Brown Butter Blondies

Every Valentine’s Day, I like to take the time to make my boyfriend, Andrew, something special! We’ve been together since we were so young that baking him a yummy treat was something that was always attainable and made him feel loved. Even now that we are older and it’s possible to buy him gifts, like anything on my Valentine’s Day Gift Guide, I still like to carry on the tradition of baking him a dessert. This year, I opted for these delicious brown butter blondies. First of all, this is perfect because he calls me “Blondie” as a sweet nickname and because this is basically the most amazing dessert ever and he always shares. Thanks, Drew. I guess I have a thing for brown butter because my other favorite dessert is Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies! Taking the simple step of browning the butter adds a depth of flavor that you’re going to be obsessed with. It takes an extra 5 minutes but it makes the dessert 100 times better, trust me. I adapted this recipe from Williams Sonoma and it’s absolute perfection.

Ingredients:

Makes 16 blondies

-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. salt

-2/3 cup unsalted butter, browned and clarified

-1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

-1/2 cup granulated sugar

-2 large eggs

-2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small pan over low heat, heat the butter until light brown and fragrant. This will take approximately 6-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.
4. Once the butter has cooled slightly, take spoon and remove all of the foamy, solid substance from the top of the browned butter. Skim this off the surface and throw away. This will clarify the butter and remove any milk fats!
5. In a large bowl, combine the brown butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
6. Stir in dry ingredients until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
7. Pour the batter into the buttered pan, spreading evenly.
8. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean.
9. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
10. Cut into 2-inch squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Do yourself a favor and try this recipe. Do yourself a big favor and double the recipe.