Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
Crazy delicious chocolate chip blondies recipe with toasted pecans. Made with coconut sugar and whole wheat flour, so they're healthier than most, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
I’ve been meaning to tell you about these blondies for a long time now. They’re from my friend Sarah Kieffer’s book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. She has a similarly titled blog called The Vanilla Bean Blog. These blondies are outrageously tasty.
I feel like I’ve committed a crime in keeping them to myself. I could offer you a bunch of excuses. Like, her book got lost on its way to me last fall; I got a cold and couldn’t get my act together enough to share them in time for Valentine’s Day; I tried to save them for when you might be looking for an indulgent treat to share (Easter!); I came home from a long trip with jet lag and a ruptured eardrum. Cute, right?
I’m just plain guilty. Sarah’s book is full of beautiful baked treats, the kind that you make when the calories are easily justified by the special occasion and you’re looking for that I’m-gonna-die-this-is-so-good response. Sarah is a skilled baker and you just know her recipes are going to be stellar. This one certainly is.
Since you all have come to expect healthier treats on my blog, I couldn’t help but make a couple of tweaks to her recipe by substituting whole wheat flour for the all-purpose, and coconut sugar for the brown sugar. I included her original ingredients in the recipe below as well, in case you’d rather make it as she designed. Either way, these chocolate chip pecan blondies made with a splash of coffee are worth every bite.
Coconut sugar is a natural sweetener that comes from evaporated coconut nectar. It doesn’t taste like coconut; it’s similar to brown sugar in flavor. Coconut sugar has gained significant popularity in the past year or two because it offers nutrients and fiber that are completely devoid in regular sugar. You can buy it at Trader Joe’s and most grocery stores these days (look in the health food section if you don’t find it in the regular baking aisle), and on Amazon.
Every resource I’ve found online suggests substituting coconut sugar for brown sugar in a one-to-one volume ratio. For example, use 1 cup coconut sugar to replace 1 cup brown sugar. I’ve found that this doesn’t work so well. The moisture and sweetness levels in coconut sugar are lower than in brown sugar, when they’re measured by volume. The resulting baked goods turn out wonky, in one way or another.
After some testing, I’ve realized that if you replace an equal weight of brown sugar with coconut sugar, your baked goods are far more likely to turn out well. Brown sugar is heavier than coconut sugar (1 cup packed brown sugar weighs 184 grams or 6.4 ounces and 1 cup packed coconut sugar weighs 144 grams or 5 ounces).
So, for good results, you’ll need to use about 25 percent more coconut sugar by volume, for equal amounts by weight. I don’t believe this means you’re consuming more sugar since the weights are the same, but feel free to contradict in the comments.
Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
Crazy delicious chocolate chip blondies recipe with toasted pecans. Made with coconut sugar and whole wheat flour, so they’re healthier than most, too! Recipe yields 12 large or up to 24 small blondies, depending on how you slice them.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour (Sarah used all-purpose)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups packed coconut sugar, or 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons strong coffee or cold brew concentrate, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract (yes, tablespoons)
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¾ cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- With the oven rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, coconut sugar and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is hot but not simmering. Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee until well combined (if the mixture refuses to come together, let it cool for a minute or two and try again). Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, pour the pecans onto a small rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until they’re nice and fragrant, stirring halfway. Set aside to cool.
- Once the butter and sugar mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and stir gently to combine.
- Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan (this is a little tricky with the parchment paper, but you can do it, I promise). Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, until the blondies are set on the edges and the top is golden brown and just beginning to form cracks. A wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the blondies should come out with just a couple of crumbs.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Grab opposite corners of the parchment paper and gently lift the blondies from the pan onto a flat surface. Cut them into squares (big or small, up to you) and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book by Sarah Kieffer.
Change it up: You can replace the pecans with other nuts or additional chocolate chips, or vice versa.
Make it vegan: I’m pretty sure that Abby successfully made these vegan with coconut oil and flax eggs. Please let me know if you try.
If you love this recipe: Don’t miss my very best brownies (they really are the best). I also used coconut sugar in my oatmeal cookies recipe and the peanut butter cookies in my cookbook.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi,
Came across this recipe a couple of weeks ago and decided I’d give it a go at the weekend. It’s so good and really easy to follow. Loving coffee so much, I decided to add more than I should, and the result was probably a bit stronger than you intended! I’ll be making them again, with the recommended two tablespoons of coffee next time. Love this site. Keep up the great work.
Andy
Thank you, Andy!
