Brown Butter Makes These Toffee-Walnut Blondies Irresistibly Rich
- 1.25 cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 2.25 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
- 1 cup toffee bits
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown, seven to nine minutes; immediately transfer to a bowl and let cool. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs one at a time. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake).
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Decadent and rich, these brown-butter blondies are the real deal. They get delicious depth from the browned milk solids and an almost fudgy chew from a generous amount of brown sugar. We stir in chopped nuts and toffee pieces for crunch, but you can treat the batter as a blank canvas and add other mix-ins like dried fruit (think tart cherries or apricots), flaked coconut, white or dark chocolate —the options are endless.
While it will be hard to resist digging in immediately, they really do need to cool completely before serving. Rest assured, your patience will pay off when you take that first, buttery bite.
Why You Should Brown Your Butter (and How to Do It)
Browning butter is one of our favorite ways to add depth and complexity to both sweet and savory recipes. As the milk solids brown, they take on an irresistible warmth and nuttiness. Brown butter can transform the flavor of doughs, sauces, pastas, and more.
- How to brown butter: Place butter in a saucepan or skillet over moderate heat. It will melt, then foam and sputter as some of the water in the butter cooks off. After that, you’ll see the milk solids begin to change from white to warm yellow to a deep golden brown and smell irresistibly nutty.
- How long it takes: The more butter you’re working with, the longer it will take to brown. Since this recipe uses quite a bit, expect to stand at the stove for seven to nine minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking.
- How to keep it from burning: As soon as the milk solids are deeply golden, remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the butter to a bowl. (You can add them right to the bowl of your mixer since they’ll end up there anyway.) Don’t leave the butter in the hot skillet as the residual heat will cause the solids to burn.
- How to capture all of that flavor: When moving the browned butter to a bowl, be sure you’re scraping all of the milk solids from the bottom and sides of the pan. That’s where the real flavor is, so don’t leave any of it behind.
How to Make This Recipe Without a Mixer
An electric mixer makes it quick and easy to pull this batter together, but you can still make these blondies without one. After mixing in the eggs—one at a time, please!—use your whisk to vigorously beat the mixture until it is very smooth and slightly paler in color. This step introduces air into the eggs, which aids in leavening and keeps the blondies from baking up too dense.
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
