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These chocolate chip pecan blondies have crisp chewy edges, a soft fudgy middle, and enough toasted pecans in every bite that you actually taste them. The whole batter comes together in one bowl with a whisk. No mixer, no chilling, no browning butter.
The trick is a quarter cup of light corn syrup, which sounds like a weird thing to put in a blondie until you taste one. It’s what keeps them chewy on day three instead of dry and cakey by the next morning. If you like the toasted pecan flavor here, my brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies use the same trick in cookie form.
Quick Look: Chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies
- 🍪 What it is: Chewy pecan blondies studded with chocolate chips, mixed in one bowl and baked in an 8×8.
- ⭐ Why it works: A quarter cup of corn syrup holds moisture, so the centers stay chewy instead of turning cakey.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: No mixer, no chilling, no browning butter. Whisk it by hand and bake.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Pull them when the toothpick has moist crumbs. A clean toothpick means they’re already dry.
- 🍳 Pan notes: Built for an 8×8. Doubled, it fits a 9×13 with a few extra minutes.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Four days airtight on the counter, or three months in the freezer.
Why This recipe works
Most blondie recipes are a chocolate chip cookie in bar form, which means they go cakey the second they cool. These don’t, and it comes down to three things.
- The corn syrup is the big one. It’s an invert sugar, so it holds onto moisture and keeps the sugar from crystallizing as the bars cool. That’s the difference between a blondie that’s chewy two days later and one that’s crumbly by breakfast. A quarter cup is all it takes, and you won’t taste it.
- Two tablespoons of cornstarch go in with the flour. It softens the crumb and keeps the middle tender without making the bars fragile when you cut them.
- And the pecans get toasted first. Raw pecans taste like filler. Toasted ones taste nutty and slightly sweet and they hold their crunch through the bake. It’s five extra minutes and it changes the whole batch. If you want the same chewy base without the nuts, my chocolate chip brown butter blondies are the version I make when I’m out of pecans.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Full measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom. Here’s what matters about each one.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, softened to room temperature. Not melted. You’re creaming it with the sugar, and softened butter is what gives these their structure.
- Brown sugar: Light brown is what I use. Dark brown works and gives you a deeper molasses flavor, closer to butterscotch.
- Light corn syrup: The chew. Light, not dark, so it stays neutral and lets the brown sugar and pecans lead.
- Egg: Room temperature, so it blends into the creamed butter instead of seizing it.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: The cornstarch is not optional. It’s what keeps the middle tender.
- Baking powder: A quarter teaspoon. Just enough lift to keep them from being dense.
- Pecans: Toasted and roughly chopped. To toast them, spread the chopped pecans on a sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway, until they smell nutty. Watch them closely, they go from perfect to burnt fast. If you’re deep in pecan season, I have a whole roundup of the best pecan desserts for fall baking.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet is my go-to because the slight bitterness balances the brown sugar. Chunks give you bigger melted pockets, mini chips spread more evenly. Same logic I use in my chewy Nestle Toll House cookie bars.
Substitutions And Additions
- No corn syrup? Maple syrup or honey in equal amounts. You’ll lose some of the chew, but maple in particular is very good with the pecans. A reader made them this way for her husband, who can’t have corn syrup, and reported back that they still worked. If maple and pecan is your thing, my maple pecan bread loaf leans all the way into it.
- Dark corn syrup? I’d stick with light. Dark brings a molasses note that competes with the brown sugar instead of supporting it.
- Butterscotch and white chocolate instead of semi-sweet. A reader asked about this, and I think it’s a great call. The butterscotch picks up the caramel notes in the brown sugar and pairs beautifully with toasted pecans.
- Candied pecans instead of plain toasted. If you want to go further in that direction, that’s the whole idea behind my brown butter candied pecan blondies.
- Gluten-free: I haven’t tested it, but a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should work here. If you try it, tell me in the comments so I can update this.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies
- Prep the pan. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides. Preheat to 350°F. The overhang is how you lift the whole slab out to cut it cleanly. Then cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients. Egg, vanilla, and corn syrup. Mix until smooth, scraping the sides as you go.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Overmixing here is what makes blondies tough. Then fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.
- Bake 23 to 28 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out and cool fully on a rack before slicing.
At 25 minutes, the center will look slightly underbaked. That’s correct. Carryover heat finishes it while it cools, and pulling them at that point is the entire difference between chewy and dry. Same rule I use for these small batch fudgy brownies.
