Brown Butter Caramel Blondies
Get ready for a family favorite with these Brown Butter Caramel Blondies that perfectly balance salty and sweet to your dessert game. Thick and chewy, they’re rich with the decadence of salted caramel and gooey, buttery goodness that makes them an easy pick for a truly indulgent treat.
Whether it’s the crispy edges or the rich flavors, you’ll fall in love with these blondies. The flavor is so incredible that you’ll want to keep them all to yourself. They really are the best blondies you’ll ever make! Don’t let the term “brown butter” scare you, either; the recipe is so simple that anyone can follow it.
They taste just like brown butter chocolate chip cookies. The nutty brown butter flavor elevates the blondies from delicious to decadent. If this is your first time making blondie, you’ll never go back to another recipe again.
Why You’ll Love Brown Butter Caramel Blondies
- Amazing texture. Chewy brown butter blondies melt in your mouth and are just as chewy as a basic brownie.
- Nutty aroma. You’ll smell them baking in the oven.
- Complex flavor profile. The caramelized brown sugar compliments the nutty flavor of brown butter and walnuts.
- Showy: Each ingredient and layer is displayed in the most alluring way – everyone will want one!
- Easy to make ahead. They stay fresh at room temperature for up to a few days.
Ingredients
This is a completely from scratch recipe. You’ll find all the amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. First, here is what you’ll need from the store.
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter prevents the blondies from tasting too salty.
- Eggs: They are the emulsifiers that hold all the ingredients together.
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will taste delicious in the blondies.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives the blondies a deep and rich flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Use your favorite kind of all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: This gives the chocolate chip blondies the perfect texture.
- Salt: A little bit enhances all the flavors in the best way.
- Chopped Walnuts: These are optional but give the blondies the perfect taste.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks: You can use either chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Caramel Sauce: Make your own homemade caramel sauce or buy a jar from the store.
- Sea Salt: Use flaky sea salt for its texture and appearance.
How to Make Brown Butter Caramel Blondies
- Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray, then sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour.
- Step Two: Melt the butter in a small pan on medium-low heat until it bubbles and browns, approximately 10 minutes. The melted butter will be a little separated and have brown bits settled at the bottom of the pan; this is all normal. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for about 20 minutes or so.
- Step Three: Add eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla to the butter and whisk until fully combined and slightly shiny.
- Step Four: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Step Five: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture slowly and stir until combined about 3 minutes. The batter will be very thick, just like brownie batter.
- Step Six: Add 1/2 cup of the walnuts and 2oz of the chopped chocolate to the batter.
- Step Seven: Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. You will end up with approximately 60 oz of batter, so you’ll use 30 oz per step.
- Step Eight: Remove from the oven and pour 2/3 of a cup of caramel sauce over the baked batter. Use the back of a spoon to spread the caramel carefully. Try not to touch the edges of the pan with the caramel, or it could make it a pain to remove the blondies from the pan.
- Step Nine: Top with the remaining batter carefully; the pan will be hot, and the bottom portion is still jiggly and gooey. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining walnuts and chocolate.
- Step Ten: Bake for another 25 minutes or until the blondies are golden brown.
- Step Eleven: Sprinkle the flaky sea salt over the top.
- Step Twelve: Cool completely in the pan before slicing. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the blondies when serving.
Equipment Needed
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- 9×13 Baking Dish – If you use a smaller dish, you’ll have enough batter to make more.
- Small Saucepan – This or a medium saucepan will work to make the brown butter.
- Whisk – This is the best tool for whisking butter.
- Rubber Spatula – Use a flat one to spread the batter in the baking dish in an even layer.
- Medium Mixing Bowl – Make sure it’s big enough to hold all the ingredients in the batter.
What to Serve with Brown Butter Caramel Blondies
The best way to enjoy the caramel flavor in these blondies is to eat them with a hot cup of coffee. That is the next level to a delightful snack or dessert.
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- Eggnog Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Bars
- Brownie Bottom Cheesecake
Variations and Substitutions
- Nuts are optional. Leave them out if someone has a nut allergy or aversion.
- Browning the butter is optional. it adds a lovely nutty flavor to the blondies, so consider trying it.
- Different baking chips. Add white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for some other flavors.
- Add toffee bits to the blondie batter. This will enhance the caramel flavor of the sauce.
- Chocolate. Use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for three days. They will stay fresh if you seal them in an airtight container.
Brown Butter Caramel Blondies Tips and Tricks
- The batter is very thick, like chocolate chip cookies or brownies. You’ll need a bit of muscle to stir in the nuts and chocolate chunks
- Instead of using non-stick spray, line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- Cooling tip. Let them cool on a wire rack before serving them. Otherwise, they might stick to the baking dish too much.
What Is A Blondie?
A blondie is a delicious dessert bar. It looks and tastes a lot like a brownie. But it’s made with pronounced vanilla flavors instead of cocoa powder or chocolate. Blondie recipes are easy to make, and there are many different ways to bake them. Some add chocolate chips; others leave out any extra ingredients.
What Is Brown Butter?
Browned butter is the same as regular butter but has been cooked in a saucepan. As the butter melts, the milk solids are toasted. This brings out different flavors in the butter.
Add-Ins
Baking chips and nuts are the most common things to add to blondies. Don’t overload the batter with too many different things for best results – stick with just one or two of them. Add mixed nuts, baking chips, or bits of crushed candy.
FAQ
You can freeze the blondies either sliced or in the pan. Allow the dessert bars to cool completely before covering or placing them in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter until room temperature and top with caramel sauce when serving.
No, these are not gluten-free blondies. If you want the blondies to be gluten-free, use your favorite brand of 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
This recipe makes about 12 blondies.
Caramel Recipes
Want to make more caramel recipes at home? Here are some of my favorites:
- Caramel Banana Muffins
- Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Caramel Apple Cookies
- Copycat Taco Bell Air Fryer Caramel Apple Empanadas
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Blondies
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour (plus a tbsp for the pan)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cups chopped walnuts divided
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped and divided
- 1 cup caramel sauce divided
- 1 tsp-tbsp sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray then sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour.
- Melt the butter in a small pan on medium-low heat until it starts to bubble and brown, approximately 10 minutes. The butter will be a little separated and have brown bits settled at the bottom, this is all normal. Transfer to a large bowl to cool about 20 minutes or so.
- Add eggs, brown sugar and vanilla to the butter and whisk until fully combined and slightly shiny.
- In a separate, medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly and stir together until combined, about 3 minutes. The batter will be very thick, just like brownie batter.
- Add 1/2 cup of the walnuts and 2oz of the chopped chocolate to the batter.
- Pour half of the batter into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. You will end up with approximately 60oz of batter so you'll use 30oz of batter per step.
- Remove from the oven and pour ⅔ of a cup of caramel sauce over the baked batter. Use the back of a spoon to carefully spread the caramel. Try not to touch the edges of the pan with the caramel or it could make it a pain to remove the blondies from the pan.
- Top with the remaining batter carefully, the pan will be hot and the bottom portion is still jiggly and gooey. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining walnuts and chocolate.
- Bake for another 25 minutes or until the blondies are golden brown.
- Sprinkle the sea salt over the top.
- Cool completely in the pan before slicing. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the blondies when serving.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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