Ah yes, the sinful loveliness that is the Blondie! As best as I can tell, this is an American treat – they’re really just a brownie derivative of course, and it seems that the trend and the name blondie or butterscotch blondie appeared in the mid 1970s.
we don’t do a whole ton of dessert, but every now and again the spirit moves – I got thinking about these, and how using browned butter had made my go to cornbread so much better – why not do the same with blondies? They’re easy to built and don’t require a ton of prep.
I opted for white chocolate chips over butterscotch – to me, they taste a bit cleaner and less cloying, but you go where your heart leads ya.
You could do almonds, walnuts, peanuts, or pistachios instead of pecans, or no nuts at all – it’s your show.
Urban’s Brown Butter Blondies
1 1/2 sticks Butter
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Cups Cake Flour
2/3 cup halved Pecans
2/3 Cup White Chocolate Chips
2 medium Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Have butter and eggs at room temp before you dive in.
Position a rack dead center and preheat oven to 350° F.
In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter.
Swirl steadily and stay with it once the butter melts and starts to sizzle. Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and carefully pour butter into a large mixing bowl.
Add brown sugar and whisk steadily to fully incorporate, 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is nice and glossy and the sugar is fully dissolved.
Refrigerate the mix for about 10-15 minutes, to room temperature.
Pull bowl from reefer, add the eggs and vanilla and whisk to thoroughly incorporate.
Add all remaining ingredients and whisk well. Your mix should be akin to a thick cake batter.
Send the bowl back to the fridge for about 15 – 20 minutes to let things set up and marry.
Lightly grease a 8”x8” or 9”x9” baking pan, (even if it’s nonstick)
Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until top is shiny and slightly cracked, about 20-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick – when stuck in and removed, it should come out clean – then you’re done.
Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Devour with abandon.
UrbanMonique 