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Ryan Reynolds Blondie Bars!

Classic soft and gooey blondie bars, with chocolate chips in every bite – just the way a blondie should be!

vegan blondies

I know…

You’re wondering about the title.

It’s really my friend’s fault.

When I brought the blondies to a party on Friday night and people were going crazy for them, she said it was clear the blondies had seductive powers. This sparked a conversation over other things with seductive powers… and soon the blondies were being compared to hot fudge sundaes, Tollhouse cookie dough, Ben & Jerry’s, George Clooney, and Ryan Reynolds. I was told that if I ever posted the recipe on the blog, I had to call then Ryan Reynolds blondies.

So here we are.

healthy blondies

(Hopefully if he ever happens to somehow stumble across this post, he will be flattered and not think it’s too crazy!)

Unlike Ryan Reynolds, these chocolate chip blondies are not married… meaning you can keep them all to yourself. And trust me, you’re going to want to keep them all to yourself – they are so soft and gooey, with rich chocolate in each seductive bite. You also don’t have to compete with Blake Lively for their affection, which is good because it would be kind of impossible, because she’s kind of perfect.

The recipe was adapted from my Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars, only these make a much larger batch, and the amount of sugar has almost been cut in half… yet they are still somehow just as good!

(See the video, above)

Of course there’s a video too, because there had to be a video. You need to see the blondie-making in action.

Call them whatever you’d like, but definitely be sure that you try these blondies!peanut butter bars

The bars are or can be egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto, and refined-sugar-free. If you need them to be nut-free, just swap out the peanut butter for your favorite allergy-friendly alternative, such as sunflower butter or pumpkin seed butter.

If you make them, feel free to tag me on Instagram, @ChocolateCoveredKatie, so I can see and like your photos!

Classic soft and gooey blondie bars, with chocolate chips in every bite!

Ryan Reynolds Blondies

Ryan Reynolds Blondie Bars!

Total Time: 15m
Yield: 24-30 bars
Print This Recipe [mrp_rating_result show_count="false" show_rich_snippets="false"]

Ingredients

  • 2 cups peanut butter OR allergy-friendly sub
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup flour, such as oat, white, spelt, sorghum, or even almond
  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar, unrefined if desired (or xylitol for sugar-free)
  • 1/2 cup or more chocolate chips – I used 1/2 cup in the batter, plus more on top
  • up to 1/2 cup milk of choice, as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment. Stir together all ingredients to form a batter (see the video above if you want to watch the bars being made). Add milk of choice to achieve a cookie-dough-like batter – the amount needed will depend on the flour and type of nut butter you use. Smooth batter into the pan. If desired, press more chocolate chips on top. Bake 15-20 minutes on the center rack. They’ll look way underdone – let them cool for at least an hour, during which time they firm up, and they firm up even more overnight (covered loosely on the counter).

View Nutrition Facts

 

 

 

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More About The Cookbook

 

Published on March 5, 2018

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

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108 Comments

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  1. kat says

    I printed this out immediately and just made them! My new favorite recipe of yours. So soft, and gooey. I used almond butter, and when I pulled them out they did seem under cooked. But the longer they sit, the firmer they get. Thank you!

  2. Caryn says

    When I was finally able to stop laughing at the cute story of how they got their name, I tried my hand at making a batch. OH MY STARS they are so good!!!! Like “I don’t know how to stop eating them” good!
    I keep going past the pan and sneaking another taste 🙂
    Thank you so much for the recipe! Or maybe not thank you at all! 😉

  3. Patty Fields says

    HI Katie!
    I love the blog!
    Can you tell me, when you list the flours, if you don’t say whole wheat, does that mean it won’t work? I don’t tend to have white flour in the house any more, but usually tend to have whole wheat!
    Thank you so much,
    Patty

    • Jason Sanford says

      If Katie hasn’t listed a flour in a recipe, it just means she hasn’t tried that flour and so can’t vouch for the results. But in this recipe, it would probably work because the flour is only there to bind. Be sure to report back if you experiment!

  4. Ashley says

    Is it possible to make these (or any of your recipes) with stevia (granulated)? I don’t have xylitol and would rather cut out the sugar. I know you can’t answer definitively for every recipe, but have you ever used stevia in other recipes instead of xylitol and had the same results? Thank you for your blog and all of the recipes…I think you’re the first blogger I ever made a repeat visit to…many years ago now. 🙂

    • Jason Sanford says

      Unfortunately there’s really no way for Katie to know if a variation will work until she tries it. However please feel free to experiment, and be sure to report back if you do.
      Jason (media relations)

      • Rebecca says

        Did you use half the amount, or the same amount? Did you use granulated and did you cut any liquid if you used a smaller amount? I was wondering if I could make this with almond flour and a stevia/xylitol blend.

  5. Kathy says

    So I calculated these ingredients into anutrition calculator and got 166 per Bar for 30 Bars…not 90 calories per a bar using what you said..spelt flour…peanut butter…and regular sugar…

    • Aimee says

      I think it depends on the specific brands of ingredients and type of milk you use and what online calculator you use. I got 102 calories per bar which is closer to Katie’s.

    • Brittany says

      Same here! After making them and having 3, it’s kind of shocking to find out that it’s 150-160 calories each when I thought they were 90!!! Turned out really delicious though–didn’t need to add any milk.

    • Jason Sanford says

      Sorry for the confusion – we’d thought applesauce was okay because nothing online that we found said it was strictly not okay on keto, and there were keto blogs showing applesauce recipes. But Katie says unsweetened yogurt (such as coconutmilk yogurt if vegan) will work here too. I haven’t tried butter (or a vegan butter spread) but it might also work, since applesauce is usually to replace oil or butter, so you’d think the other way around would work too, right? 🙂 If you experiment with coconut oil or butter, definitely be sure to report back!

      Jason (media relations)

  6. KareninStLouis says

    Made these tonight for my husband at his request, and with his requested changes: almond butter, spelt flour, no sweetener, and raisins instead of chocolate. I didn’t have applesauce, so I used yogurt. Used 3T of hubby’s homemade almond/coconut/cashew milk; probably should have used more, since it was firm and dry out of the oven (overbaked?). Made a half-recipe in an 8×8 pan. It is good, even without the “goodies” (sugar and chocolate), so he’s happy. I can’t wait to make it again with the grandkids with PB, sugar, and chocolate chips!!! It will be fantastic. Thank you for another great recipe.

  7. Cassie Thuvan Tran says

    Now I need to make some Orlando Bloom or Joe Manganiello brownies 😉 haha, I love the story of the name of this recipe! These blondies do indeed look seductive, but they will ALL be mine!

  8. Aimee says

    I made these yesterday morning so they’d be ready by dinner time. Oh wow are they good! I can see why they are called Ryan Reynolds blondies now! 🙂

  9. Jan says

    These were so good. I used powdered peanut butter mixed with water. Also I cut the recipe in one-fourth and put it in two little pans since it’s just me. They firmed up enough to eat after 20 minutes. I can see bringing these to a potluck. Love the recipe.

  10. Darcy Evans says

    Katie, I love the story and really enjoy films with George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds! Who can forget some sweet Orlando Bloom and Leonardo DiCaprio…and I enter my cougar years I love seeing Zac Efron! So…perhaps I made a poor peanut butter choice because I literally grabbed the ‘cheap stuff’ my husband uses in his bear bait food mix. I used oat flour. Coconut sugar, unrefined…trying to counteract the garbage peanut butter choice! LOL Last night the pan was super watery, probably oily. Today they seem to have more shape, but they look more like ice cream topping than able to cut nicely as shown in your beautiful pictures. Not that I’m complaining…nothing like a good topping to some plain ice cream! What flour thickens it a bit more, and which type peanut butter do you use?
    ps…I did double the recipe and cooked it in my BIG casserole pan.
    Thanks for always keeping me in my chocolate!

    • Jason Sanford says

      I think in your case it is probably because of doubling the recipe, not a flour choice. Doubling a recipe does not always work just by doubling every ingredient. For example, Katie had to change the sugar amount, milk amount, and the baking time from her original chocolate chip peanut butter bars in order to get a good result. Katie’s tried all of the flours listed, and I’ve personally tried the oat, spelt, and a white flour version. I think my favorite was the spelt version. But the peanut butter should not matter either. In any case I think your photo looks delicious!

  11. Mimi says

    Hmm.. I made these with Oat flour, half the sugar in the form of honey and coconut oil because I didn’t have apple sauce. Milk was not needed because of the liquid substitutes, but I would say that the peanut butter to flour ration is very off – they are GOO-EY. Basically just peanut butter mixed with sugar! They’ve been sitting out for 3 hours and haven’t settled anymore, hopefully they will firm up the longer they stick but if I make these again I would definitely add more flour.

    • Jenna says

      You replaced a solid ingredient (sugar) with extra liquid, so of course yours turned out gooey. Granulated sugar and honey are not the same thing and can’t be substituted in a one to one ratio in baked goods

    • Natasha @ Thoughts of Tradition says

      I am not trying to be rude, but I am amazed by this comment. It’s thanks to your substitution that the recipe didn’t work, and it isn’t Katie’s fault.

    • Jason Sanford says

      As long as you’re okay with the possibility of an unexpected result, feel free to make substitutions with any of Katie’s recipes. But if you want to not risk it, it’s always best to try the recipe as written, at least the first time so that you can see how they’re supposed to turn out. Hopefully your bars still taste good!

    • LalaLauren says

      Swapping applesauce for coconut oil is unlikely to be a good choice as cooking apple sauce will thicken it, cooking coconut oil will just make it thinner. Also the honey instead of sugar again is an issue as others have already pointed out.

  12. Hannah says

    Thank you so much for this recipe Katie!

    I am my kids and all of their friends’ favorite person after making these and serving them to a group of hungry teenagers who could not devour the blondies fast enough! None of them were vegan, but that didn’t seem to stop them! Thank you for another terrific recipe 🙂

  13. dayna says

    these are so good! i cut the recipe in half and it worked perfectly. some things i will do differently next time…i will use mini chocolate chips and i think they would still taste really good if i cut the amount of sugar. thank you for another great dessert!

  14. KareninStLouis says

    I commented earlier about making a half recipe with almond butter, no sugar, no chocolate, with raisins. This time I made a half batch with chocolate chunks, a little over half the indicated sugar, and commercial peanut butter, with my granddaughters assisting. I baked the blondies for 12 minutes. These turned out great and yummy. As another commenter mentioned, I would use mini chips next time for better chocolate distribution. Not doing so was my bad call. What a fabulous, flexible recipe.

  15. Erin says

    Ahhh I love this!! Soooo so yummy, and I love that they’re vegan 😀 I took them to my non-vegan friends and between myself and them- we demolished them hehe.

    Thanks so much for sharing amazing desserts ❤️

  16. Sarah says

    I don’t have a picture to post, but I made a batch of these yesterday and subbed out the chocolate chips with 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup butterscotch chips. Half of the batch may already be gone, and my coworkers have made a significant dent in the other half this morning. This one is definitely a keeper!

    -Sarah

  17. Michele Palmer says

    These are AMAZING!! I used Almond flour & coconut palm sugar and they came out perfect!! Like, I could eat the whole dish amazing!
    It always amazes me when the ingredient list looks so simple and such familiar ingredients. Yet, they transform into something different every time. GREAT JOB KATIE!!!

  18. Jay says

    Omg! Just made half recipie in 8×8 and was not able to wait until cooled completely to eat. To me it tastes just like partially baked chocolate chip cookie dough – AH-MAY-ZING!!! Made with warm, smooth no stir almond butter, organic cane sugar, and gluten free all purpose flour. Did not need any milk and accidentally used a more applesauce than called for. Still cooked for 15 min. Just delicious!

  19. Kim says

    The hit of the party! There onesn’t one bite left of Ryan Reynolds Bars, but a whole heap of Ghiradelli brownies left. A perfect gooey texture, holds together well enough. Perfect combo of flavors and textures. I used Costco’s organic Almond butter. I added 1/2 cup of real butter instead of applesauce (because I didn’t have any) and I only used 1/2 cup of sugar. I also used gluten free flour. I’m making them again tomorrow. Katie, I enjoy your blog very much. So many great recipes. I love the smaller portions and I feel good about giving these goodies to my family (and friends) knowing there’s at least some goodness in every bite!

  20. susan says

    I never leave comments on things like this, and I also rarely bake because i SUCK at it, but oH MY GOD, these were AMAZING. and soooo easy. i actually didn’t have any milk on hand so I used a bit of vanilla yogurt, and it was still perfect. THANK YOU.

  21. Kylie says

    These look fantastic! I was going to try them sugar free with swerve (erythritol) as the sugar replacement. I only have the confectioner sugar Would that work?

  22. Katy says

    I used all purpose flour and used almond milk (wasn’t sure how to know if I needed it or not, but I went ahead with 1/4 cup), unfortunately they turned out VERY gooey like uncooked cookie dough, and just wouldn’t set. I baked an extra ten minutes in hopes that it might help firm them up a bit more, and left on counter loosely covered for 2 days, but was no help. I guess I should have omitted the almond milk?
    Love the title!…..and yummy with n’ice’ cream!!

  23. Courtney says

    Oh my goodness these are good. My first batch I think I cooked just a little too long because they were crumbly (but still insanely good). I am going to make another batch this morning and not cook quite as long. You would never be able to tell these are “healthified.” Perfectly peanut butter and chocolatey!

  24. Vivian says

    I used Trader Joe’s almond butter which tends to be less solid than some other brands. I used only only one individual serving sized container of unsweetened applesauce which is slightly less than 1/2 cup. I used mostly oat flour (ran out and added about 2 tablespoons of whole grain spelt flour.) I used 1/2 cup of Florida Crystals organic raw cane sugar which is half the recommended amount. (I would have preferred Sucanat Whole Cane Sugar which tends to be less sweet but I could not find it in any local store.) I did not add any milk. I baked mine in a convection oven for 15 minutes. They turned out great. My only disappointment is they have 129 calories each when I cut them into 32 servings (4 across the length of the pain and 8 across the width.) That is too many calories to eat the amount I would LIKE to eat because they are so tasty. I just keep reminding myself they have a lot of good protein in them, too I plan to freeze them cut in one-serving-pieces and take one out each day to eat with my lunch. Microwaved 1 minute power 3 – I am sure they will taste just like fresh baked!

  25. LeAnn says

    Hello. Thanks for another excellent recipe! I used oat flour and homemade almond butter and they turned out great :). Do you think these would do well in the freezer? If so, for how long do you think they could be kept frozen before they go bad?

  26. Catherine says

    I have a peanut allergy. My almond butter from Costco is very runny. Trader Jo’s almond butter is not runny at all,and I don’the have that one right now. Will the Costco -Kirkland brand make these brownies more runny even after they sit overnight?

    • Jason Sanford says

      I know some commenters have used Jif or Skippy, and those are not super firm, so I don’t see why it would not work.
      Jason

  27. Amy says

    Mine turned out awesome. Loved that they were soft but not super sweet. I’m definitely making these again amen again!!!

  28. Sofia says

    Hi Katie,
    I have tried this recipe and the bars are extremely tasty – I have made them countless times already. I would, though, like to point out that your calorie count is very misleading for your readers. The calculator that you use ( VeryWellFit) can be finicky and you really must double-check the ingredients. When you said it was calculated with regular peanut butter, I decided to calculate it with that too and I saw that it automatically changed the amount from 2 cups to 1. It is in a smaller print, but is still noticeable. So, once I fixed that, it came closer to 160 calories than just 90. Hopefully now that you are aware of this you can change the calorie count, as it is a big difference.

  29. Leonor says

    okay so the top of it was crispy nice and inside was definitely goey…but I swear the entire content of the pan just rose up …like a cake lol and I kept it in there for 20 minutes…it was jiggly so everything was followed no substitutions…the only thing that was different was the pan I used was probably 8.5x 11 and it was slanted at the walls.. could this have anything to do with it? The pan you use seemed straight walls and flat not slants. ugh let me know BUT it tasted good and still ate it with vanilla ice cream haha

  30. Leonor says

    okay so the top of it was crispy nice and inside was definitely gooey…but I swear the entire content of the pan just rose up …like a cake lol and I kept it in there for 20 minutes…it was jiggly so everything was followed no substitutions…the only thing that was different was the pan I used was probably 8.5x 11 and it was slanted at the walls.. could this have anything to do with it? The pan you use seemed straight walls and flat not slants. ugh let me know BUT it tasted good and still ate it with vanilla ice cream haha

    • Jason Sanford says

      8.5×11 is very very different from 9×13. That’s like trying to fit the same amount of batter in half the size pan, so it would make a huge difference. Glad it still tasted good 🙂

  31. Susie McQ says

    These are great! My one complaint is that I could really taste the baking soda, so I might decrease to 1-2 tsp next time instead of 1 Tbs. I couldn’t stop eating them anyway. Thanks!

  32. Sarah DeBlasio says

    Dear Chocolate Covered Katie,

    These were chocolate covered DELICIOUS!!! WOW. My husband came home and took one bite and said “WOW”. I think this may be our new bday celebration dessert. For anyone reading trying to decide if you should make these or not…. DO IT!!

    Also, I was out of applesauce and used your suggestion in another comment for plain coconut yogurt and it worked like a charm. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

    Sarah

  33. Paige says

    I made these about 3-4 weeks ago, ate the entire pan with my son the next day, and have literally thought about them EVERY SINGLE day since. I’ just caved and looked up the recipe to buy the ingredients again.. they are the best.

  34. Cynthia says

    These were the best! Everyone who tried them said they were a keeper.
    Amazing considering the simple ingredients. I used the Almond flour option and used Swerve/erythritol instead of the sugar.
    Mine were too soft even after cooled, so I put them back in the oven for 15 minutes. Still soft but edible, and as promised firmed up overnight.
    I am wondering if refrigerating would make them firm up faster? Keeping them overnight is torture.

  35. Keria M says

    Hm I made these exactly as stated in the recipe using almond flour and they came out pretty gooey. The batter even seemed a little wet, so I added a few more tablespoons of flour to combat that. I’m going to put in the fridge to see if they firm up some more, but right now a little disappointed in how they came out.

  36. Auntie Em says

    I love how these turned out! They were the most popular desert at my mother in law’s Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend. My nephews begged me to please make more for Christmas! I didn’t have applesauce, so I subbed in pumpkin puree and added some pumpkin pie spice. I didn’t add the optional extra milk. Thank you, Katie!!

  37. Sabrina says

    These come out AMAZING every time for me. I have a hard time not eating too many at once! Have you tried freezing them? My only thing is that I always half the recipe (I selfishly make them for myself instead of bringing them to friends haha) but if you think I could freeze half then I’ll start making full batches!

  38. SS says

    These had great flavor but were very crumbly, even after chilling for 8 hours. Additionally, sprinkling chocolate chips on top did not stick, the chips rolled off.

  39. Pete says

    Is the recipe correct with 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of baking soda? I made it with that much and I definitely tasted the baking soda. Couldn’t eat them.. maybe another ingredient I added was no good but wanted to see if others used that much and didn’t have issues. Thanks.

    • Jason Sanford says

      Hmmm, looking through the comments it doesn’t seem like any others encountered the issue and I didn’t when I made them, BUT could it possibly be that the baking soda clumped and you got a bite that was extra baking soda-y? Or is it the entirety of the bars that are all too much of that taste? I’m not Katie, but I don’t see why reducing the baking soda couldn’t work – maybe your tastebuds are just more sensitive than mine!
      Jason

  40. Deej says

    Hi,

    I grew up without an oven and as an adult am fascinated by the magik of baking and really want to learn this art!
    But can someone please help me discern what I did wrong!
    These bars were sinfully good out of the oven, while they were still gooey and falling apart, but after covering them w a towel in the fridge overnight, they are dry and hard! And not really that good anymore sadly! They are crumbly and leave a lot to be desired.
    I followed the recipe to a T, using a blend of peanut butter and coconut butter for the 2 cups.
    I did bake them for the optional 20 minutes.. could that have been what made the difference?! Needed to do just 15?
    Thanks for any help out there!

    • Jason Sanford says

      Hi, coconut butter is extremely drying because coconut soaks up water like a sponge. That substitution would be what made them dry.
      Jason

  41. Holly says

    These are so amazing!!! Wow! I will be making them on a regular basis! I made them exactly as written, but I did not need to add any milk. The key to getting them to firm up is to let them cool! I stuck mine in the freezer so I wouldn’t have to wait as long.

  42. Jessica says

    I made a thanksgiving version of these because my sister is mad over the original. With pumpkin puree for the Apple sauce, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and a touch of mace. Then made keto praline pecans from thebigmansworld to replace the chocolate chips….. holy wow balls. It’s like pumpkin pie’s way cool uncle… must try alteration. But it’s also because the OG recipe is so spectacular!
    Thank you Katie!

  43. Raycho says

    Made these bars for my family and they loved it!! It was very gooey so next time I’ll probably bake it a little longer. But I stored them in my fridge and they hardened a bit more?

  44. Ingrid says

    I just made these and they are sooo good!
    However, i do think these have a lot of calories since 2 cups of peanut butter is A LOT!

  45. Barb says

    Wow! These are amazing. I made them with kamut flour ( I used more than the recipe called for) and I added ground flax seed. Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe!

  46. Serene says

    I used all of the same ingredients and even less sugar (1/4 cup) but I’m coming out to 130 calories for 30 servings. Anything I could be doing wrong?

  47. Okay_123 says

    Hi, I think you have a mistake regarding the amount of baking soda, is it really 1tbs instead of 1 tsp? Because I made it with 1tbs and the bakig soda taste is so strong, makes it uneatable. Shame and wasteful.

  48. Monica says

    These were the best! 2nd time making I doubled the recipe in same size baking dish and got super thick awesome blondies. Bake for 30 minutes at 325.

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