Brown Butter Blondies Recipe

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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.

Butter Being Browned — **Step 1:** Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Butter is Browned — **Step 2:** Cook the butter for a few minutes until it is brown and bubbly. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients — **Step 3:** Add all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Top the Brown Butter Blondies with moreM&Ms — **Step 4:** Add the batter to a parchment lined baking dish. Bake until golden brown. Let it cool before cutting.

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

Can I make these Vegan?

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!

I only have salted butter, can I use that?

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.

Can I make these ahead of time?

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) !