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You are here: Home / Recipes / Baking / Cake / Easy Coffee Blondies

Easy Coffee Blondies

Published on September 2, 2021 by Helen Best-Shaw 4 Comments
Last Updated on May 13, 2022

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Easy coffee blondies – your favourite fudgy, buttery, caramelly blondie recipe, made with added coffee for extra flavour and depth! Coffee lovers will adore this grown-up fuss-free treat.

A stack of delicious, rich, crumbly coffee blondies on a small side plate. More blondies are in the background.

Everything You Need To Know

  • Easy coffee blondie recipe 
  • Small batch blondies
  • What are blondies?
  • Why you will love these coffee blondies
  • Ingredients 
  • How to make coffee blondies – step by step
  • Coffee blondies – variations
  • Hints and tips for coffee blondies
  • Coffee blondies – FAQs
  • More easy blondie recipes
  • Coffee Blondies – one bowl, no mixer
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes

Easy coffee blondie recipe 

Since I started baking blondies, I’ve been hooked! I return again and again to my easy blondie recipe. It makes one 8″ pan, which yields around 16 pieces. It’s perfect if you are baking for smaller numbers or just don’t want loads of cake in the tin to tempt you.

Blondies are one of the easiest bakes you can make. They are made in one bowl, mixed with one spoon and don’t need an electric mixer. Fuss free but elegant, these coffee blondies make a smart treat for sharing with friends over a catch-up cuppa.

This blondies recipe uses regular store cupboard ingredients and needs less than 40 minutes, making this a great recipe to pull out when someone is popping round at short notice.

I love all my blondie recipes because they are so reliable. They really can’t go wrong.

Small batch blondies

Many of the recipes I see for traybakes are designed for feeding a crowd but that isn’t what most of us need, so this recipe makes a more modest batch.

I think that everyone should consider being more mindful about their eating, and removing temptation goes a long way to help this. I am ABSOLUTELY am not against treats, and I love a show stopper bake to feed 16+ as much as the next person, but there is very little call for them in my day to day life.

Small batches are also better for refining your baking skills with minimum waste, making this recipe great for less confident bakers.

This blondies recipe will neatly fill a regular 8″ / 20 cm square pan. I cut this into 12–16 servings which will keep for up to week. Perfect! 

Delicious golden coffee blondies stacked up on a sideplate and a small marble board. These are sitting on a hessian cloth, with napkins, and a couple of forks next to them.

What are blondies?

The chocolate brownie was invented in the late 19th century as a mess-free, packable baked treat that could be eaten without a fork. While some argue that it is not a cake at all, the British courts say otherwise! (the definition between cake and biscuit /cookie in the Uk has valuable VAT / sales tax implications). Whatever you think about that, this is simple home baking at its best.

The blondie is simply a vanilla (or at least, a non-chocolate) version of the brownie. The brown sugar gives them delicious fudge and caramel flavours

Why you will love these coffee blondies

  • Blondies are mess-free when it comes to eating, with minimal mess in the kitchen too with only one bowl one spoon and no electric mixer needed.
  • These simple slices make an elegant treat to serve with coffee.
  • They taste wonderful and are irresistibly moreish.
  • Coffee adds another layer of flavour and nicely balances the sweetness.
  • They only contain 6 basic ingredients.
  • Ready straight from the baking pan, they need no embellishment.
  • Blondies keep well – about 5–7 days in a tin. Make them a day ahead if you’re expecting company.

Ingredients 

Ingredients for coffee blondies: flour, soft brown sugar, an egg, butter, vanilla extract, and instant coffee.
  • Flour – Use self raising if you prefer, or do as I usually do and use plain flour with a little baking powder.

Pro Tip – Why Bake with Plain Flour? 

I’m often asked why I don’t use self-raising flour.

First – I don’t bake that often, and the raising agent in the flour can go off. If you use a separate baking powder it is easy to check that it is still fresh.

Secondly – My kitchen is small and flour bins or packets take up space!