Expert Tips
A few things worth knowing before you start:
- Store them at room temperature, not the fridge, unless you’re keeping them past four days.
- Weigh your flour if you can. Too much flour is the number one cause of dry blondies.
- Toast the pecans while the oven preheats. No extra time spent.
- Let them cool completely before cutting. Warm blondies tear instead of slicing.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies FAQ
The corn syrup. It’s an invert sugar that holds moisture and stops the sugar from crystallizing as the bars cool, which is what keeps the texture chewy for days. The cornstarch helps too, softening the crumb so the middle stays tender.
Yes, with a tradeoff. Swap in maple syrup or honey in equal amounts. The blondies will still be delicious but noticeably less chewy, with a different flavor note. Maple pairs especially well with the pecans. I wouldn’t substitute anything thinner, like agave.
Yes. Cool them completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or a few hours on the counter. They freeze better than most bars because of the corn syrup, which is also why my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars hold up the same way.
Yes. A reader doubled the batch, baked it in a 9×13, and only needed a few extra minutes. If you want thinner blondies without doubling, you can spread the single batch into a 9×13, but start checking at 15 to 18 minutes. Look for golden edges and moist crumbs on the toothpick.
A cookie bar is cookie dough baked in a pan, so it’s built on creamed butter and both sugars with a cakier crumb. A blondie, in particular, this one uses brown sugar only and has a higher ratio of sugar to flour, which gives it that dense, fudgy texture closer to a brownie. If you want the cookie bar version, my small batch chocolate chip cookie bars are exactly that.
More Cookie Bar Favorites
If you make these chocolate chip pecan blondies, leave a star rating 🌟 and a comment below. It genuinely helps other bakers find the recipe, and I read every single one.
Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter salted or unsalted, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup (Karo® Syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted and chopped coarse
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F then line a square 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Make sure to leave some parchment overhang to make the pulling-out process a whole lot easier.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and Karo® Syrup to the butter mixture and mix again to combine. Make sure to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as you go.1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1/4 cup light corn syrup (Karo® Syrup), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined, do not overmix.1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Fold in the chopped pecan pieces and chocolate chips until mixed in evenly.1/2 cup pecans, 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- Bake in the preheated oven for 23-28 minutes or until they are golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs (see notes). Allow the bars to cool down a little then transfer them to a wire rack to cool down fully before slicing into them and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these they are amazing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
My weekend baking!
Thank you!!
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Has anyone tried this recipe with gluten free (1:1) flour?
I’ve never tried it before, but it should work with the 1:1 substitute.
these look fabulous. I’ve never toasted pecans before. How do l do that? and I was wondering if for a second batch can I switch out the chocolate with butterscotch and white chocolate
Thank you so much! Toasting pecans is really easy and makes such a big difference in the flavor. Just spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for about 5–8 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they smell nutty and fragrant (keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly!). And yes, butterscotch and white chocolate would be a delicious swap for a second batch. The caramel-like flavor from the butterscotch would pair beautifully with the toasted pecans. 😊
This is one of my go-to recipes. So soft, chewy, and flavorful. Thank you for sharing!! The only thing I would recommend is ensuring that the printable version of your recipes has a link, source, or at least your name on it for proprietary purposes and for ease of reference.
That’s a really great suggestion, I really appreciate it! I’ll make those changes 🙂
Dark or light Karo?
Light!
Your ingredient list calls for cornstarch – but it isn’t mentioned in the description above the list or in the instructions below the list. Is this a mistake? I’m not wasting all those expensive ingredients for an untested recipe.
Hi! Thanks so much for your careful reading. The cornstarch is definitely part of the recipe and should be mixed with the dry ingredients like the flour and baking powder. It’s an important ingredient that helps with the texture. I’ll update the instructions right now to make that clearer. I appreciate your patience and hope you enjoy making the recipe!
I don’t see in the instructions to add the cornstarch, but listed in ingredients.
Thank you for catching that! Yes, the cornstarch should be added along with the other dry ingredients in the mixing step. I’ll update the instructions now to include this so it’s clear for everyone. Thanks for your feedback!
looks so yummy but my husband cannot have the corn syrup. Do you think I could use maple syrup?
Corn syrup adds a pretty unique texture that’s hard to replicate with any other ingredient, but maple syrup will still add moisture and a delicious flavor pairing with the pecans so I think it could work 🙂
I made these a couple of days ago. They are very easy and delicious! I did double the recipe and baked in a 13 x 9 pan. I had to bake them a little longer. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!