Chewy Almond Squares (Blondies)

Almond blondies! Chewy almond squares, easy to make, no need for a mixer.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated December 17, 2022
Elise Bauer
Chewy Almond Blondies
Elise Bauer

Sometimes I want to bake something sweet, but I just don't want a big fuss with a mixer or running the oven for an hour.

These chewy almond squares fit the bill!

They're basically blondies, but made with almond extract instead of vanilla, and with chopped toasted almonds mixed in instead of butterscotch.

A big thank you to commenter Chris who made these substitutions on our blondie recipe and shared how well they turned out!

Chewy Almond Squares (Blondies)

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 9 squares

To make the decorative almond halves, take a whole raw almond and pinch it between your fingers. Use a serrated bread knife to carefully cut the almond in half. The almond has a natural break-point so it should split easily once you start to cut it.

No need for a mixer for this recipe, all you need is a whisk and a strong spoon.

You can easily double this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 112g) butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

  • 1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon almond extract

  • 1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

  • Pinch salt

  • 1/3 cup toasted blanched almonds chopped

  • Whole almond halves, for decoration

Method

  1. Preheat oven, prep pan, toast almonds:

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with butter. Toast blanched almonds if you have not already done so, and when cool, roughly chop them.

  2. Mix wet ingredients:

    In a mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until there are no more lumps of brown sugar. Whisk in the beaten egg and almond extract.

  3. Whisk dry ingredients:

    In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pinch of salt.

  4. Make batter:

    Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in the chopped almonds.

  5. Pour into baking pan, add almond halves:

    Pour into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface. You can "cut" the surface with a knife to make it easier to see where you will want to make cuts once the squares are done. Place an almond half, cut side down, in the middle of each square.

    spread batter for almond blondies
    Elise Bauer
    cut pattern into uncooked batter for almond blondies
    Elise Bauer
  6. Bake:

    Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

    baked almond blondies
    Elise Bauer
almond blondies
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
262 Calories
14g Fat
32g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9
Amount per serving
Calories 262
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 17%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 179mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 54mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 93mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.