Alright alright, so I’ve been real well-behaved over the past month, sharing healthy recipes and all that jazz. But it’s time to get back to the good stuff. The sweet, buttery, chocolate-laden stuff.
And I’m not sure that there are words for these little squares of delight. At least, no words that will do them justice.
Every so often, I try to do a clean-out of my cupboard. I always seem to have half-bags of a variety of chocolate, nuts, and other baking mix-ins hanging around. I had leftover dark chocolate and caramel left over from making my salted caramel bark over the holidays. I was very tempted to make another batch of the bark, but the previous batch had been a little too hard to resist, even from the depths of my freezer. I tend to lack willpower around frozen chocolate, what can I say?
Therefore, I was on the hunt for a new recipe. When I came across Deb’s recipe for blondies and realized that I’d never made blondies before, it was a no-brainer. The base recipe is great, and provides lots of room for switching up the flavors and mix-ins.
Friends, I have not been this excited about a cookie in a while. But these little things are AMAZING. First of all, we’ve got brown butter, which just seems to make everything a little bit better. Then we add in some toasted macadamia nuts for a little buttery crunch, chunks of caramel for a little chew, and some dark chocolate, just because. Oh, and then we add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top, just because I’m obsessed with that sweet/salty combo. #cantstopwontstop
It’s true what they say, blondies have more fun! But don’t take my word for it!
Brown Butter Blondies with Macadamia Nuts, Caramel, and Dark Chocolate (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
These blondies are so adaptable to whatever mix-ins you’ve got on hand. Basically, you need one cup of mix-ins, so change it up and try out different combinations. Please note that I’ve also added the metric measurements for some of the ingredients. I have been using my kitchen scale more often in baking, simply because I find that it helps me to produce more consistent results. I recommend using a scale if you have one.
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (238 grams) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped
1/3 cup caramel pieces (I used 8 Kraft caramels, chopped)
1/3 cup dark chocolate, chopped
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with non-stick spray.
Toast your macadamia nuts – spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes. Check frequently to ensure they don’t burn.
Brown your butter! Combine brown butter and brown sugar and beat together. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the sea salt, flour, and mix-ins. Press the cookie dough into the pan. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt (I used about half a teaspoon). Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to brown and the center is set. Do not overbake! Allow the blondies to cool in the pan, then slice into squares. Nosh!
And if you want to be downright gluttonous, do what I did, and add a little drizzle of salted caramel. This is living, friends!
THis IS Awesome Amanda!!! Ill Definitely have to try these… I am going to share as well- Please Check out My FB @ http://www.facebook.com/hospitableme
Thanks man! Let me know what you think if you try these out!
Oh my god. I am speechless!
🙂 Thanks Mimi!
Yes please! I feel as though crushed pretzels would also be amazing mixed in to these!
Girrrrrrl, you are reading my mail! Crushed pretzels would add even more wow to the sweet/salty combo!
Brown butter, dark chocolate, macadamias, and caramel make all things wonderful!
Word. Thanks Cindy!
These look absolutely amazing! I could eat one or three of these right about now.
Thanks Jennifer! I wish I could share…if only to get some of these out of my house! 😉
Yes, it is time to get back to the good stuff in life! I dread blogs during January. Healthy this, healthy that. Gimme chocolate! 🙂
Hear hear! Bring on the chocolate and butta!
Yummy! This would test my will power. Great mix in choices!
Thanks Laura! I already knew I had no willpower…these cookies just confirmed it!
Brown butter blondies with caramel and chocolate- this is ticking all the boxes for me! 🙂 I really must try these soon!
Thanks Jessica! Make ’em and enjoy ’em! 🙂
Yesss!! Blondies from a blondie 😉 I make these so rarely.. and each time I make them I’m all WHY DID i WAIT SO LONG? Please mail me one with salted caramel on top. thnx.
That is exactly how I feel…why did I wait so long to try making them?! Must make up for lost time.
PS. The one with salted caramel on top is yours. 😉
I personally like the addition of salted caramel on top- YUM!
Salted caramel seems to make everything better doesn’t it? Thanks Lori!
These. Look. AMAZING! I am hungry just looking at them!
Thanks Marie!
These look dangerous…
Indeed they are, Robyn!
These blondies look awesome, wishing I had a couple of them on a plate in front of me right now! 😉
Thanks Pamela!
My mouth is literally gaping open in awe. I love blondies. I love them more than brownies. They are like buttery bites of heaven.
Indeed they are. These were especially delicious! I can’t believe I waited so long to be wowed by blondies!
I made something similar a few posts ago and now I just can’t stop making them. So easy to impress people with! Love the combination of ingredients you’ve used!
Thanks Helen! So quick and easy! And you’re certainly right – everyone was very impressed!
I always have half opened bags of so much stuff in my pantry! What a great way to use things up – these blondes look absolutely amazing!
Thanks Cate! They are extremely versatile!
Say whaaat?! I have to make these.
Yes! Yes you do! Thanks Leah!
Wow! These look unbelievable!!!!
Thank you! 🙂
Oh. My. God. These look totally over the top delicious! A must try very soon! Tfs.
Thanks Sonja! 🙂
To good to be true! I want one right now!
Thanks Kloe! 🙂