Keywords: blondies, crumbly blondies, baking troubleshooting, blondie texture, baking tips
Blondies, those delectable golden treats, are a beloved variation of the classic brownie. However, achieving the perfect blondie texture can be a challenge, with crumbliness being a common issue. This guide delves into the various reasons why your blondies might be crumbling and offers practical solutions to prevent this from happening.
Causes of Crumbly Blondies:
1. Overmixing:
Overmixing the batter is a major culprit for crumbly blondies. When you mix the batter excessively, the gluten in the flour develops too much, resulting in a tough and dry texture.
Solution: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Avoid overbeating or using a high-speed mixer.
2. Too Much Flour:
Adding too much flour is another common cause of crumbly blondies. Excess flour absorbs moisture, leading to a dry and crumbly texture.
Solution: Measure the flour accurately using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method. Avoid scooping flour directly from the bag.
3. Insufficient Fat:
Fat plays a crucial role in creating a moist and tender blondie texture. If your recipe lacks sufficient fat, the blondies will be dry and crumbly.
Solution: Ensure you use the correct amount of butter or oil as specified in the recipe. You can also add a tablespoon or two of melted chocolate or peanut butter for extra richness.
4. Overbaking:
Overbaking is another factor that can contribute to crumbly blondies. When blondies are baked for too long, they dry out and become crumbly.
Solution: Bake the blondies according to the recipe instructions, but start checking for doneness a few minutes before the recommended time. Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
5. Incorrect Oven Temperature:
An oven that is too hot can cause the blondies to bake unevenly and become dry and crumbly.
Solution: Ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature before baking the blondies. Use an oven thermometer to verify the accuracy of your oven’s temperature.
6. Using Old Baking Powder or Baking Soda:
Old or expired baking powder or baking soda can lose their leavening power, resulting in flat and crumbly blondies.
Solution: Check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda. Replace them if they are old or expired.
7. Insufficient Moisture:
Insufficient moisture in the batter can also lead to crumbly blondies. This can be due to using dry ingredients or not adding enough liquid.
Solution: Ensure you use fresh ingredients and follow the recipe’s instructions for liquid measurements. You can also add a tablespoon or two of milk or sour cream for extra moisture.
Tips for Preventing Crumbly Blondies:
- Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients accurately.
- Mix the batter just until combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Ensure you use the correct amount of fat as specified in the recipe.
- Bake the blondies according to the recipe instructions, but start checking for doneness a few minutes before the recommended time.
- Use an oven thermometer to verify the accuracy of your oven’s temperature.
- Check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda.
- Add a tablespoon or two of milk or sour cream for extra moisture if needed.
By understanding the causes of crumbly blondies and following these troubleshooting tips, you can bake moist, tender, and delicious blondies every time. Remember, baking is a science and an art, and sometimes it takes a few tries to perfect a recipe. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempt doesn’t turn out perfectly. With a little practice and attention to detail, you’ll be baking perfect blondies in no time.
Shredded coconut? Check. (One of my personal favorites; feel free to omit if you’re not a fan of coconut)
Okay, so here’s my confession: my archives pretty much prove that I am a total brownie-gal. Anyone who knows me knows that. I never wasted a minute before today thinking about those bars that resemble brownies but are missing like half of the chocolate.
Until….one day I had one of those I-just-need-a-little-bit-of-chocolate-to-get-me-through-the-afternoon cravings and after seeing Alice’s killer recipe, I ended up crossing over to the dark side.
I have yet to discover why they are so incredible. These blondies are incredibly simple to make, but still. they are loaded with so. much. amazing-ness.
These incredibly chewy classic blondies, loaded with two types of chocolate, lots of nuts, and coconut, are the best! You won’t believe how simple they are to make.
If you need more guidance, check out her video on brownies on Serious Eats, so you know exactly what to look for when whipping the eggs and the sugar. And yes, that’s a brownie video, not a blondie video. Under-aeration can be the culprit for seemingly under-baked brownies, too, but it seems to be a more frequent issue with blondies—Parks explains that blondies “may take longer to whip due to the ratio of brown sugar.”
We’ve seen many, many blondies in our Baking Club, and while there have been a number of successful batches, we’ve also seen quite a few failures serious disappointments. Here is a small selection of our members’ gripes:
Because “if there’s not enough air incorporated into the unleavened batter, it won’t puff or rise, and the result will be a dense lump no matter how long it bakes,” she explains, underaeration can cause the results to appear undercooked. And continues, “Under-aeration is particularly common with hand mixers, but it can occur with any mixer due to wattage differences when using time over visual cues.” For the egg-sugar mixture to work, it MUST change from being dense, runny, and dark to being light, thick, and pale. The mixture ought to become “SUPER thick and fluffy, but not stiff,” as her illustration below illustrates.
If this resonates with you as well, keep going, blondies! Stella Parks offers an incredibly easy fix: Air
Yes, air. Or, lack thereof, rather. Parks intervened to save the day (and subsequent batches of blondies), pointing out that under-aeration is typically the main problem even though glass pans can have a significant impact (requiring up to twice the baking time). To put it another way, we haven’t been whisking the blondie batter for very long.
Blondie Recipe
FAQ
Why won t my blondies cook?
Are blondies meant to be gooey in the middle?
Why did my blondies fall apart?
Why did my Blondies turn out dry?
There could be several reasons why your blondies turned out dry. Here are a few possible explanations: Overbaking: Blondies are dense and moist by nature, so if they are baked for too long, they can become dry and crumbly. Make sure to follow the recipe’s baking time and temperature, and use a toothpick or cake tester to check for doneness.
Why is my skin dry and dull in certain spots?
Your skin naturally sheds dead cells on a regular basis to make way for new cells. But sometimes the dead cells don’t shed as they should. Instead, they build up the surface of your skin. This can result in skin that’s dry, dull, flakey, and patchy.
Why are my Blondies soggy?
Underbaking: If your blondies are underbaked, they may be too soft and wet in the center. Make sure to follow the recipe instructions and test for doneness using a toothpick or cake tester. Too much liquid ingredients If you add too much liquid or wet ingredients, such as extra butter or eggs, your blondies may end up too moist and soggy.
Why are my Blondies crumbly?
Overbaking: Blondies are dense and moist by nature, so if they are baked for too long, they can become dry and crumbly. Make sure to follow the recipe’s baking time and temperature, and use a toothpick or cake tester to check for doneness. Too much flour: Adding too much flour to your blondie batter can cause them to be dry and crumbly.