These Gluten-Free Banana Blondies are rich, buttery and fudgy with the fresh, vibrant flavour of banana. They are so quick and easy to make they are certain to become a family favourite.
I’m sure that you all know and love brownies but you may be less familiar with blondies. If so, it’s time to remedy that.
Blondies are sometimes referred to as brownies without chocolate but that doesn’t give them full credit. They deserve their own recognition, being a delicious snack or dessert with their own personality.
These sweet treats are sometimes known as cookie bars. They are denser than cake but moister and softer than cookies.
What is the difference between a blondie and a brownie?
There are similarities between the two, but the main difference is that the one constant ingredient in brownies is chocolate.
The blondie typically doesn’t contain chocolate, with the main flavouring ingredients being vanilla and brown sugar. However, chocolate chips may sometimes be added as an optional extra. For this recipe, we have used bananas to complement the caramel flavour of the vanilla and brown sugar.
At times there is some confusion between blondies and white chocolate brownies. But again, chocolate is the differentiating feature. They are two separate identities.
Whilst we may know the brownie better, Wikipedia advises that blondies were enjoyed at least ten years before brownies were developed. Blondies were made in the late 19th century whilst brownies were developed in 1905.
Why we love this Recipe:
We love an easy recipe which is quickly made and that is certainly the case with these irresistible sweet treats.
A friend in America has shared this recipe with us, and I couldn’t be more excited. I asked what some of her favourite desserts were, and this one topped the list (and I now know why!)
These Gluten-Free Banana Blondies have a rich, buttery caramel flavour which is beautifully complemented by the banana.
They are a dream match, made to be together.
Enjoy them as a snack, ideal to pack into a lunch box or to take on a picnic. Or serve small slices for morning or afternoon tea. One of my favourite ways to serve them is for dessert. Serve them warm with my No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream; there are no words!
Banana Bread is a wonderful way to use over-ripe bananas. But if you’re looking for another use for those bananas, this is a great alternative.
Ingredients in this Recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour – I have used a commercial blend. However, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour if you don’t need them to be gluten-free.
Brown sugar – this gives the blondies a delicious, caramel-like flavour and adds moisture.
Unsalted Butter – I use unsalted butter so that I can control the salt content. If you only have salted butter on hand, then just reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
For this recipe, I use melted butter. Melting the butter, rather than creaming it with the sugar in the traditional manner, is what helps produce the dense texture associated with blondies.
Bananas – it is important to use overripe bananas; they are sweet and full of flavour.
Eggs – for ethical reasons I always use free-range eggs.
Vanilla – I use good quality vanilla. In different countries, the name varies between extract and essence. For the best flavour use the natural product and not one which is synthetically derived.
Salt – I use coarse sea salt. Do not use table salt it has finer crystals and will be stronger.
Step by Step Instructions:
You’ll need to start by preheating your oven to 175 Degrees C (350 F). Line a 22×22 cm (9×9 inch) tin with baking paper. Spray the baking paper with a little oil. This will stop the slice from sticking.
1. Melt your butter;
2. Mash the bananas;
3. Combine the bananas, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar and salt.
4. Add in the flour, and mix well to combine.
5. Pour into the prepared pan. Spread the mixture out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before attempting to cut as they will fall apart if they are still warm.
Tips for Success and FAQs:
I recommend that you line your baking dish with non-stick baking paper and leave some overhang. This will make it easier to remove the Gluten-Free Banana Blondies from the dish.
Baking is a science and the measurements need to be precise. For this reason, I prefer to weigh my ingredients. But if you are measuring flour by volume, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not pack it down.
Cooking times are a guide as all ovens vary. It is important to not overcook the blondie. Err on the side of caution; removing the blondie from the oven a little too early is better than a little too late. The blondies will continue to cook for a time after removal from the oven.
Room temperature eggs are best as they will more evenly incorporate into the batter. If you forget to remove the eggs from the refrigerator just place them in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes.
Yes, they freeze well. To freeze, wrap the slices in cling wrap then transfer them to an airtight freezer container. You can freeze them for up to three months.
