A blondie is a bar cookie similar in texture to a brownie but made without chocolate, relying on brown sugar or butterscotch for its rich, caramel-like flavor instead. The exact origin of the blondie is undocumented; it's generally believed to date to the early 20th century as a variation on the chocolate brownie, but specific stories about who invented it or where are not reliably sourced.
Blondies are made by creaming butter with brown sugar, then mixing in eggs, flour, and often nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit. The batter is spread in a baking pan and baked until set but still moist and fudgy in the center, giving a dense, chewy texture between a brownie and a cookie bar.
Common variations add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans, walnuts, coconut, or dried fruit such as cherries or cranberries; some recipes fold in cinnamon or vanilla. Blondies can be served plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with glaze, frosting, or ice cream, and hold up well as a base for trifles or other layered desserts.
Blondies are distinguished from brownies mainly by the absence of cocoa in the batter (chocolate chips are a common add-in, but not the base flavor) and by a caramel/butterscotch-forward taste rather than chocolate's.