I made these last night with 12 tablespoons of coconut oil and a flax egg substitute. I also used brown sugar and reduced the amount to 1 cup. The blondies turned out delicious, albeit a bit oily and they didn’t quite rise at all. I think I’ll reduce the amount of oil next time and try using coconut sugar (the one I ordered didn’t come in time so I used brown this time). Delicious taste though and definitely worth trying to get this recipe right!
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kate and Cookie,
I made these beauties last night and it seems it is true, blondies do have more fun ;)
Thanks for sharing this recipe and adding your personal touch. I used the coconut sugar and whole wheat flour and they are just as sweet and chewy.
Thanks for your review!
OMG, these are delicious. Followed recipe exactly, except cannot eat nuts, so added 3/4 cup of semi sweet mixed with 1/4 cup of dark chips. Wow wow. New favorite recipe.
I made your blonde brownies yesterday and these are by far the best brownies I think I’ve ever had! There are so many levels of flavor in these brownies. I used the coconut sugar and loved it!
I’m glad you loved it, Dessa!
Successfully veganized the recipe with equal parts vegan butter and flax eggs turned out amazing!!
Great to hear, Savannah!
Can you freeze these? They look so delicious and can’t wait to try them.
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not.
Nothing was left to put in the freezer! They were very delicious. Thanks for the recipe and I love your cookbook “Love Real Food.” It was a birthday gift for me since I became vegetarian 2 years ago and it has been very helpful.
I just made this! It’s so yummy! But, mine didn’t turn out as pretty and crackly (don’t even think that’s a word – Lol) as yours. Did I not bake it long enough? It tastes like it’s cooked, though so I’m not sure why mine didn’t look as nice as yours.
These were so yummy!!!
Thank you for your review, SP!
Hello Kate!! I was wondering what a good substitute for the flour could be?
Coconut flour, tapioca flour, almond flour etc?
If needed to be gluten free, I recommend a gluten free flour blend. For recipes in the past Bob’s Red Mill has worked well for me.
I tried making these vegan, but substituted coconut oil 1:1 & they ended up too greasy that it didn’t even set completely in the oven.
do you have to add nuts?
Hands down the yummiest blondie brownies ever! thank you! I’m so grateful for all the recipes that I have used from your blog. :-)
Thank you, Sandra! I’m happy to hear that.
So good! I was looking for healthier dessert since that’s always been my downfall when trying to make a lifestyle change. I used an 8×8 and they took 40 minutes to bake! And get that beautiful crinkle I even over toasted the pecans and I didn’t notice the a burnt taste in the finished product thank goodness. I’ve eaten two. I’m going to freeze 2/3 of the rest for portion control.
Thanks for your comment and review!
Is there a gluten free option to whole wheat flour?
Hi Sharron! You could try a gluten free flour blend. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 has worked well in the past.
Do you grind the wheat for your flour or is purchased? The reason I ask is fresh ground wheat requires more flour to work properly. Wanting to make these for our Christmas celebration tonight.
Hi Sue! I buy my flour, not grind it. I hope this helps!
These are absolutely delicious. I made the recipe as is, except used a flax egg. The coconut sugar and vanilla give amazing flavor Texture was perfect. An added bonus is that they freeze well.
Thanks Kate…well done
Thank you for sharing, Laura!
Holy cow. These were absolutely amazing!
Thank you for sharing!! These are absolutely delicious. I’ve made them twice already, and my family raves over them!! :)
Bless my mother for teaching all eight of her kids how to cook(4 boys, 4girls).I make these for friends, family, and most recently for the ladies at the front counter & registers at my local grocery store. They absolutely love them! Made them smile amidst all of the stressed out shoppers. Thank you for the recipe. Sending a batch to a niece and her roommates today.
Can you make this recipe without the coffee?
Sure! I’d replace it with water to make sure the consistency remains the same.
I am a completely inexperienced baker. i made these and they may have been the first thing i’ve ever actually baker from scratch! However, they didn’t turn out well for me. this is not a fault of this recipe by any means, not only am I totally inexperienced but i also made some tweaks and substitutions that were probably less than ideal. i’m determined to learn to bake/cook during this time, so any pointers would be much appreciated!!!
I made these with:
– whole wheat flour
– imitation vanilla (all i had – this was a biggie i think)
– light brown sugar that was less than fresh
– baking powder that was a few months past its expiration, but fizzed in a cup of hot water (I live with my grandma who hasn’t baked in a year or two, lol)
– stok unsweetened cold brew
and I didn’t have parchment paper, so I just used a greased 9×13 pan.