Once they are cool store the blondies in an airtight container at room temperature. The blondies are, not surprisingly, at their best on the first day. After about day three they start to lose some of their flavours. They will certainly keep for about 5 days. At this time, I like to warm them and serve for dessert.
I have used regular brown sugar. If you prefer a richer flavour use dark brown sugar.
The flavours are complex with vanilla and brown sugar tasting like luscious rich caramel. Buttery, moist and fudgy they are the perfect, easy snack or dessert.
There is no leavening in this recipe. You can make a rich and fudgy blondie with no chemical leavening at all. In this instance, we are depending on the eggs to be the raising agent.
Absolutely – I have kept them plain, but you could certainly add a frosting/icing of your choice if you wish.
If you wish, you can add some nuts such as walnuts or pecans. Chocolate chips are always a popular choice. I would use no more than 1 cup of additions.
Also, you could use less salt (or none at all) and sprinkle some sea salt flakes on top.
When it comes to serving:
Cut the blondies into squares. They are perfect for school or work lunch boxes. As they are very portable they are ideal to take to potlucks or picnics.
If you are serving them for morning or afternoon tea, when there is an assortment of other sweets, it is best to cut them into daintier sizes.
More Recipes you will love:
We love sharing gluten-free recipes that taste just as good as a regular recipe! Our aim is that you would never know a recipe was gluten-free. Try some more of our favourite sweet treats – these are all gluten-free:
This simple recipe makes moist, fudgy Banana Blondies which are certain to become a family favourite.
Please let me know in the comments below if you try these lovely Gluten-Free Banana Blondies.
Alex xx
Gluten-Free Banana Blondies
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour See Note 1
- 1 ½ cups (300g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (250g) butter See Note 2
- 2 eggs See Note 3
- 2 overripe bananas See Note 4
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Extras:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175 Degrees C (350 F).
- Line a 22×22 cm (9×9 inch) tin with baking paper. We recommend allowing some overhang, to make it easier to remove the blondies. Spray the baking paper with a little oil. This will stop the slice from sticking.
- Melt your butter.
- Mash the bananas until smooth.
- Combine the bananas, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar and salt.
- Add in the flour, and mix well to combine.
- Pour the batter into your prepared tin. Spread evenly with a spatula.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for approximately 35-45 minutes.To check when they are ready, use a very thin skewer or toothpick. You don't want it to come out completely clean, but the mixture should not appear raw. To achieve the desired fudgy centre the skewer needs to come out with a little stickiness. The blondie will continue cooking a little further after removing from the oven. Don’t look for the skewer to come out clean; the blondie will be overcooked at that stage.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before attempting to cut as they will fall apart if they are still too warm.
Notes
- Use a regular all-purpose/plain flour if you require. (This has been tested, and works perfectly) Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. If your flour blend already contains either of these gums, there is no need to add more.
- Use unsalted butter to best control the salt in baking.
- Use room temperature eggs for best results. We use large eggs in this recipe.
- Use bananas that have gone past eating stage – they need to still be fine to bake with and will have the most intense banana flavour.
- For the most accurate measurements when baking, we suggest you weigh your ingredients.
- As all ovens are different, this time may vary slightly.
- The serving size and nutritional information is based on the bars being cut into 10 and one being enjoyed as a serving.
- Please note, the optional extras are not included in the nutritional information (as we did not use them.)
- The Banana Blondies really need to chill before cutting, otherwise, they will fall apart.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Georgina
AH-MAZ-ING!
I served them initially warm from the oven with ice cream and they were so gooey and delicious. Also fantastic cold the next day although we didn’t have much left. Can’t wait to make them again – off to buy bananas just to let them go brown now haha!
Alexandra Cook
Thanks so much for making this recipe, Georgina!
Your serving suggestion sounds absolutely superb 🙂
Alex xo
Sophie
The batter became thick and dense even though i didnt mix the flour a lot. It did not look like the pictures you had even though i followed the recipe. It tasted more like banana bread.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Sophie,
I am sorry that this recipe didn’t work out for you – I know how frustrating that can be.
A few thoughts:
– you mentioned the batter didn’t look like the photos – did you weigh your ingredients for the best accuracy? It certainly shouldn’t be dense.
