Blondies — Brown Butter Chocolate Chip
Chewy, crisp, and packed with nutty toffee notes from brown butter, these blondies are a simple yet irresistible treat.
15 min active, minimal dishes
Blondies — Brown Butter Chocolate Chip
Chewy, crisp, and packed with nutty toffee notes from brown butter, these blondies are a simple yet irresistible treat.
15 min active, minimal dishes
Key move
Brown the butter slowly and evenly to develop the best nutty flavor.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- SaucepanMedium
- Mixing BowlMedium
- Baking Pan8x8 inch
The Mise en Place
5 of 8Your prep station before cooking begins
The Dry Mix (0/4)
The Wet Mix (0/3)
Blondies are too dry.
Do not overbake. Check for doneness a few minutes early.
Blondies are too gooey.
Bake a few minutes longer. Ensure oven temperature is accurate.
Chef's Notes
Brown the butter until it smells nutty and turns amber, but don't let it burn. This adds depth of flavor.
For chewier blondies, use melted butter. For cakier blondies, cream softened butter with sugar.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
Blondie batter can be made a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
Watch the Technique
Video source: YouTube
The Method
PREHEAT
Prep aheadPreheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.
Uneven release: Missed corners will cause the blondies to stick and break when removing them from the pan.
Oven is preheated and pan is greased and floured.
BROWN
Time-sensitiveIn a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
Butter burning: The milk solids can burn rapidly after the water evaporates. Watch closely once the butter begins to foam.
Butter is golden brown with a nutty aroma.
TRANSFER
Remove from heat and transfer browned butter to a heatproof bowl. Let cool slightly for 5 minutes.
Cooking the egg: If the butter is too hot, it will scramble the eggs in the next step. Ensure it has cooled sufficiently.
Browned butter has been transferred to a heatproof bowl and has cooled slightly.
WHISK
Whisk in brown sugar (1 cup) until well combined. Add egg and vanilla extract (1 tsp) and whisk until smooth.
Grainy texture: Ensure the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter before adding the egg to prevent a gritty final crumb.
Brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract are well combined with the butter mixture.
WHISK
Prep aheadIn a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder (½ tsp), and salt (¼ tsp).
Uneven leavening: Failure to whisk thoroughly can lead to pockets of baking powder, causing uneven rising.
Flour, baking powder, and salt are combined.
ADD
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
Tough texture: Mixing too vigorously develops gluten, turning the blondies chewy instead of tender.
Dry ingredients are just combined with wet ingredients; do not overmix.
FOLD
Fold in chocolate chips (1 cup).
Uneven distribution: Clumping chips at the bottom results in an unbalanced bake.
Chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
POUR
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Uneven baking: Mounded batter will bake unevenly, leaving the center raw while edges burn.
Batter is evenly spread in the prepared pan.
BAKE
Time-sensitiveBake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Overbaking: Blondies dry out quickly. Remove them while the center still looks slightly underdone.
A toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
COOL
Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.
Crumb structure collapse: Cutting while warm will cause the soft center to tear and crumble.
Blondies are completely cooled in the pan.
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