The Best Blondies, Bar None

By Nicole Perry

As you might imagine, the key ingredients in these blondies — brown butter, blonde chocolate, toasted pecans, and a generous dose of salt — add up to one magnificently tasty treat. Chewy and unabashedly buttery, these easy-to-love bar cookies turned out so perfect that I was almost disappointed by the results. Namely, because when I first made them, my boyfriend and I found them so addictive that we scarfed the entire batch before I managed to take pictures, prompting me to bake them twice in one week.

Want to avoid our "problem"? Bake these, and then promptly serve them at a party, share them with officemates, send them with your kids for a bake sale at school — just don't leave them lying around your house; you've been warned.

Brown Butter Blondies With Blonde Chocolate and Pecans

Yield16 blondies

Adapted from Everyday Food

INGREDIENTS

    • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
    • 1 cup (8 ounces) packed dark brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • About 3/4 cup (4 ounces) Valhrona blonde chocolate
    • About 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) chopped pecans

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.

    2. Brown the butter over medium heat. Once browned, take off the heat and add one ice cube, whisking to combine.

    3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; stir just until moistened. Fold in the blonde chocolate and pecans.

    4. Transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top.

    5. Bake until top of blondies are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares. To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

    Notes

    Blonde chocolate is essentially caramelized white chocolate; though it's not quite the same, white chocolate can be substituted.