Keto Blondies (Brown Butter, Chewy Centers, 2.1g Net Carbs)
- Total time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Makes
- 16 bars
- Net carbs
- 2.1g
- Calories
- 171
My first tray of low-carb blondies came out of the oven looking exactly right and tasted like an almond muffin. Dry, crumbly, cakey. The second, where I added more butter to fix it, was greasy at the bottom and still not chewy.
What I wanted was the real thing: a dense bar with a crackly top, chewy all the way through, and that butterscotch flavor a blondie is really about. Brown sugar does most of that work in a normal recipe, so without it, every other ingredient has to pull more weight.
These keto blondies get there with browned butter, a brown sugar substitute, one extra egg yolk and a low oven. Sixteen thick bars from an 8-inch pan, 2.1g net carbs each.
Why These Keto Blondies Are Chewy, Not Cakey
The butter is browned. Cooked until the milk solids toast, butter smells of toffee and hazelnuts. That is where the butterscotch flavor comes from, the flavor brown sugar would normally bring. It takes five minutes and it changes everything.
An extra egg yolk. One whole egg plus one yolk. The yolk adds fat and richness without the extra white, and egg whites are what make almond flour bakes puff up and turn cakey.
A brown erythritol blend, not allulose. Allulose browns very fast in the oven, so the top of the pan darkens long before the middle has set. A golden or brown erythritol blend bakes evenly and gives the bars their crackly top.
A low oven, and out early. At 325°F the bars bake through gently. They come out when the edges are golden and the center still looks a little soft, and they finish setting as they cool. Baked until a toothpick comes out clean, they turn dry.
Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 20 minutes, including browning and cooling the butter
- Bake Time: 15–20 minutes
- Cooling: 1 hour
- Total Time: about 1 hour 40 minutes
- Makes: 16 bars from an 8-inch square pan
- Net Carbs: 2.1g per bar
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
| Unsalted butter | ½ cup (113 g) | Browned |
| Blanched almond flour | 2 cups (224 g) | Super-fine, not almond meal |
| Brown erythritol blend | ½ cup | Golden or brown style |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Fine salt | ¼ tsp | |
| Large egg | 1 | Room temperature |
| Large egg yolk | 1 | |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | |
| Sugar-free chocolate chips | 3 oz (85 g) | About ½ cup |
Use super-fine blanched almond flour. Almond meal, with the skins left on, makes a coarse, heavier bar that never quite turns chewy.
Weigh the flour if you can. Two cups packed tightly can easily turn into 260 grams, which is exactly how you end up with a dry, cakey blondie.
Recipe Timing
| Order | Step | Time |
| 1 | Brown the butter, then let it cool | 15 minutes |
| 2 | Mix the dough and press it into the pan | 5 minutes |
| 3 | Bake at 325°F | 15–20 minutes |
| 4 | Cool completely in the pan | 1 hour |
How to Make Keto Blondies
1. Brown the butter
Melt the butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan over medium heat. It will foam and crackle. Keep stirring and push the foam aside now and then to look at the bottom. After 4 to 5 minutes the crackling quiets, the butter turns deep amber, little brown flecks settle on the bottom, and it smells nutty. Pour it straight into a large bowl, brown bits and all, so it stops cooking.
2. Let it cool
Leave the butter to cool for about 10 minutes, until it is warm but no longer hot. Hot butter cooks the egg and melts the chocolate chips into streaks. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325°F and grease an 8-inch square metal pan, or line it with parchment with an overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out.
3. Mix the dough
In another bowl, whisk the almond flour, brown erythritol blend, baking powder and salt together, breaking up any lumps of sweetener. Add the egg, the egg yolk and the vanilla to the cooled butter and whisk well, then stir in the dry mixture until you have a thick, soft dough. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, keeping a small handful back.
4. Press it into the pan
Scrape the dough into the pan and press it out into an even layer with your fingers or the back of a spatula, right into the corners. It is a dough, not a batter, so it will not spread on its own. Scatter the reserved chips over the top and press them in lightly.
