Brown butter salted caramel blondies

Rich flavour and chewy texture a standout combination!

I love all things chocolate but have to say that few treats can beat a good blondie, in my opinion. Rich and satisfying, blondies share the chewy texture of brownies, but rely simply on butter and sugar for their distinctive flavour. As an experiment, I tried making a batch this week with brown butter and it was a huge hit with my eager taste testers. Of course, the addition of salted caramel baking chips may have swayed them a little too; they were the same testers who devoured a whole pan of oatmeal shortbread squares with salted caramel chips. This recipe is delicious with regular melted butter, but I highly recommend taking a few extra minutes to brown the butter. You’ll be glad you did.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (185 mL) salted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking powder
• 2/3 cup (180 mL) salted caramel (or butterscotch) baking chips

Directions

• Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, being sure to leave some paper hanging over the sides as handles. Set pan aside. Preheat oven to 350F.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Stir constantly to cook the butter until it turns light brown in colour and gives off a bit of a nutty aroma, about 3 – 5 minutes. Note that it will foam as the water in the butter evaporates so it will be tricky to check the colour unless you lift some of the mixture up from the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn the butter and as soon as it has browned, transfer butter to a heatproof bowl and let cool to lukewarm (you can speed this up by putting the browned butter in the fridge, but do not let it solidify).
• In a large bowl (use a stand mixer if you have one), beat together brown sugar and brown butter. Add eggs and vanilla and beat again until well blended.
• Combine flour and baking powder then add to brown sugar and butter mixture. Beat until blended.
• Add salted caramel baking chips to the batter and fold in with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and spread so it fills the pan evenly.
• Bake 23 – 25 minutes until top is glossy, just beginning to crack and feels firm to the touch.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 1 hour in the pan. After 1 hour, lift out of pan using parchment paper handles and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cut into squares and serve.
• Put leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.