According to Andrew F. Smith in The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (Oxford University Press, 2007), the blondie might actually be the original brownie. The first brownie recipes surfaced in the late 19th century got their dark hue from molasses. Chocolate wasn't as prevalent until the early-20th-century. At about mid-century, these molasses brownies became known as blonde brownies. Soon after, the name was shortened to blondies.