pan materials.

Binder clips - Use small or medium binder clips to keep the parchment paper lining the pan from falling into the dough. I also use them as bag clips to keep my pantry ingredients sealed.

Parchment paper is great for lining the baking pan. The bars won't stick if you use parchment paper underneath. Bonus: you don't have to use any grease, and can often simply wipe down the pan rather than needing to wash it after baking.

Storage

Store: Store cooled raspberry blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Freeze cooled bars in an airtight container or zipper sealed bag with parchment paper between layers for 2-3 months.

Recipe tip

If you make the raspberry white chocolate blondies quickly, the melted butter will still be warm, and the dough will have a much thinner consistency.

If you make the recipe slowly (or barely melt the butter), the butter will cool, the dough will begin to firm up and you'll need to press it into the pan. I baked batches with the thinner and thicker consistency dough with no noticeable change to the final result.

It was easier to fold the white chocolate and raspberries into the softer consistency batter and pour it into the baking pan. Just something to keep in mind.

Frequently asked questions

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