For me, the batter was really thick going into the pan and the layer of it was super thin, so thin I had a very hard time covering the pan completely without any bare spots. I baked them for 8-10 minutes longer than recommended, until a toothpick came out clean. I ended up with blondies that looked acceptable on the surface, but were only about a half an inch thick. they tasted bland, they were very sweet but there was none of that vanilla – pecan – coffee taste i was really hoping for. They were chewy, but not like a fudgy brownie, more like tough. i couldn’t taste the coffee at all, actually, and i put a generous amount.
I think I probably baked them a bit too long and would’ve been much better off using real vanilla and the parchment paper. the old brown sugar probably didn’t help.
let me know what you think about my troubles. it’s a great recipe and i would like to try it again after I troubleshoot.
could you make these gluten free with a different flour?
Hi Gayle! I’m sorry, these bars may not be great candidates for gluten-free baking. I’ve heard from two readers who have tried to use all-purpose GF flour blends, and neither batch turned out quite right.
Thanks for responding and saving me the effort of making it. I just found your site and made the Thai red curry last night – soooo good! I’ll be trying more recipes for sure!
Made this 3x.
I had to substitute the pecans with macadamia and pumpkin seeds once, not a problem still yummy. Added coffee flavored chocolate chips instead of coffee once, that also worked out well. Used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar once and they were slightly less structured, still yummy. My boyfriend loves these and “only likes chocolate”. Sooo gooood
Kate. Kate… What can I say? I didn’t have pecans, and I love brown sugar and omg these were the texture I’ve been searching for it my brownies. Chewy. “Fudgy”. Freaking delicious and not overly coffee flavored though I wouldn’t mind. Definitely my new favorite brownie as I’m trying to reduce my chocolate.
Thank you for sharing, Tiffany! I’m really happy to hear that. I’m glad you loved everything about this recipe.
I have no idea what I did wrong but my blondies completely failed.. :( While in the oven, the batter rose high and was constantly bubbling. It did not become solid. After 30 minutes, I tried adding some flour to make the mixture less liquid but that also didn’t work. The end result is a collapsed layer of semi fluid, semi hard greasy blondie tasting something.
The only thing I can come up with is that I substituted the flour for a glutenfree mix. Or that something with the butter measurement went wrong as I am from Europe and always have to converse everything. Metric measurements would be very helpful, since I usually quite enjoy your recipes!
I love seeing all the alternatives listed in the recipes. As I’m reading, I’m asking myself “what if I don’t have….?” Then you’ve already answered! Thanks for making it easy to follow. I haven’t made this recipe but I made another one on cookie and Kate. I’m gonna go ahead and rate it because I’m going to make it soon and I’m sure it will be delicious!
These are baking right now and smell amazing! How long do they keep at room temp and can they be frozen? Thanks.
Hi Lauren! Recipes like this usually keep well for a few days and should freeze well too!
Sweet baby Jesus these are delicious!!!! I’ve been stress baking and this wins. This recipe wins everything.
I’m glad you love them, River! Thank you for your review.
Just made these & they came out amazing. A tad bit too sweet for me as I used brown sugar. Loved the texture but I have to say I love your the very best brownies recipe even more
The best dessert I have ever made! These were amazing. I used king arthurs gf flour mix and extra chocolate chips instead of nuts. This was the absolute best dessert with vanilla ice cream!
Kate, I have used many, many of your recipes and already know that they are reliable, accurate and delicious! I love learning from you. So, when you said the Blondie recipe was “crazy delicious” I decided it must be. And…it was!! I was so happy to make a blondie recipe that had great flavor and not just an overpowering, sugary taste! Wow! If I owned a bakeshop, these would be in the display case every day. The absolute best combination of flavors. I ended up using cold brewed coffee and it worked just fine, but I did let the brown sugar mixture cool a bit, first. I cannot wait to buy coconut sugar and try it that way, too! Thank you!
I just made these and stuck to the exact recipe and they’ve turned out great!! So delicious and easy to make!
These are delicious! It’s so hard to find a recipe I can substitute with GF flour and have it turn out like it should. I used Cup4Cup and they were perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
I wouldn’t suggest ‘veganizing’ this recipe. I tried making these vegan by substituting the butter and egg with equal amount of vegan butter and a flax egg. Unfortunately they came out very greasy and flat.
