These brown butter toffee blondies are chocolate chip cookie bars packed with nutty, toffee flavor. They are sweet, nostalgic, and bring all the best parts of a chocolate chip cookie into a bar form.
Blondies are a chocolate chip cookie in bar form. They have all of the delicious elements of chocolate chip cookies, but require no scooping, shaping or any of the steps to make individual cookies. Plus, these blondies are brown butter, toffee which makes them that much more delicious.
There are a couple components we were looking for when crafting the perfect blondie. It all comes down to two things – the flavor and the texture:
- The flavor – Toffee, brown sugar forward
- The texture – Chewy and soft on the inside
Tips for the Best Brown Butter Toffee Blondies:
- Make sure to properly brown the butter for maximum flavor. Keep a close eye on it while browning to avoid burning and stir constantly to prevent brown bits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Allow the browned butter to cool for about 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients to ensure it doesn’t melt the sugar and egg too much, resulting in a greasy batter.
- Fold in the flour and salt gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, which can lead to a tougher texture.
- Reserve some chocolate chips and toffee bits to sprinkle on top of the batter before baking for a visually appealing presentation.
- Bake for slightly under 25 minutes to achieve a soft, gooey center while ensuring the edges are set. Keep in mind that oven temperatures may vary, so keep an eye on the blondies and use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Ingredient Notes:
- Brown Sugar: Use brown sugar that is not packed for this recipe to achieve a softer texture in the blondies.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use any type of chocolate chips, such as semisweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate, depending on your preference.
- Toffee Bits: Toffee bits add a sweet, butterscotch flavor to the blondies, but they are optional and can be omitted if desired. You can also substitute them with other mix-ins, as mentioned in the FAQs section.
Browning Butter:
To make blondies, start by browning the butter. When the butter is browned, the milk solids are caramelized adding a delicious, toasty note to the blondies. Although this step can be skipped, it adds so much flavor to the blondies- trust us, it’s worth the extra couple of minutes.
Making the Brown Butter Toffee Blondies Dough:
After the butter is browned, the process is very similar to making cookie dough. All it takes is some butter, sugar, eggs, and flour (plus the chocolate chips of course) to make these perfect blondies come to life. Start by stirring the butter, sugar, eggs and extracts together with a spoon. After they are evenly incorporated, add in the flour and salt until just combined. Then it’s time for the chocolate chips and toffee. The dough gets added to an 8×8 pan and cooked for ~25 minutes.
The Key to the Chewiest Blondies:
We like using a spoon to stir these together as this (versus a mixer) enables the least mixing possible. We find the less the dough is mixed, the chewier the blondies. Less mixing also ensures they are not cakey because these blondies are anything but the cakey variety. They are chewy, brown sugar forward, and soft in the center.
Bake Time for Brown Butter Toffee Blondies:
In order to ensure these do not turn into over baked blondies, we pull them out a little before 25 minutes. It will vary based on the oven but we find right under the 25 minute mark keeps these nice and chewy without being cakey or over done.
FAQs
Q: Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
We use salted butter in this recipe. We find this adds the best flavor without being too salty.
Q: Can I use other types of chips or mix-ins instead of chocolate chips and toffee bits?
Absolutely! You can customize the recipe by using your favorite chips or mix-ins, such as white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or chopped nuts.
Q: How should I store the brown butter toffee blondies?
A: Once cooled, tightly wrap the blondies in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (Although they last this long, they are of course best fresh.). They can also be frozen for longer storage.
Brown Butter Toffee Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter browned
- 1 cup brown sugar not packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup toffee bits optional (these will add a sweeter, butterscotch flavor)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, brown the butter. Stir constantly to ensure no brown bits at the bottom burn. The butter should smell nutty, no longer foamy, and be light brown. As soon as it reaches this stage, scrape it into a bowl (this can happen fast!). Allow it to cool for 10 minutes
- Add brown sugar, 1 large egg, and vanilla extract (and almond if using) into the browned butter. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth
- After it is smooth, add in the flour and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits (you can reserve some for the top to ensure chocolate pokes out of each bar). Pour the batter into the prepared pan
- Bake for ~25 minutes until the edges just start to pull away. The center will no longer be jiggly but it will still be soft (we cook them just under 25 minutes see note above)
- Cool and cut into squares