5. Bake
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and pulling away slightly from the pan and the top looks set and a little shiny. The center should still look slightly underdone. Ovens vary, so start checking at 15 minutes.
6. Cool, then cut
Let them cool completely in the pan, at least an hour. Warm almond flour bars are fragile and they firm up a great deal as they cool. Then lift them out and cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Butter pecan. Swap half the chocolate chips for half a cup of chopped toasted pecans. The brown butter and the pecans together taste like a praline.
Flaky salt. A light pinch of flaky sea salt over the top before baking makes the butterscotch flavor pop.
White chocolate. Sugar-free white chocolate chips work in place of the dark ones, though the bars taste sweeter.
If they come out cakey, there was too much flour, or they baked too long. Weigh the almond flour and take them out while the center still looks soft.
Serving Suggestions
A blondie warmed for ten seconds with a scoop of my 4-ingredient keto ice cream on top is about as good as dessert gets. They are also very good cold from the fridge with coffee, when they turn extra fudgy.
If brown butter and caramel flavors are your thing, try my keto toffee too, which uses allulose because it browns and sets hard the way sugar does. And if you like a chewy cookie with the same brown sugar flavor, my keto chocolate chip cookies are made with a brown sugar substitute and melted butter.
Storage
Room temperature: airtight, up to 4 days. Refrigerator: up to a week, and they get denser and fudgier. Freezer: up to 3 months, individually wrapped, then thawed on the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my keto blondies cakey?
Usually too much almond flour, too many egg whites, or too long in the oven. This recipe uses a weighed 224 grams of flour, one egg plus a yolk, and comes out while the middle still looks soft.
Can I use allulose instead of a brown erythritol blend?
It browns much faster, so the top and edges get dark before the center sets. If allulose is all you have, drop the oven to 300°F and lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan once the top turns golden.
Can I use coconut flour?
Not as a straight swap. Coconut flour soaks up several times more liquid than almond flour, so the same amount makes a dry, crumbly brick. Stick to almond flour here.
Why did the middle sink a little?
A slight dip in the center as they cool is normal, and it is the chewiest part of the pan. A deep, wet crater means they came out too soon; give the next batch two or three more minutes, until the top looks set and shiny all over.
How many carbs are in keto blondies?
One bar is 2.1g net carbs and 171 calories. The sweetener is not counted, in line with how it is treated across this site.
More Keto Bars and Brownies
- Keto Brownie Bark — thin, crisp and chocolaty, at 1.5g net carbs a serving.
- Keto Cheesecake Brownies — fudgy chocolate brownies with a cream cheese layer.
- Keto Magic Cookie Bars — chocolate, coconut and nuts on a buttery almond flour crust, held together with homemade keto condensed milk.
- Keto Coconut Dream Bars — three layers: almond crust, gooey coconut filling and a chocolate top.
Recipe Card
All the measurements and the short method are in the card below.
Keto Blondies
Equipment
- 8-inch square metal baking pan
- Light-colored skillet so you can see the butter brown
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g
- 2 cups blanched almond flour 224 g, super-fine
- 1/2 cup brown erythritol blend golden or brown style
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 oz sugar-free chocolate chips 85 g, about 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Brown: Melt the unsalted butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring, until deep amber with brown flecks and a nutty smell, 4-5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl, brown bits included.
- Cool: Let the butter cool 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 325°F and grease or line an 8-inch square metal pan.
- Mix: Whisk the blanched almond flour, brown erythritol blend, baking powder and fine salt in a separate bowl. Whisk the large egg, large egg yolk and vanilla extract into the cooled butter, then stir in the dry mixture to a thick dough. Fold in most of the sugar-free chocolate chips.
- Press: Press the dough evenly into the pan and scatter the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake: Bake 15-20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center still looks slightly underdone.
- Cool and cut: Cool completely in the pan, at least 1 hour, then cut into 16 bars.
Notes
Keep cooking
