Butterscotch Blondies

By Yossy Arefi

Updated April 15, 2026

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
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Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(1,691)
Comments
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These rich, chewy bars get their deep caramel flavor from a combination of brown butter, dark brown sugar and an optional sprinkle of flaky salt on top. They're delicious as is, but feel free to add some mix-ins (see note), if that’s more your style. You'll want to keep the amount of extra ingredients, like nuts, chocolate and dried fruits, to 2 cups total, since blondies with a lot of mix-ins may take a few minutes longer to bake. For an especially delicious combination, try a mix of 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or chips, ½ cup toasted walnuts and ½ cup chopped pitted dates.

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Ingredients

Yield:16 servings

  • 1 cup/227 grams unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

  • 1 ½ cups/330 grams dark brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 ¾ cups/224 grams all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • Any mix-ins you like (see note)

  • ¼ teaspoon flaky salt (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

31 grams carbs; 54 milligrams cholesterol; 242 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 130 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 20 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter and line a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula, until it turns deep golden brown and smells nutty. Don’t walk away from the pan during this process. The butter can go from brown and nutty to acrid and burnt in mere moments. Transfer the butter and all the brown bits from the pan to a large heat-safe bowl to cool slightly.

  3. Step 3

    When the butter is cool (but still melted), add sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.

  4. Step 4

    Fold in the flour and baking powder along with any mix-ins until well combined and no streaks of flour remain in the batter.

  5. Step 5

    Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Bake the blondies until set and slightly puffy, 20 to 27 minutes. For gooey blondies, err on the short side of the baking time. Cool before slicing.

Tip

  • For other add-ins, try 1 cup chopped white or milk chocolate; about 1 cup toasted, chopped nuts; ½ cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut; about ½ cup dried whole cherries or apricots, chopped; ¼ cup crumbled halva; 2 tablespoons bourbon or rum, or 1 tablespoon espresso powder, mixed in with butter and sugar; or a sprinkle of cinnamon or cardamom, mixed in with the butter and sugar. You can also swirl 2 to 4 tablespoons Nutella, peanut butter or tahini into the top of the batter before baking.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,691 user ratings
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Comments

Lauren

This came together really easily -- I'll never be afraid of making brown butter again! I made a 1.5 sized recipe, to fit my 9x12 pan, but aside from adjusting the cooking time, no other changes. I do suggest a change to the process. Make the brown butter first, then prep the pan, get the other ingredients in order, and pre-heat the oven. By the time the oven is hot, the butter will be cool enough to proceed.

MsRogers

I have made these twice now: once as written and once with the changes recommended in another comment. I prefer the version with the changes as they are lighter and less sweet, but still delicious. Thanks for the recommendation ! Change: 3/4 cup butter and 1 1/4 cup sugar.

Jayne

I'm a gluten free baker and find that blondies turn out much better if you add some ground almonds/ almond flour to the gf flour mix. It given the blondies a beautiful texture! With this recipe I would use 1 1/4 cups gf flour & 1/2 cup almond flour.

LO

Great recipe. Followed others advice and cooked the butter right away so it could cool while doing other steps. I added semis-sweet chocolate chips and toasted pecans, and a sprinkle of cinnamon along with the flaked salt. Could have used more salt to balance the sweetness. Reduced the brown sugar by 1/4 cup and slightly reduced the baking powder (we live in Boulder at 5,000 feet). Baked for 25 minutes in a 9 x 12 pan. Could have stopped at 22 minutes to keep them a bit more gooey.

Enneirda

I'm usually not one of those people but this was sickeningly sweet. yes it's a dessert but the sweetness overwhelms this dish.

Grace

Good, easy recipe. The amount of sugar and butter is shocking, but now I know why they taste so good. I recommend adding butterscotch chips to give it a point of view. I'm still on the hunt for a version that is a little chewier.

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