Filed under: Bars / Brownies & Blondies
December 22, 2019

Butterscotch Blondies

Blondies made from cooked brown sugar and good quality butter for a true 'butterscotch' flavor, made with an extra yolk to add chewiness and given a long chill to amplify flavor.

5 from 3 votes
Yield: 16 small servings
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The blondies are fantastic at all temperatures: warm they are reminiscent of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, room temperature they are chewy and sugars melt quickly on the tongue. We also loved them straight from the fridge: the cold gives them an even chewier texture.

Recipe origins

Something I do with my blondies is to cook the sugar and butter together. I initially did this because I thought it would give me a shiny top, but cooked a bit longer and serendipitously made a butterscotch syrup. This deepens the flavor incredibly. Blondies are often called butterscotch brownies, simply because of the use of brown sugar, but by cooking the sugar into the butter you develop a true butterscotch base. This syrup combined with the days rest in the fridge completely changes the blondie game.

Also – an extra yolk since some of the moisture from the butter cooks off as we cook it. Plus, an extra yolk = extra chew!

You know that famous Jaques Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe? The one that so many have declared the absolute best cookie ever? I use some of his tricks here like combining bread and cake flour to get a wonderful chewy texture on the edges and a soft and gooey center. I also let the dough rest in the fridge for a day or two to develop the flavor (time really does make a difference here).

Recipe Ingredients

Butter: For this recipe, I prefer a european style butter (like kerrygold) because of it’s extra butterfat, lower water content which lends more flavor and a chewier texture to the blondies. If you’re using salted butter, halve the amount of added salt to the recipe.

Sugar: brown sugar, light or dark – but I think dark is better here for more of that lovely molasses flavor.

Bread Flour: high protein flour.

Cake flour: this is a very low protein flour that has been very finely milled and has added cornstarch. The combination of the two flours gives a really great texture to the blondies.

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount.

Vanilla: use a good quality vanilla, pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, the flavor will come through!

Eggs: one whole egg and the yolk from another egg.

Chocolate: chop up your favorite chocolate bar (I like a 70% dark chocolate) or use some tasty chocolate chips (guittard’s super chips are wonderful imo!).

How to make butterscotch blondies

We’ll start by adding the butter to a pot, setting it over medium low heat and melting the butter

Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and stir

You’ll keep stirring and cooking it until it reaches about 200 F. It will look shiny and thick and be bubbling

Transfer it to a heatproof bowl and let it cool slightly. Then you can add the vanilla and salt

Once the mix is slightly cool, get a whisk or a hand mixer and begin beating it. While you do, add the eggs and the yolk

Beat until smooth, then add the flour and beat to just combine

The dough is still hot at this point so don’t add the chocolate yet (or it’ll melt). No need to cover it, just let it cool on the counter

Once the dough is at room temperature, you can add the chocolate/chocolate chips, stir then cover it

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the fridge at least overnight but up to 36 hours.

Take the dough out an hour before you’re ready to bake so it can soften.

Preheat the oven, then grease and line a square 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.

Press the dough into the prepared pan. Add more chocolate chips or chunks on top.

Bake until the blondies are shiny all over and the center has puffed up and cracked, about 25 minutes.

Once they are cool, use the parchment as a sling to lift them out then slice.

 

Recipe for Butterscotch Blondies



Butterscotch Blondies

Chewy blondies that use a famous chocolate chip cookie's techniques for maximum tastiness.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 16 small servings
5 from 3 votes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter 113g
  • 1 cup light brown sugar 200g
  • 1 large egg plus one egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cake flour 120g
  • ½ cup bread flour 60g
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chopped or use semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Flaked sea salt optional

Method

  • In a small pot over medium heat, melt the butter and sugar together. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches ‘thread stage’ (about 225 F): you’ll see little white bubbles on the sides and it will be similar in texture to molasses. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl.
  • Once cool, add the egg and vanilla and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
  • Add the flours, whisk to just combine. Fold in the chocolate.
  • Set dough in the fridge to rest for 24-72 hours.
  • An hour before you are going to bake it, remove the dough from the fridge to soften.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8” square pan or a 8” round with parchment paper.
  • Press the dough evenly into the pan. Add some more chocolate to the tops so some is exposed. Sprinkle on sea salt, if desired.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes.
  • The bars will be delicate when hot, let cool then slice. Store in an airtight container.

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13 comments

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Recipe Reviews




  1. 5 stars
    Another outstanding recipe! My first batch was overcooked at 20mins. Second batch was absolute perfection at bake time of 15min. I used an 8*8 square pan for this recipe and have a newer oven.

  2. 5 stars
    These were delicious! I did bake them for about 10 minutes extra. I would definitely make these again! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes- they look so amazing and creative!

    • I’ve got the dough cooling in the frig. I can wait.. I love a great tasting blonde. I’m betting they taste amazing.

    • Hi Navneeta! If I have a recipe in grams I’ll always include it on the page. Eventually this might get an update but until then you could always use a converter, I think King Arthur Flour’s website has a good one.

  3. Hi there,

    May I ask why we need to cool the blondies first of all? And second of all why that long?

    Best,

    Heather

    • Hi Heather, you’ll cool the butterscotch sauce so as not to cook the eggs when you add them. The second chill in the fridge is optional – it’s for flavor development. I talk about it more in the first section.