Pistachio and blondie lovers, I made these ones for you. My Pistachio Blondies are tender, slightly chewy, and packed with roasted pistachios for a rich, nutty flavor and satisfying crunch. Of course I added some milk chocolate chips for creamy pockets of sweetness which pairs beautifully with the lightly salted pistachios. And the best part? They are made without brown sugar, while still delivering that rich, buttery blondie texture.
Personally, I do not have any issue with brown sugar. It is actually an essential ingredient in my pastry and I love its baking properties. It also has a deep distinguished flavor, which is great for these Crowd-Pleasing Butterscotch Blondies, but may overpowered the delicate pistachio flavor.
Skip The Ingredient Not The Texture
Brown sugar is crucial when baking blondies because it provides that chewy, fudgy texture. So instead of just simply using granulated sugar as is I mixed it with light corn syrup.
It is a small trick I used while developing chocolate chip cookies to my second cookbook “Cookie Science“. Mixing the two basically transfer the sugar into an inverted sugar, the kind that does not crystallizes and provides us with moist texture. Same as light, or dark brown sugar.
Let’s Bake
This is a simple and straightforward recipe, you only need a large bowl and a whisk. Below are step-by-step images for a visual guide, plus my tips and notes I took while developing and testing this recipe.
- If light corn syrup is not available for you, use Honey. It works just the same, and even if the flavor will be noticeable, it compliments the pistachios.
- Use lightly salted roasted pistachios. Blondies are sweet, and some salt coming from the nuts is the perfect way to round up the flavors.
- If the melted butter is too hot, wait a few minutes before mixing in the eggs, or else they will curdle.
Pay attention to the cake and not the timer. It is ready to be taken out of the oven when the sides are golden brown and set, but the center is lightly golden, and just about to set completely.
Easy Pistachio Blondies (No Brown Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Light corn syrup (or honey)
- 1 Cup (225g) Unsalted melted butter
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Cups (240g) All-purpose flour
- 1 Cup (150g) Chopped toasted pistachios
- 1 Cups (170g) Milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup (75g) Chopped toasted pistachios (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 340°F, then grease one 8-inch square pan. Line it with parchment paper, leaving some excess paper hanging over the sides for easy lifting.
- Measure the sugar (300g) in a large mixing bowl, then use a fork, or your fingers to rub the corn syrup (2 Tablespoons) into the sugar until it resembles the texture of light brown sugar.
- Pour in the melted butter (225g), then mix in the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) followed by the eggs.
- Add the flour (240g) making sure to add the pistachio (150g) and chocolates chips (170g) once half of the flour has been incorporated.
- Spread the dough into the prepared pan, and bake over the middle oven rack for 30 minutes. The cake is ready when the sides are set and golden brown, and the center is light golden and just set.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing.
- Store at room temperature for up to 5 days, covered, or in a cookie jar. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen inside a freezable bag.
