Salted Espresso Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Updated: Mar 18, 2024 by christina.marsigliese · 33 Comments

This blondie recipe is for coffee-lovers who love a sweet treat alongside a quick pick-me-up! These Espresso Chocolate Chunk Blondies are fudgy, chewy and rich with caramelized brown sugar flavor, sweet coffee, big dark chocolate chunks and flaky salt. It's a recipe hybrid of chocolate chip cookie dough and brownies with a coffee kick. They are easy to make and so satisfying. If you love blondies, check out my Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Brown Butter Blondies which are also dangerously good!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Fast & easy to make - these blondies come together quickly and take less than 30 minutes to bake.
Fudgy chewy texture - the right amount of sugar and eggs ensures that these blondies are dense, chewy and fudgy.
Rich buttery flavor - rich salty buttery undertones highlight the hazelnuts and chocolate!
Chocolate chunks, not chips - for the best texture and most dramatic pools of chocolate, I recommend dark chocolate chunks chopped from a chocolate bar. These chunks will melt evenly into the batter whereas chocolate chips will hold their shape.
Dark chocolate blondies - I definitely recommend dark chocolate with around 60% cocoa solids or higher for this recipe. It will balance the sweetness.
Coffee-infused - for the best coffee flavor, seek out espresso powder. It's a great ingredient for baking. You can also substitute with instant coffee, but you will need to use more since it is less dense.

INGREDIENTS

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Unsalted butter - there is no substitute for butter in a blondie recipe in my opinion! It is the foundation of the rich butterscotch flavor. In this recipe, you just need melted butter so no need to wait for it to soften at room temperature.
All purpose flour - regular all purpose flour is perfect to make fudgy and chewy blondies. Use unbleached flour which will give you that nice dense texture.
Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to this recipe since it is the main flavor that complements the rich buttery notes and sweet dairy notes. I like this Madagascar vanilla extract.
Eggs - two whole eggs will set the structure of these brownies for a gooey fudgy custardy texture without tasting or smelling "eggy".

Granulated sugar - simple fine white granulated sugar keeps these blondies moist. If you reduce the sugar they will not be as fudgy and they are less likely to have the shiny crust.
Brown sugar - you can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. I like the taste of dark brown sugar here with its rich molasses flavors.
Egg - 2 whole eggs will provide majority of the structure in these blondies.
Espresso powder - this is a great ingredient for coffee-flavored desserts and even just to enhance the flavor of chocolate desserts.
Dark chocolate chunks - this is important! I highly recommend using bar chocolate, that is, chunks that you chop up from a bar of chocolate instead of chocolate chips. Why? That is because chocolate that is made into bars, also known as "tablets" has a higher cocoa butter content and typically melts smoother than chocolate chips to give you puddles of chocolate. I love this effect! Chocolate chips will hold their shape and spread less.

chocolate chunk espresso blondies stacked

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1). Combine wet ingredients. Combine melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, egg, egg yolk, espresso powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk vigorously to blend well until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
STEP 2). Add dry ingredients. Whisk in baking soda, then sprinkle the flour over the batter and fold it in.
STEP 3). Add chocolate. Add chocolate chunks and fold them in.
STEP 4). Bake. Spread the thick batter evenly into your prepared pan. Scatter extra dark chocolate chunks on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown and the edges are deeply browned. It should puff up in the center and then fall slightly, and it will still feel just slightly soft in the middle.
STEP 5). Cool. Transfer pan to a wire rack, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and let cool completely before cutting into squares. These are best served the same day.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Do not over-bake. Be sure to not over-bake the blondies or they can end up more dry instead of dense and fudgy.
Use big chocolate chunks or high quality dark couverture chocolate chips, so you get nice melty puddles while they are still warm.
You only need a pinch of baking soda. This helps them brown nicely and also gives you a bit of structure. Too much will make them dry though.
Cool completely. Let the finished blondies cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing to ensure you get those nice clean slices and a fudgy texture.

stack of chocolate chunk espresso blondies

RECIPE FAQ

Can I make these blondies without espresso powder?

If you don't like coffee, you can omit the espresso powder. The resulting blondies will have a lighter color.

What type of chocolate should I use for blondies?

Make sure you use pure dark chocolate. Do not use compound chocolate which contains other vegetable oils. Pure chocolate should contain pure cocoa butter, sugar and cocoa solids.

How do I make clean slices on my blondies?

The trick to making clean slices for blondies is to let them cool completely. If you really want a perfect edge, chill them thoroughly and then use a hot dry knife. Dip the knife in hot water and then wipe it clean and dry between each slice.

How do I store these blondies?

These blondies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After 3 days, they will start to dry out.

What are blondies? How are blondies different from brownies?

Ever wonder what the heck is a blondie? It's not a brownie because the batter isn't based on melted chocolate nor heaps of cocoa powder. Instead they are more similar to chocolate chip cookie dough baked into a slab and cut into squares. They are laden with brown sugar with rich caramelized, browning flavors. They are wonderfully chewy around the edges and more dense and slightly fudgy in the middle. The wonderful thing about blondies is that they are indefinitely adaptable.

If you love bars and brownies, check out these recipes!

Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Brownie Bottom Cheesecake Better Than Box Brownie Mix Recipe The BEST Small Batch Fudge Brownies Buckeye Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies BEST Fudgy Brownie Recipe with Shiny Crust The BEST Fudgy Flourless Brownie Cookies

Looking for other squares and bars like this? Try these:

Baking with espresso...

Do you love baking with coffee? Check out these recipes:

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