Full of M&Ms and chocolate chips, this Brown Butter Blondies Recipe is easy to make and a twist on classic blondies. The brown butter gives these bars a nutty, toffee like flavor that is deep and complex. These will be your new favorite bars!
What's in These Bars?
Butter- They are called Brown Butter Blondies, so we have to use butter! One cup, or two sticks. I usually use unsalted butter that way we can control the salt added into the recipe. I'll explain a little later in this post how to turn these sticks into "Brown Butter".
M&Ms- To make these more Springy and festive for Easter, I added Spring M&Ms. If you aren't an M&M fan no worries, just double up on the semisweet chocolate chips or add white chocolate chips instead.
Semisweet Chocolate Chips- I didn't add any white chocolate chips to these blondies, but you could if you wanted to. I added semisweet chocolate chips because I find that they are not too bitter, and not too sweet. They are perfect for these blondies.
Brown Sugar- For this recipe, I upped the amount of brown sugar and decreased the amount of granulated sugar. I find that the extra brown sugar gives these blondies a more gooey, nutty flavor. The brown sugar also makes these blondies more soft and chewy than if you were to add more granulated sugar.
How To Make These Bars
First, we have to brown the butter. It's easy to to but takes a little patience and care. Add the two sticks of butter to a small saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and stay close to the pan. Continue to stir the butter so it doesn't burn. It will take about 15 minutes to get the butter to turn brown. Once it turns brown, pour it into a bowl and set it aside. Be careful, because this butter is super hot.
Combining the Wet Ingredients
Now, you'll make the rest of the batter like you would any chocolate chip cookie. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat that for 2-3 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Because the butter is already melted, it tends to stick to the bottom of the bowl and needs to be scraped.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and set them aside. You want them to be completely mixed together. If you don't mix them together separate from the wet ingredients, you run the risk of having the baking powder not be distributed evenly and the blondies not rising properly.
When the butter and the sugars are combined, add the eggs. Crack one at a time and mix a little between each addition. Add the vanilla and continue to beat the eggs.
Combining Everything Together
Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix them together. At this point, don't overmix because it will make the blondies tough. Add the M&Ms and chocolate chips and mix to just combine. Pour the batter into a parchment lined 8x8 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are browned.
Cooling and Serving
Allow the blondies to cool in the pan. If you take them out too early you run the risk of them not setting properly. Wait until they are fully cooled to cut them. Since there is a lot of chocolate and candy in these, they can be quite gooey and chocolatey. If the chocolate is too hot, it will make a giant mess when you try to cut it. Cooled blondies will cut better and you will get equal bars.
To serve, you can eat them just like this, or you can heat them up for just a few minutes, top with ice cream, and have a blondie sundae! So good!
Questions about this Recipe
There are lots of delicious vegan chocolate chip companies out there like Enjoy Life Chips. I would leave out the M&Ms completely and double up on the chocolate chips. There are great options for Vegan Butter that you can try, and to replace the egg with a flax egg which is 1 tablespoon of flaxmeal to 2.5 tablespoon of water. I haven't tried this way yet, but if anyone is interested in more Vegan recipes, shoot me a message and I would love to start experimenting!
Sure! If you are going to use salted butter, I would leave out the ½ teaspoon of salt that it calls for. You don't want to add to much salt, as that can get overwhelming.
Sure! Keep them an in airtight container for about 4 days after they are baked. If you want to freeze them, I would suggest freezing them in the 8x8 pan, covered with aluminum foil. When you are ready to bake them, place them in the refrigerator to defrost. Bake them as you would. If you wanted to freeze them after they are baked, simply add them to a Ziploc bag once they are baked and freeze. They should stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost them, place them on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
Other Recipes to Try
Did you give this recipe a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook and let me know (@Lynnswayoflife) !
- Baked Peanut Butter Donuts
- Nutella Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Irish Soda Bread
- Veggie Loaded Shepherd’s Pie
📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Blondies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup M&M candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Place the butter in a saucepan and melt the butter. Cook until the butter solids are browned and smell nutty. This will take about 10 minutes on medium heat. Stay close and stir the butter constantly. Pour into a separate bowl and let that cool.
- While the butter cools, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set that aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and brown butter. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrap the bowl and continue mixing. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each egg.
- Add the vanilla and continue mixing. Be sure to scrape the bowl regularly while you mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixer with the mixer on low. Mix until the dry ingredients are combined.
- Add the M&Ms and chocolate chips and mix until everything is just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 8x8 pan and top with some more candy if you would like. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are just browned. Take the bars out of the oven and allow them to cool before cutting. Enjoy!
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