– what brand of gluten free flour did you use?
– if it came out like banana bread, it likely needed to be cooked for a few minutes less.
Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Kind regards, Alex
Andrea
Delicious – please both GF and the non GF crowd. We drizzle with a little melted choc for a yummy dessert.
Alexandra
Hi Andrea, thank you for the terrific comments on the GF Banana Blondies. What a delicious idea to serve them with melted chocolate! 🙂
Cassie
I made these for Valentine’s Day, and they were a great success. I added some semi sweet choc chips and some chopped walnuts. My oven runs hot, so I took them out a few minutes early and they were perfect. Had a nice squidge to the centre!
Alexandra
Hi Cassie, thanks for the great feedback. I am so pleased you enjoyed the blondies. Kind regards, Alex
Sarah
These were just okay – it was my first time making them, and they turned out like dense banana bread, so it was not the texture I was expecting. Nice flavor though.
Alexandra
Hi Sarah!
I am sorry to hear that –
The only thing I can think is perhaps they were cooked a little long? They should have a nice fudgy texture, not like banana bread 🙂
Did you make any changes to the recipe? Please feel free to let me know!
Kind regards, Alex
Luisa
I react badly to sugar. Would these still turn out by reducing the sugar to 1/2 a cup? Thank you!!
Alexandra
Hi Luisa,
I haven’t tried this, so couldn’t say for sure – it might make it a little drier and not have as fudgy a texture.
If you give it a try, I would be curious to know how you get on 🙂 Thanks, Alex
Alyssa Zahler
One of my go to recipes. So easy to make and a big crowd pleaser!
Alexandra
Hi Alyssa, I am delighted to hear that you enjoy the GF Banana Blondies. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Jean
Our overripe bananas were made into these blondies and turned out so good!
Alexandra
Hello Jean, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Banana Blondies, thank you so much for letting me know. 🙂
Justine
These blondies were a hit! I used all-purpose flour and the texture was still perfect. Their softness and rich banana flavor are unmatched. I am grateful to have happened upon this delicious recipe with so many overripe bananas to use!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Justine – I am so happy to hear this!
I love it when I have overripe bananas to use up so I can make these 🙂
Alice
Omg first time a make a gluten free flour dessert that comes out perfect!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I used a mixture of Bob’s red mill all purpose flour, tapioca flour, and a local brand of rice flour, rice cream and a little cornstarch. I thought it was going to be a huge mess but it turned out to be one of the tastiest banana desserts I’ve tried! 🤗🤗🤩😍
Alexandra
Thanks for sharing, Alice! So pleased you had success your first time making a gluten free dessert 🙂
Sam
Easy recipe and so delicious! Love serving warm with peanut butter ice cream. They’re so good!
Alexandra
Oh Sam, with peanut butter ice cream sounds SO good – I am definitely going to make a batch and try it! Yum – thanks for sharing! Kind regards, Alex
Nancy
I made these twice with gluten free flour and I don’t know why but it came out as cake rather blondie both times. Don’t know what went wrong!
Alexandra
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for trying the recipe. Did you alter it in any way? Also, may I ask if you weighed your ingredients or used cups? We do provide cup measurements, but for accuracy, we recommend weighing ingredients.
Otherwise, the only reason I can think of for the blondies to come out cake-like would be that they are overcooked. All ovens do vary, so if you were to try this recipe again, I would recommend checking them sooner – they should have a fudgy centre. Feel free to let me know if you have any queries.
Kind regards, Alex
Iuliana
I did twist the recipe às I do not eat sugar, I used 3 bananas instead of butter, 1 cup of coconut oil, 70% chocolate chips, a handful of chopped pecan…and voila…perfect for me. I did use the GF flour Thanks..
Alexandra
Thank you for sharing!
I am sure other readers who also don’t eat sugar will find it useful. I love the addition of the chopped pecans – yum!
Amanda
WOW made these tonight and they were SUPER YUMMY. So moist, delicious and had a great fudgy texture. Thank you so much for this recipe ! Will definitely be making these again!!!
Alexandra
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, Amanda – I am happy you enjoyed the blondies!