Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies

The chewiest, butteriest dessert bars studded with bits of jammy blueberries, creamy white chips and crunchy toffee, these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies are a delicious twist that will have sweet lovers smitten!

A recipe came through my inbox recently from Saveur magazine that sounded amazing. It was titled Raspberry Blondies with Almonds and Chocolate and the image of the blondies was enticing. I clicked on the link, pulled up the recipe and was intrigued. But upon checking for the ingredients, I discovered that I was missing raspberries. That started a whole chain of adaptations and, although quite different from the original recipe, these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies are crazy delicious in addition to being unique, super easy and a delightful combination of flavors and textures.

I was a little skeptical about the idea of fresh fruit in blondies. It was unusual and I thought the fruit would be too watery - but (as you can see) I gave it a go. We LOVE the results! I subbed blueberries for the raspberries as I had several cartons in the fridge. As the blondies bake, the blueberries concentrate, get fabulously jammy and add little pockets of delicious sweet flavor to each bite of these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies.

I also subbed white chips for the original chocolate chips as, to me, the combination of blueberries and white chocolate is a match made in heaven. Once again, the pairing didn't disappoint. Lastly, a small portion of crunchy toffee bits in the batter as well as a sprinkle over the top was my substitution for Saveur's almonds.

Brown butter makes everything better!

I love the delicious layer of flavor that brown butter gives to baked goods so instead of simply melting the butter (as the recipe instructed), I took an extra few minutes to let it brown. This can be done in the microwave which makes it super easy and mess-free. How does it work? Just place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Add a few small slits in the plastic wrap for ventilation and cook until the butter is beautifully golden. The time will vary, depending on the power level of each microwave. Mine is 900 Watts and it takes exactly 5 minutes.

It's important to let the brown butter cool down a bit before proceeding but that gives you time to get out the other ingredients, prepare the pan and preheat the oven.

One bowl, no mixer!

If you've followed The Café for a while, you know that I love easy recipes that don't require any fancy equipment. Although I used to be attached at the hip to my KitchenAid mixer and used it almost every day, I'm afraid it's gotten a little lonely over the years as I've migrated to mostly one-bowl, no-mixer cakes, cookies, etc. That being said, if you prefer to use a mixer for these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies for one reason or another, go for it!

Well, it's time for me to stop talking about how much you're going to love these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies and let you see for yourself! Check out the ingredients, pick up whatever your missing and make a batch! It won't take much time or effort but the results will be AMAZING!

Café Tips for making these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies

• It's important to use a microwave-safe bowl to cook the brown butter. What's a microwave-safe bowl? A microwave-safe bowl is one that won't melt or heat up when used in the microwave. For this recipe, it's really nice to have one with a handle as you need to remove the bowl from the microwave several times to stir. I love this Pyrex microwave-safe bowl and use mine ALL the time. The handle does not get the slightest bit warm.
• I'm a bit of a renegade in that I always use salted butter. I know that most baking experts say that you should use unsalted butter for baking. I tend to agree with Christopher Kimbal, the co-founder of America's test kitchen. You can read his (and my) theory in this article. That being said, if you prefer unsalted butter for baking, no problem! You can add an extra pinch of salt to this recipe.
• These Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies freeze well. Since I made three batches while testing this recipe, we had way more than we could (should) eat so we popped them in the freezer. For testing sake, we pulled two bars out last night after dinner and thawed them on low power in the microwave. They were fabulous with a tall glass of cold milk (see what I do for you?).
• Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe. Dark brown will give the blondies a deeper golden color and a slightly richer caramel flavor. They both yield delicious results!
• This recipe calls for toffee bits. Here in the U.S., most larger grocery stores carry toffee bits made by Heath called Bits of Brickle. If you can't find them, you could also chop up a toffee candy bar or, if you're in Europe, use something like Daim chocolate toffee candy.

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Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies

The chewiest, butteriest dessert bars studded with bits of jammy blueberry, white chips and crunchy toffee, these Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies are a delicious twist that will have sweet lovers smitten!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brown Butter Blondies, Brown Butter Blueberry Blondies

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 12

Calories: 275 kcal

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons butter I use salted
• 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white chocolate chips more for garnish, if desired
• ½ cup toffee bits I use Bits of Brickle (more for garnish, if desired)
• ⅔ cup fresh blueberries more for garnish, if desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the prep:

1. Place the butter in a medium-large microwave-safe bowl and cover the bowl tightly with a piece of plastic wrap. Take a small sharp knife and cut 3-4 slits in the top for ventilation. (You can also cover the bowl with a plate if you prefer to avoid plastic wrap.)

2. Cook the butter on high power in the microwave for 4 minutes. Open the microwave and take a peek. You’re looking for a deep golden color. You will probably need more time (my microwave is 900W and it takes 5 minutes to perfectly brown butter). Continue cooking for 30-second increments and checking until you achieve that golden brown butter. (Once you figure out the time your microwave takes, you can just set the microwave for that in the future.)

3. Remove from the microwave with a hot pad and carefully (it will be hot) remove the plastic wrap. Allow the brown butter to cool for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven, prepare the pan and get out the other ingredients.

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with baking spray, then line the pan foil, leaving a generous overhang on two sides. Spray the foil lightly with baking spray and rub to coat with a paper towel. Set aside.

For the blondie batter:

1. Add the brown sugar to the cooled butter mixture and whisk until nice and smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and whisk well. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the top and stir to combine.

2. Add the flour and stir with a sturdy silicone spatula or a wooden spoon until just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and ½ of the toffee bits. Gently fold in the blueberries, trying not to smush them too much.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and gently spread and smooth with an offset spatula to even the surface. Sprinkle with the remaining toffee bits.

4. Tuck extra blueberries and white chips into the top, if desired

5. Bake until the top is cracked and pale golden brown, 23–28 minutes (don’t overbake).

6. Cool in the pan for at least an hour, then (lifting the foil overhang) transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares as large or as small as you like.

7. Store in an airtight container for 12-24 hours or freeze then thaw and serve.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Calories 275kcal

Fat 13g

Saturated fat 8g

Trans fat 0.3g

Polyunsaturated fat 1g

Monounsaturated fat 3g

Cholesterol 45mg

Sodium 181mg

Potassium 86mg

Carbohydrates 38g

Fiber 0.5g

Sugar 29g

Protein 2g

Vitamin A 347%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 44%

Iron 1%