Brown Butter Blondies! These chewy blondie bars are enhanced with the rich flavor of browned butter and loaded with (optional) nuts and candy pieces. Don’t worry if you’ve never browned butter before, it’s easy and I’ll walk you through the steps below!
Brown Butter Blondies
Hi everyone! Sam here from Sugar Spun Run with another sweet treat. Today I’m sharing a decadent recipe for Browned Butter Blondies.
I recently set out to make the perfect blondies and was pretty satisfied with my results. However, because of my sheer inability to ever leave any recipe un-changed, I couldn’t help but think about how wonderful these would taste if only I were to brown the butter…
Well, the results were every bit as incredible as I’d hoped they’d be. Richly flavored, chewy, and just simply delectable. I then decided to up the ante even further and stir in some chopped walnuts and toffee bits (I have a favorite toffee recipe but kept things simple and used the storebought “Bits o’ Brickle” pieces).
Worried about browning butter? Never tried it before? Don’t panic! It’s easy and I’ll walk you through the steps below. It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth it, just look at those beautiful browned butter flecks in the batter…
How to Make Browned Butter
Browned butter (more formally known as buerre noisette, how fancy is that!?) is one of my all-time favorite things to make in the kitchen. It’s so much easier than you might think and elevates any baked good to new heights. Oh, and as a bonus, your house is going to smell amazing. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut your butter into Tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan over medium/low heat.
- Once butter is melted, increase heat just above medium
- Use a wooden spoon to swirl the butter frequently. The butter will begin to bubble and pop.
- Once the bubbling/popping slows (you should still be stirring this whole time) you’ll notice it will begin to turn brown. As soon as this happens, remove from heat quickly and transfer to a heatproof bowl.
More Tips & Tricks for Browning Butter
- For best results, use a light-colored pan when cooking your butter, this will make it easier to see once the butter begins to brown, reducing your risk of burning your butter.
- Never, ever, walk away from your butter while it’s browning! Even taking your attention off of it for a second can result in burnt butter, and burnt butter is every bit as awful as browned butter is wonderful. If you burn your butter even a little bit you’ll have to start all over again.
- Have a heat-proof bowl ready for when your butter has finished browning. You’ll want to quickly transfer the butter to this container — it can still burn even after you’ve removed the pan from the heat.
- Your browned butter will be hot! Make sure you let it cool back down to room temperature (or at least close to room temperature) before adding the rest of the ingredients for these blondies.
Enjoy!
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (226g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed (200g)
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 /2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts, optional
- ½ cup toffee bits, optional
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line a 9x9 metal baking pan* with parchment paper or lightly grease and flour.
- Place butter in a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium heat until melted. Once melted, turn up heat just a notch above medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly as it pops and sizzles. Once the popping slows and the butter begins to turn brown, remove from heat and pour into a large heatproof bowl.
- Allow browned butter to cool for at least 20 minutes before proceeding.
- Once butter has cooled, add sugars and stir well.
- Stir in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
- Stir in nuts and toffee bits, if using.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 25 minutes or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely before lifting from pan, cutting, and enjoying. The blondies may seem slightly greasy while still warm, so let them cool completely before enjoying.
