Matcha Blondies

I absolutely love doing long complicated recipes because I always feel so accomplished in the end. But last week was definitely not one of those weeks for that lol. So I turned to this super simple matcha blondie recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth. These matcha blondies are the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness. They also mostly utilize ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

What are blondies?

Blondies are a very popular thing on Instagram and in baking circles, but they are new to me. I did some research on them this week in preparation for this blog post, and found they are sometimes considered blonde brownies! The main differences between the two is that blondies are made mostly with brown sugar, and they don’t utilize melted chocolate. Blondies also typically have mix ins like chocolate chips, nuts, and dried berries. Brownies, like my matcha brownies, can have nuts, but in most cases, are served without any mix ins. Texture wise, they are pretty similar. Blondies texture wise are somewhere in between chewy cookies and fudgy brownies. Either way, I am now a fan.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Matcha powder – Adds color and bitterness to the blondie. The bitterness in matcha powder balances out the sweetness in the brown sugar. Make sure to use culinary grade matcha powder to get that bright green color. I use Aiya culinary grade matcha powder. Use the discount code cookingtherapy10 to get 10% off your purchase. The color tends to wash out when using lower quality matcha powder.
• All purpose flour – This is the main dry ingredient in this recipe. A good gluten free substitute would be sweet rice flour, but the texture will be a bit chewier than AP flour. Sweet rice flour also tends to be drier, so I would use 3/4 cup if using sweet rice flour.
• Baking powder – Baking powder helps the blondie rise.
• Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the matcha blondie. I used light brown sugar because I wanted my blondie to be less sweet. You can also use dark brown sugar for this recipe which will make the blondie sweeter and chewier.
• Butter – I used melted, unsalted butter for this recipe. For a more intense, caramel-y flavor, use browned butter.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the blondie. Vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean are good alternatives.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Egg – Adds richness to the blondie and makes them chewy.
• Chocolate chips – You can add up to a cup of any mix in you want. I chose 67% cacao chocolate chips since that is what I had in my pantry. Other options are nuts and dried berries.

Making my matcha blondies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 8×8 inch square baking pan. Grease it with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Next melt your butter and set aside to cool. Mix your matcha powder, AP flour, and baking powder together. Make sure to sift your matcha powder to prevent clumping. Set aside. Mix your melted butter and brown sugar together. Add in your eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until just combined. Add your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. I like to do this in batches, so I don’t overmix the batter. Lastly, add in your mix ins. I chose dark chocolate chips. Bake your matcha blondies for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Once you remove them from the oven, let them cool for 10 minutes before cutting into them.

Tips on how to make the perfect matcha blondies

Light vs dark brown sugar

I tested this with light and dark brown sugar, and I found that I liked light brown sugar better because it was less sweet. However if you prefer a sweeter blondie, I would recommend using dark brown sugar. You can also choose to use 1/2 light and 1/2 dark.

Sift the matcha powder to prevent clumping

Matcha powder likes to clump. Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the matcha powder before mixing it with the other dry ingredients.

Customize your blondies with mix ins

As mentioned before, you can choose from a variety of mix ins for your blondies. Some that work well are nuts, dried berries, potato chips, and chocolate chips. You can also choose to make them without any mix ins.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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