  • Soft brown sugar – This adds colour and that flavour. I’m using light brown soft sugar here so it doesn’t overwhelm the coffee, but you can use dark brown sugar, or a combination. White sugar doesn’t work here, as it lacks flavour.
  • Butter – Use salted if you have it. If using unsalted, add a pinch of salt too, as it rounds off the flavour.
  • Egg – Large free range.
  • Coffee – I don’t drink instant coffee, but it is fabulous in baking as it adds flavour without messing up the liquid ratios. Pick a premium instant or espresso powder with some micro ground coffee beans. It gives a fresher, punchier flavour in cooking and makes an acceptable drink if you run out of fresh coffee.
  • Vanilla Extract – Choose natural vanilla extract over synthetic essence. I like the vanilla paste which contains the seeds from the vanilla pod. Adjust the quantity according to how potent it is.
  • Baking Powder – If you don’t bake regularly, or if your powder is past its expiry date, check your baking powder is fresh. It is usually good for months, even years after the expiry, but check if you are unsure.

How to make coffee blondies – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can to make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

First – Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4. Prepare an 8″ / 20 cm square baking tin by lining it with baking parchment, and then greasing with cake release spray, butter or a light flavourless oil.

I use foil backed parchment for lining tins. It is more expensive but it is so much easier to use, as it stays put when you fold it. If you use regular parchment, I find those fold-back clips are very handy to fix it to the side of the pan.

A rectangle of butter in a glass jug; in a second photo, the butter has been melted.

Step One – Melt the butter, either in a saucepan on the stove or in a large bowl or jug in the microwave. Don’t let it get too warm. Just melt it.

Top tip
I find the easiest way to melt butter is in the microwave. Half melt it and then take it out and stir until it’s all liquid. By doing this rather than trying to melt it all at once, you avoid burning or overheating it.

Brown sugar and instant coffee added to melted butter, in a 500ml glass jug. In a second photo, the ingredients have been mixed with a red silicone spoon (shown).

Step Two – Next, add the sugar and coffee. Stir it in well.

Don’t worry about flecks of coffee at this stage, as they will dissolve as the blondies bake.

An egg and dark brown vanilla extract have been added to the butter and sugar mixture, and stirred in.

Step Three – Add the egg and vanilla extract, and stir in.

Flour added to the glass jug of coffee blondie ingredients. In the second shot, the flour has been gently stirred in.

Step Four – Add the flour, together with any other dry ingredients (baking powder and salt if using). Fold in until you have a well-mixed, thick, glossy batter.

The blondie batter has bee poured into a lined square roasting tray

Step Five – Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tray and then give it a gentle shake to level the batter out.

Cooked coffee blondie straight out of the oven. The top is a light golden brown, showing a few cracks.

Step Six – Bake for 25–28 minutes, until a papery crust forms. The edges will rise and become slightly wrinkled. The centre should still be soft, barely set, and will wobble if you shake the pan gently.

If you don’t have a fan oven, you may need to turn the pan halfway through cooking. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.

Allow to cool and firm up for 10–15 minutes on a wire rack before cutting your blondies up. The centre will carry on cooking as it cools.

The cooked coffee blondies have been allowed to cool, showing the gently cracked top, and cut into 16 squares.

Step Seven – Finally, when the blondie is cool, cut into squares, ready to serve. I find a 4 x 4 grid is perfect.

Coffee blondies – variations

  • Sugars – I’ve used a light brown soft sugar. Dark brown would make a far richer and more intense blondie. Add a little extra coffee so its flavour doesn’t get lost.
  • Chocolate Coffee Blondies – Add about 50-70g chocolate chips along with the flour. Dark chocolate goes well with coffee, but you could also use milk, white or a mixture.
  • Coffee & Walnut Blondies – Coffee and walnuts are a classic and delicious combination. Add 50g chopped walnuts or pecans with the flour.

Hints and tips for coffee blondies

  • Store for up to 5 days. I find it best to wrap the blondies in the baking parchment you used for baking, and then seal them in an airtight tin. For that just-baked flavour, microwave for 10 seconds to warm up and restore that delicious fudgy centre.
  • For the best blondie dessert, try topping with a spoon of fudge sauce before you microwave.
  • You can also wrap well and freeze for 3 months. Having said that, we never had any left over to freeze!
  • To double the recipe – use a 13 x 9″ baking pan. The blondies will be a bit thicker and take slightly longer to cook.
  • This recipe has proportionally more fat in it compared to many bakes. Take time to stir the flour in properly to prevent any separation.
  • Use proper butter! Baking spread has its place, but it is not here.
  • Good quality vanilla extract makes a massive difference. Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while essence is often synthetically made and contains little or no actual vanilla.
In close up, the delicious moist texture of these coffee blondies is shown clearly.

Coffee blondies – FAQs

Are blondies supposed to be gooey?