Do you think I could make this with buckwheat flour?
Hi Lori, I’m not sure without trying it. Buckwheat sometimes requires some adjusting.
Tried it and it was amazing! I couldn’t slice them as neat and pretty as yours though? How did you cut it so neatly? The nuts keep getting in the way. Lol!
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Make sure they are on a flat surface and use a good, sharp knife.
Thank you so much for replying! Do you cut them when they are completely cooled? One straight press with sharp knife or in a sawing motion?
Hi! Cut once cooled, straight down with a sharp knife. I hope this helps!
Hi! I made these today with coconut sugar but didn’t have cracks on top, what should I do?
Hi Bee! How did they taste overall?
Oatmeal May be used!?
Hi Paullette, these aren’t meant to be make with oats. However, I believe a reader has tried oat flour and that work well for them. I haven’t tried it and would follow my oat flour guide.
Absolutely delicious! Truly one of the tastiest things I’ve ever baked.
I made them vegan, using vegan butter and psylium husk. I didn’t attempt it with coconut oil since I’ve tried coconut oil in brownies before and in my experience it makes them more greasy feeling and the top doesn’t come out as crinkly and pretty. Vegan butter worked perfectly!
The psylium husk instead of eggs also worked beautifully; I prefer psylium husk to flax seed since it departs virtually no flavor or color to the finished product. I used 1 teaspoon psylium husk (whole husks, not powder) and 3 tablespoons coffee to make my vegan egg. The 3 extra tablespoons of coffee made these extra delicious!
Thank you for the recipe!
HI Kate
Can I substitute maple syrup instead of coconut or brown sugar.
Hi! Changing the sugar type will impact the results as baking is so precise. I recommend what is listed.
Does this have a strong coffee flavor or more of a vanilla flavor considering how much vanilla extract has been added!
This was great! Served it with plain Greek yogurt and cranberry compote. Thanks Kate!
Another winner! I made some tweaks: left out the nuts, added a smidge more chocolate chips, used King Arthur AP gluten-free flour, and used cold brew for the coffee. I had to bake it a while longer – closer to 40 minutes. That may have been due to the flour blend I used.
Still, it was absolutely delicious and I would happily make it again.
Thank you for sharing your variation, Heather! I’m happy you enjoyed these blondies.
These are absolutely gorgeous, just baked & straight outta the oven as a Saturday project with my tweens. Everyone loved them. I haven’t been eating much sweet things lately so I personally found them incredibly sweet and was wondering if I could cut the sugar down by half without losing the texture if anyone’s got any tips? Fab teenage baking projects and no one even was bothered they were made with whole meal flour
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Liz.
So AMAZING! Made these today and it is divine! Used 1 cup of coconut sugar and half a cup of brown sugar instead…as I ran out of coconut sugar, still turned out great! I topped mine with sea salt too! Yum! Will make this again
So i doubled the recipe and i used half coconut oil and half butter i did all the steps right but the oils never mixed into the batter i kinda stayed separated!!
Hi! Unfortunately, the half coconut oil and butter likely caused the result. I hope you try it again.
Hi Kate!
I was just wondering if I could substitute the coconut sugar for liquid sugars like dates syrup or honey? I tried your Banana bread recipe which used honey and it turned out amazing, so was wondering if the same would work for this…would I need to change the quantity?
Hi Mariyam, I recommend this recipe as is. Baking is precise, that changing one ingredient can really impact your results. Sorry!
UPDATE: I just tried out the recipe and instead of coconut sugar, I used unprocessed jaggery and added some instant cappuccino powder instead of brew, and it tasted AMAZING! Thanks a lot for the great recipe.. can’t get enough of it!
I made these yesterday and they were so good!! I made a couple substitutions – gluten free flour, dairy free butter, didn’t have pecans so I doubled the amount of chocolate to make up for it, and omitted the coffee as it gives my dad migraines. These were delicious and everyone absolutely loved them… like the entire batch gone within a day loved them. Thank you for this recipe!!
Great to hear, Robin! Thank you for your review and sharing.
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but mmmmmmm this was the best Blondie I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t have have brewed coffee at the moment, so I just stuck some water in the micro rave with 3 Tablespoons of expresso for 30 seconds on high. I also didn’t use much pecans because I ain’t really a number person so crushed them up finely after being baked, so I added a bit more chocolate chips, and a bit more expresso to the butter sugar combination. You should totally try this!!!!
I’m glad you commented! Thank you for sharing, Nancy.