A brownie-like dessert bar made with brown sugar and vanilla instead of chocolate is a blondie.
Blondies are American dessert bars built around butter, brown sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla. Their pale color and caramel-like flavor distinguish them from chocolate brownies, although the two desserts share a dense, chewy texture and similar baking method. Nuts, white chocolate, butterscotch chips and spices are common additions.
The name reflects an older use of “brownie.” Early brownie recipes were not always chocolate-based; a notable 1896 recipe by Fannie Farmer used molasses. As chocolate brownies became dominant in the early 20th century, the lighter molasses-based version was increasingly called a “blonde brownie,” later shortened to “blondie.” A blondie is therefore not simply a brownie with white chocolate: white chocolate may be added, but brown sugar and vanilla provide its characteristic base.