This is a plate of brown butter toffee blondies. I’m not sure the first time I ate a blondie.  Growing up, we always had cake or cookies around the house.  Every once in a while, we would make chocolate brownies.  I never remember a blondie.  In the cafeteria where I work, there is a dish of blondies for sale every day.  Maybe that is where I first ate one, who knows?  Bottom line, wherever they were introduced to me, I really like them.  When I eat one, I feel that they are a little bit like a cookie and a little bit like a brownie all rolled into one.  It is also nice to try something every once in a while that doesn’t have chocolate in it.  Don’t get me wrong, chocolate is still a great thing.  It’s just that every once in a while you want something different and these blondies do the trick.  There were two reasons I wanted to make this dessert.  First, this recipe uses toffee.  When I read this in the recipe, I was at a loss where I could buy toffee.  Finally, I discovered that you can buy toffee chips in the supermarket in the same section as chocolate or peanut butter chips.  Second, this recipe also calls for brown butter.  Brown butter is simply a method of cooking butter on the stove top until it turns a deep golden color.  At the bottom of the pan, there is a light layer of browned particles, which are the solids in the butter that were browned by the heat and then fell to the bottom of the pan.  Make sure you scrape them up and put them in the batter as they have excellent flavor.  Brown butter gives the blondies more depth of flavor.  I’ve heard brown butter referred to as a nutty flavor, but I simply think that it adds a deeper butter flavor to the blondies.  You taste a rich buttery sensation in your mouth when you bite into the dessert.  Try these blondies for a change of pace.  They are great!  Let’s start mixing and baking:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)

1 cup toffee bits (remember, you get these right beside the chocolate chips in the supermarket)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from the heat, and let cool.

At the beginning of the butter process.

At the end of the butter process…see how golden brown in color.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

Attach bowl to mixer and turn on; add eggs into mixture one at a time.

Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add vanilla, and beat to combine.

Add flour mixture, walnuts and toffee bits.  Mix until thoroughly combined and then pour into the prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board.

Cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

So next time you are looking for a dessert with a little bit of something different, give these blondies a try.  Soft, chewy with that deep butter flavor and toffee goodness, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.  As well, the recipe was easy and quick which is always a plus.  Blondies…go for it!  Do you have any dessert recipes that have that little bit of something different to them that you can share on Acorns On Glen?