You’ll want to sink your teeth right into these soft and chewy Brown Butter Blondies! This easy, one-bowl recipe is filled with the rich, caramelized flavor of brown sugar, butterscotch and brown butter.
This post is sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast. All opinions are my own.
Easy Brown Butter Blondies with Butterscotch
When I think about a blondie recipe, the two things that come to mind are butter and brown sugar. Is there a better match? I am transforming my favorite Blondie recipe with a little spin using brown butter and butterscotch for the ultimate chewy, buttery treat.
These bars get a bit of a caramelized flavors from the brown sugar and touch of sweetness from the butterscotch chips. Each bite just melts in your mouth. This quick and easy blondie is made using basic pantry ingredients and it’s easy to customize with your favorite fillings.
Today I am partnering with my friends from the American Dairy Association Mideast, which represents dairy farmers in Ohio and West Virginia communities. You can find about 1,600 dairy farms in the region, and did you know that 95% of the US dairy farms are family-owned and operated (which I had the pleasure of seeing firsthand!)?
These farms operate year-round and are committed to help nourish communities and provide wholesome, nutritious, affordable foods. In my kitchen, we sure do go through a lot of dairy products, especially for baking!
Without further ado, grab a glass of milk and let’s dive headfirst into a plate of Blondies.
What’s The Difference Between a Blondie and a Brownie?
Blondies have a similar texture to brownies but made without cocoa powder and typically made with brown sugar or a combination of granulated and brown sugar. They have similar properties to a brownie such as being dense and chewy with a crinkly top.
What is Brown Butter?
If browning butter sounds intimidating to you, I promise it’s an easy step you can take to transform just about any dish, and it’s not just for baking either!
Butter is a made using the solid components in milk (fat and protein) by churning the fat from milk until it solidifies. When you cook down the butter, those milk solids turn golden brown, resulting in a beautiful brown butter.
Tips for Making Brown Butter
I have a full tutorial on browning butter, but here’s a few of helpful tips. I like to chop the butter into smaller pieces, so it melts fast.
- Use light colored pans. This allows you to see the butter changing color much easier than a dark pan.
- Low and Slow heat. I recommend using medium to medium-low heat, so you don’t burn the butter.
- Pull up a chair. You want to be close by and constantly stirring it, especially once the bubbles turn foamy, that’s when you’re getting closer to browning.
- Pay attention to the color. The browning process happens very quickly. You want a golden-brown color without being burned.
- Remove from the heat source. After browning, pour the butter into another bowl to stop the cooking process and prevent the butter from burning.
How to Make Blondies
You can skip to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredients list and instructions. Before you begin, preheat the oven to 350° F and line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
Step 1: Brown the Butter. Chop the butter and melt on the stovetop medium low heat slowly bringing the butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, the large bubbles slowly turn to smaller, tighter, more foamy butters. Once the milk solids start to turn golden brown, stir constantly until the golden color starts to darken. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into another bowl.
Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the brown sugar; beat together until well combined. Next add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. To the bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt beat just until the flour is incorporated. Then add the butterscotch chips and mix to combine.
Step 4: Bake. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
How to Tell When They’re Done
Typically, with a brownie, you’ll want to pull them from the oven when the toothpick is not wet but still has some visible crumbs on it. Blondies are a little more difficult to tell.
The tops of the bars should not be shiny at all, and if a toothpick is inserted in the center, it shouldn’t be wet.
At 25 minutes, these will still be a touch underdone in the middle, but at 30 minutes you may find they lose some of the chewiness due to over-baking.
What Can I Add to a Blondie?
While I opted for butterscotch chips, you can add any type of chocolate chip (white, semi-sweet etc). It also pairs well with chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or cashews. For a fruity twist add some dried cranberries. Whatever you do, I highly recommend adding my favorite flakey sea salt from Maldon if you like a sweet and salty combination.
Storing and Freezing
Store these are room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
I recommend freezing the blondies individually, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. This makes it easy to thaw as many blondies as you need at any time. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature, or in the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
For more information about dairy nutrition, to find delicious new recipes and to meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers, visit www.Drink-MIlk.com, and follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Print
Brown Butter Blondies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sink your teeth right into these soft and chewy Brown Butter Blondies! This is an easy, one bowl recipe is filled with the rich, caramelized flavor of brown sugar, butterscotch and brown butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (230g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- 1 cup (180g) butterscotch chips
- Sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon size pieces and place in a saucepan. Turn stovetop on to medium low heat slowly bringing the butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, the bubbles will go from big to small and once the milk solids start to turn golden brown, stir constantly until the golden color starts to darken. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the sugar; beat together until well combined. Next add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat just until the flour is incorporated. Then add the butterscotch chips and beat until combined.
- Pour the dough in a prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Sprinkle with sea salt and cool completely prior to cutting.
Notes
- Brown Butter: Here’s a full tutorial for how to brown butter.
- Storing and Freezing: Keep stored at room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. I recommend freezing the blondies individually, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature, or in the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
- Add ins: You can add any type of chocolate chip (white, semi-sweet etc). It also pairs well with chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or cashews. For a fruity twist add some dried cranberries.