Yes! The fudgy and gooey centre makes a perfect blondie. The trick is to take them out of the oven before you think they are cooked. Over baked blondies will be hard and more like a soft cookie.

How do you fix undercooked blondies?

Pop them back in the oven for a few minutes, or give them a minute in the microwave. A 20 second burst in the microwave will restore that just fresh from the oven texture to blondies that have been in the tin for a few days.

More easy blondie recipes

  • Easy blondies – My first easy blondie recipe is fudgy, caramelly, buttery and oh so delicious. One bowl, one spoon and no mixer needed.
  • Peanut butter blondies – My original blondies with a peanut butter batter, swirls and topping.
  • Biscoff blondies – Buttery, fudgy blondies, with a Biscoff batter, swirls and topping, with crunchy Lotus biscuits studded both though the batter and topping the blondies!
  • Explore more with my roundup of all the best easy blondies.
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Close up of tasty coffee blondies, showing the moist texture and crumbly top.
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5 from 3 votes

Coffee Blondies – one bowl, no mixer

The original easy blondie ramped up for coffee lovers – simple, delicious and perfect for sharing.
Servings: 16 blondies
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Prep Time5 mins
25 mins
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 115 g butter (melted – use salted, or if using unsalted add a pinch of salt)
  • 210 g light soft brown sugar (or dark)
  • 2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder (use a good quality version)
  • 1 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 125 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4. Prepare an 8" / 20 cm square baking tin by lining with parchment paper, and then greasing with cake release spray, butter or a light flavourless oil.
  • Put the butter into a large bowl or jug, and melt in the microwave in 10 seconds bursts. Continue until the butter is partially melted but not hot. Then stir to melt the rest.
    Alternatively, melt the butter over a pan of simmering water on the stove top.
    115 g butter
  • Add the coffee and soft brown sugar and stir it in.
    210 g light soft brown sugar
  • Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Fold in the flour (and baking powder and salt, if using plain flour or unsalted butter). Mix until you have a thick glossy batter.
    2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder, 1 large eggs
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Give it a gentle shake to level it out.
  • Bake for 25–28* minutes, until the blondies are set at the edges (which will have risen and become slightly wrinkled). There will be a shiny papery crust on top. The middle should be soft and still slightly wobbly.
    *If you don't have a fan oven you may need to turn the pan half way through cooking if your oven has hot spots. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.
  • Stand the tin on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10–15 minutes to firm up. The centre will continue to cook in the residual heat. Then gently lift out of the pan and cut into 16 squares (4 x 4 pattern).

Notes

  • Store for up to 5 – 7 days. I find the best way is to wrap your blondies in the baking parchment you used for baking, before sealing them in an airtight tin. For that just baked taste pop into the microwave for 10 seconds to warm up and restore that delicious fudge centre.
  • For the best blondie dessert, try topping with a spoon of fudge sauce before you microwave.
  • You can also wrap well and freeze for 3 months, but we never had any left over after a few days.
  • To double the recipe – use a 13 x 9″ baking pan. The blondies will be a bit thicker and take slightly longer to cook.
  • This recipe has proportionally more fat in it compared to many bakes. Take time to stir the flour in properly to prevent any separation.
  • Use proper butter! Baking spread has its place but it is not here.
  • Good quality vanilla extract makes a massive difference. Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while essence is often synthetically made and contains little or no actual vanilla.
Nutritional Information
  • This recipe is 7 Weight Watchers Smart Points
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Coffee Blondies – one bowl, no mixer
Amount Per Serving
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 62mg3%
Potassium 56mg2%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 202IU4%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Baked Goods, Baking
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy blondies
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Filed Under: Baking, Cake, Recipes Ingredients: Butter, Coffee, Eggs, Flour, Sugar

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Chloe

    5 stars
    And there was me thinking that you couldn’t improve on your peanut butter blondies! I might have to make both at the same time next time and have a blondie off!

    Reply
  2. Autumn Brooke

    I love brownies, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I just want a basic blondie instead. This sounds so good with the addition of the coffee. Definitely making this.

    Reply
  3. Sadie Porter

    5 stars
    These are to die for! Blondies are my favourite but with the addition of coffee too, things just hit a whole new level of wonderful.

    Reply
  4. Kelsey Wright

    5 stars
    Deliciously gooey, perfect consistency and the subtle flavour of coffee, these are so good.

    Reply

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