Brown Sugar Blondies

Before you start

Blondies are brownies without the chocolate base: a dense, chewy bar whose flavor comes from brown sugar, butter and vanilla, which bake together into something close to butterscotch. Melted butter, rather than creamed, keeps the texture dense and chewy instead of cakey, and an extra egg yolk adds richness and helps the bars stay soft for days.

The main risk is overbaking. Blondies go from chewy to dry quickly, and because the batter is pale, it is easy to wait for a color that only comes too late. Look for golden edges, a set but soft center and a toothpick with moist crumbs. White chocolate, butterscotch chips and toasted pecans are the classic additions; keep the total mix-ins near 190 g so the bars still hold together.

Ingredients

• 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter — melted and cooled slightly
• 275 g (1⅓ cups packed) dark or light brown sugar
• 1 large egg — room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 220 g (1¾ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• 130 g (¾ cup) white chocolate or butterscotch chips
• 60 g (½ cup) toasted pecans — chopped, optional

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line the pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides, and grease the exposed corners.
2. Whisk the warm melted butter and brown sugar together for about 1 minute, until smooth and glossy with no lumps of sugar.
3. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and whisk for 1 minute more. The mixture should look thick and caramel colored.
4. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt with a spatula until just combined. Stir in the chips and pecans, saving a small handful for the top.
5. Spread the thick batter evenly into the pan and scatter the reserved mix-ins over it.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and pulling slightly from the pan, the center looks set but soft, and a toothpick shows moist crumbs.
7. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 1½ hours. Lift out by the parchment and cut into 16 bars.

Tips for success

• Dark brown sugar gives the deepest butterscotch flavor; light brown makes a milder, sweeter bar.
• Let the melted butter cool for 5 minutes before adding eggs so the batter stays thick and the bars do not turn greasy.
• If the top is browning faster than the center sets, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan for the last 5 minutes.

Substitutions

White chocolate chips

Semisweet chips make a chocolate chip cookie bar. Toffee bits add crunch and an even stronger butterscotch note.

Egg yolk

Use one more whole egg instead of yolk only; the bars will be slightly cakier and puff more.

Unsalted butter

Brown the butter first and cool it to warm for a nuttier bar. Start with 200 g, since some water cooks off.

Variations

Brown butter pecan blondies

Use browned butter, double the pecans and skip the chips. Sprinkle with flaky salt as they come out of the oven.

Funfetti blondies

Fold 50 g rainbow sprinkles into the batter with white chocolate chips.

Troubleshooting

Bars are dry and crumbly

They baked too long or the flour was overmeasured. Pull them at moist crumbs and weigh the flour.

Center is wet and sinks

They needed a few more minutes, or the pan was smaller than 23 cm. Bake until the center no longer jiggles.

Greasy surface

The butter was too hot or the batter was overmixed after the flour. Cool the butter slightly and fold just until combined.

Storage

Keep blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw batter; it contains raw egg and raw flour. Contains egg, milk, wheat and tree nuts if using pecans.