Easy Coffee Blondies

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.

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! 

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 

• 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Coffee blondies – FAQs

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.