I don’t know anyone (well, except Kevin) who doesn’t love blondies.
They’re essentially cookie dough pressed into a pan and baked like brownies.
I mean, what’s not to love?
Kevin? Are you reading this? WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?
My extensive internet research (read: ferocious googling session) has led me to believe that, technically, a blondie is different from a cookie bar in that it’s made with brown sugar instead of white.
Other than that, all bets are off.
But, what if I already make my favorite chocolate chip cookies with brown sugar (or, in this case, sucanat, which is a less-refined cane sugar that still contains some of the molasses…aka brown sugar)?
Doesn’t that mean that a pan of blondies is just one giant square cookie? Or perhaps my favorite cookies are just small, circular blondies?
Clearly, I should have known better than to expect google to adequately answer this critical mystery of the universe.
Since the prospect of figuring out the difference between cookie bars and blondies was stressing me out too much, I just decided to accept them for what they are: thick, gooey, beautiful bars of cookie-like joy.
I based this recipe off the aforementioned chocolate chip cookie recipe, but decided to keep my life interesting by switching up a few of the key players. Namely, coconut oil jumped in to take the place of butter and lend an oh-so-subtle underlying coconut flavor (like, it’s juuuust barely there, but it’s still there, you know?).
If you aren’t a coconut fan, remain calm: these taste like traditional blondies, through and through. The coconut oil doesn’t make them, well, coconut blondies. But, if you were in the market for a such a blondie, a few handfuls of toasted coconut flakes in the batter wouldn’t make me mad, at all.
I also decided to ditch the egg since:
1. I was out of eggs after testing this muffin recipe a few times in one day, and
2. I like to keep the vegan or egg-allergic blondie-eaters of the world happy. I just used 1/4 cup of milk instead (coconut or almond, to keep it vegan, if needed, or cow’s if you’re into it), which normally isn’t an equitable swap for an egg in cookies, but works beautifully when said cookie dough gets smooshed into a pan to become blondies. No need for a ‘flax egg’ or any hard-to-find egg replacers here!
Finally, chocolate chunks got tagged in to replace the standard chips, since, in my world, a chopped up bar of chocolate is always superior to those little nubs of barely-melty chocolate that call themselves chips (clearly, I have some pent-up emotions on the subject).
I tested them with both all-purpose flour and white whole wheat, and in the end, decided that their texture and flavor was not at all compromised by adding in some whole-grain lovin’- so, that’s what I did.
The batter gets mixed together in 1 bowl in less time than it takes to preheat the oven, then baked for a hot minute (aka 12-16, depending on how gooey you like your blondies), and voila! You’re in blondie heaven.
Regardless of the official definition of blondies, or whether or not Kevin will eat them (the man just wants his cookies to look like a cookie…believe me, I’ve tried to convince him otherwise), I think you’re going to LOVE this recipe.
It’s quick + easy to make, perfectly soft and chewy, studded with chocolate chunks, and utterly delicious. 
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment below or taking a picture and tagging me on Instagram! And don’t forget to check out my Pantry Staples page to stock up on ingredients for this recipe!
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup virgin/unrefined coconut oil melted
- 2/3 cup sucanat or organic brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk of choice almond, coconut or cow's all work here
- 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper (to easily lift the blondies out of the pan), or grease with coconut oil (to cut and serve in the pan).
- 2. Whisk together coconut oil and sugar (it will be clumpy), then add milk and vanilla and whisk again to combine. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- 3. Press blondie dough into the pan (it will be a thin layer, but it puffs up as it bakes). If desired, sprinkle a few more chocolate chunks on top to make them look extra pretty when they're done baking.
- 4. Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until golden and still slightly soft in the center. For more gooey blondies, stop at the 12 minute mark. For more cakey blondies, cook the full 16. I was happy at about 13 minutes.
- 5. Let blondies cool slightly before cutting into 9-12 squares and serving. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes