- January 15, 2019
- Desserts
Easy Almond Flour Keto Blonde Brownies
Looking for the perfect, keto chocolate chip blondie recipe? This is the perfect combination of chewy cookie bar and cakey brownie rolled into one. They’re gluten free and can be made to be low carb keto friendly too. Dive into this simple recipe and share with the whole family!
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Growing up I was a sucker for a good Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie bar and had a special place in my heart for my Grandmother’s chocolate chip blondies (can you see the theme here).
Now that I follow a gluten free and mostly sugar free diet, I needed a good go-to almond flour blondies recipe so I could still get my fix. This is a perfect one bowl, one pan, dessert for getting an easy keto cookie bar recipe in under 30 minutes.
This blondie is the perfect combination of slightly cakey, slightly chewy, and isn’t dense or dey either (which is hard to come by when you’re making baked deserts with almond flour). Gluten free but not sugar free? No worries, this recipe works great with regular sugar too!
Below I’ll break down the ingredients used, possible substitutions, nutritional information and other helpful baking tips and techniques for serving up the perfect low carb blondie. Grab all the details below and let’s dive in!
“School” Supplies:
- Large Bowl
- Measuring Cups/ Spoons
- Rubber Spatula
- Whisk/ Hand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- 9×9 inch Pan
“Class” Notes:
Want to whip up a fool proof keto dessert recipe? Of course you do! Let me guide you through the process and answer questions regarding ingredients, storage, serving and more.
Ingredients:
- Almond Flour- I use a fine almond flour for this recipe. Often times I get asked about substitutions for nut free flours, however coconut flour is not an ideal substitute unfortunately (it will be very dry and crumbly). I prefer this brand of almond flour from Amazon or the Kirkland brand from Costco.
- Low Carb Sweetener- A granulated sweetener works perfect for this recipe. I am a huge advocate for using what you like (we all have different taste buds and therefore preferences). My personal go-to sweeteners are Allulose or this erythritol and monk fruit blend sweetener.
- Melted Butter- Lightly melted, the butter helps dissolve the low carb sweetener.
- Eggs- Room temperature eggs work best. Incorporate one egg at a time into the mixture and mix well to add air as well for a fluffier blondie.
- Cream Cheese- This acts as a binding agent and adds moisture to the bars. Softened cream cheese works best for this recipe. Dairy free? Try subbing with a vegan cream cheese instead.
- Vanilla Extract- Flavoring
- Sugar Free Chocolate Chips– If you’re not keto, use your favorite chocolate chips brand. If you are low carb and sugar free I suggest Lilly’s or Choc Zero brand. Dark chocolate also works great in a pinch!
- Baking Powder- Leaving agent, helps the cookie bars rise!
- Xanthan Gum- This acts as a binding agent and helps create a semi-chewier texture. It’s worth adding it for the right consistency to your blonde brownie.
- Salt- Flavoring
Baking Instructions:
Start by creaming your butter and low carb sweetener together in the bowl with a whisk or a hand mixer if desired. This helps the sweetener to dissolve.
Next, add and whisk in the softened cream cheese. Softened or room temperature works best to prevent lumps and clumps in your blondie batter. Once these three ingredients are full mixed in, stir in the vanilla.
The final wet ingredient to add is your eggs. Add one egg at a time and whisk each one into the batter. You will notice the batter start to thin out a bit more at this point (that’s good). Whisk in the second egg and repeat this step.
Add your almond flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum together into the large bowl of wet batter. I like to switch over to using a rubber spatula to mix and incorporate the remaining ingredients together by folding and stirring until it’s fully combined.
Grease a 9×9 inch pan and layer it with parchment paper. Yes, you can bake these up without the paper (still grease the pan), but it makes such a huge difference with getting the blondie bars out when you’re done. So add the paper!
Fold the sugar free chocolate chips into your batter, reserve a handful for the top. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it out evenly across all four corners. Once the batter is in the pan, sprinkle the small handful across the top for a more pronounced and decorative look to your blondies.
These bake for 25 minutes or so and then need to rest an hour or two before serving. Obviously, they’re great warm out of the oven and served with a giant scoop of keto ice cream over the top too!
How do I know when the keto blondies are done baking?
I’ve gotten a few questions about under-baking and over- baking. Look for the blondies to be slightly golden around the edges and see them come away slightly from the sides of the pan.
The top should look set, but the center may be a little softer (or look less done) than the sides. This is ok! Let it sit and rest and cool. There is always carry over baking with any baked good. You can also test the blondies with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
Can I add cocoa powder to this recipe for a chocolate brownie?
I’d love to say yes, but it’s not that simple. The cocoa powder is a bit drying and doesn’t always yield the right texture. If you’re looking for the perfect brownie recipe though, try these Keto Turtle Brownies or these Keto Irish Cream Brownies instead.
General Tips and Techniques:
- Want to amp up the flavor? Mix in a few tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter (or just try this amazing keto peanut butter cookie skillet).
- I love to top mine with flaky Maldon sea salt for a sweet and salty combo, but this is optional.
- To freeze the bars, I like to place them on a plate or small tray and freeze them for about an hour out in the open. Once set, place them in a freezer safe bag and store for up to three months.
- This recipe yields sixteen servings and they are two net carbs per bar! This may vary slightly based on the sweetener or chocolate chips you use.
Love one pan desserts and these blondies? Check out these other fabulous one pan desserts the whole family will love too –
- Gluten Free Funfetti Cookie Bars
- Keto Pumpkin Bread Bars
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Gluten Free Keto Lemon Bars
Easy Almond Flour Keto Blonde Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Softened Butter NOT MELTED
- 4 oz. Cream Cheese softened
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups Almond Flour
- 3/4 cup Low Carb Sweetener granulated or brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/2 cup Sugar Free Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Chips
- Optional: Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 9×9 baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter, cream cheese, and low carb sweetener together and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla and the eggs.
- Combine the almond flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum into the mixture. Fold in the chocolate.
- Pour the mixture into the 9×9 baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the mixture is set and a toothpick comes out clean. NOTE- Glass baking dishes may need slightly more time to bake vs. a darker non-stick pan.
- Allow the bars to cool before cutting and serve.
If you use another sweetener is it the same amount 3/4 cup?
Hi AJ,
I use Lakanto personally. It’s a blend of erythritol and monk fruit sweetener and is a 1:1 ratio with regular sugar. I often find that people who use low carb sweeteners tend to have different preferences as to which type or brand they like. Sweeteners also differ in intensity so your best bet is to see what the ratio is to regular sugar and go from there. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe last night and it was sooo good! I have found several others you posted that I can’t wait to try! Thank you.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment and letting me know! They’re definitely one of my favorites too!