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These Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies are one-pot, no-mixer and my family thinks they're one of the best things they've ever eaten!!
"Oh my gosh!" That's what my son Nick said when he took the first bite of these Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies. Lindsay, Nick's wife took the next bite. "Wow! These are even better than your old-standby blondie recipe!"
Scott's response made me smile. He said...
"I think these might just be one of the very best things I've ever tasted."
"Really?" I reached for one of the highly regarded bars and took a bite to check them out myself. Whoa.... pretty amazing, a magical transformation had occurred - from a combination of simple ingredients: butter, brown sugar, eggs, and flour. But I must say, the candied pecans/chocolate chip topping takes these moist, chewy blondies right over the top.
So easy!
In addition to being crazy good, these Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies are super simple to throw together. Even with the fancy topping, there's only one pot, a wooden (or sturdy) spoon and some measuring spoons/cups needed, as far as equipment goes.
The process starts on the stovetop with just a bit of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup (or honey). Throw in the pecans and stir for just a few minutes until they take on a golden hue. Set the pecans aside and start the blondies by melting butter (in the same pot), then cooking a few minutes longer, till the butter is bubbly and beginning to brown.
The rest is super easy. Add the remaining ingredients to the same pot and simply stir until combined. That's it! Pour the batter into a pan, sprinkle with the candied pecans and a scatter of mini chocolate chips and into the oven they go. Thirty minutes later, amazing aromas will be wafting through the house, and you'll be pulling a beautiful pan of deliciousness out of your oven.
Honestly, the only difficult thing about the whole process is waiting for them to cool before tearing into them. The reason I say that is because we didn't couldn't wait the first time I made them - they really are impossibly irresistible!
Stir up a batch of these fabulous Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies and listen to the comments when you serve them. You'll be sure to hear lots of responses like "Oh my gosh!", "Wow!" and a whole lot of "mmmm's"!
Bon Appetit!
Café Tips for making these Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies
- You can use an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch square pan for these Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies. The 8-inch pan will yield taller blondies.
- You could also make these blondies in a round pan and cut into wedges for a fancy dessert. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of this Best Ever Hot Fudge Sauce.
- I love the parchment paper from Costco. It comes in a two pack and it lasts forever! The problem is that they only seem to carry it around the holidays, but I was thrilled to find that Amazon does! Here's the link: Kirkland Parchment Paper.
- After melting and browning the butter, be sure to allow it to cool for a bit. You don't want the heat to scramble the eggs when you add them.
- These Candied Pecan Brown Butter Blondies freeze well. Cut them into squares and freeze them on a sheet pan. Once frozen, place the squares in a storage container or ziplock bag. Then you can remove as many as needed and thaw them to enjoy.
For more seasonal recipe inspiration, check out some of our June posts from the past few years…
1 year ago – Light and Spicy Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing.
2 years ago – Grilled Chicken Nicoise Salad.
3 years ago – Chopped Mexican Quinoa Salad with Chili Lime Shrimp.
4 years ago – Double Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
This post was originally published back in June 2015. The recipe is way too good to be lost in the Café archives, so we've updated it and share it for your enjoyment.
These blondies are super easy to put together (one pot, one spoon, no mixer!) and my family thinks they're one of the best things they've EVER eaten!!
- For the topping:
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans I just break the pecans up with my hands as I like the pieces fairly large
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the blondies:
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips regular size chocolate chips would work fine. I just really like the look of the mini chips
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper or foil with ends extending over one edge of pan (for easy removal). Set aside.
-
In a medium-size pot, over medium heat melt the one teaspoon of butter. Add the maple syrup (or honey) and pecans, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until pecans take on a medium golden brown color. Sprinkle with the salt and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.
-
In the same pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking for about 3-4 minutes till butter is foaming and turns a medium golden brown. Watch carefully as butter can quickly go from golden to burned.
-
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add brown sugar and stir well.
-
Add eggs, one at a time and stir till each is incorporated. Add vanilla and stir well.
-
Add flour, salt and baking powder and stir until all flour has disappeared.
-
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly . Sprinkle top with prepared pecans and chocolate chips.
-
Bake 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before cutting into rectangles, 2x1½-inches.
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Dlevy says
Hi Chris
Can’t wait to make these. Can I sub dark brown sugar for the light brown? Thx
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that will work, Dlevy.
Christina Dombkowski says
Cant wait to try . Love the pecans. Please send labels. Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hope you enjoy them, Christina! This particular recipe doesn't have labels to go with it at this time.
Lindsay says
I've made these several times and everyone loves them! The brown butter adds such great flavor. I needed a few extra minutes bake time in my oven, but when they cool they are perfectly chewy and delicious.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Lindsay! I'm so happy you enjoyed them and appreciate you taking the time to share your results!
Suzelle Hoey says
I’m sure I’ve made these as a 9x13 in the past and they were fantastic! Do you still have the measurements for that size?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Suzelle, some readers were getting confused so I took that recipe off. It was just the 8x8 recipe, doubled.
Carol Newell says
Chris, this comment section just appeared after I sent you an e-mail. Sorry! Mine never finished baking on inside (very soupy) in a 9x9” pan, after 45 min baking. I live close to sea level, so no altitude adjustments needed. Let me know what I did wrong? Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Carol, I'm not sure what happened. I'm going to re-test the recipe and see if I can figure it out.
Tania says
First time I made these I unfortunately overbaked but they were still good! Just made them a second time around last night and I nailed the bake time. I baked them for 30 mins in 350 degrees, and once they cooled down they weren't tough to cut. Very chewy and gooey! My family loved it. Great recipe! Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Tania!
Wendy says
This was a fail. Raw in the middle despite adding 20 minutes of bake time. Disappointed - it was a lot of effort and wasted ingredients. Other recipes from this site have been great but not this one.
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry Wendy, I hate that these didn't work for you. They are a favorite at our house and I actually just got an email today from someone who made them and was going crazy over how delicious they were. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong but I'm sorry you wasted good ingredients!
Nese says
Chris..We're in Johannesburg, South Africa (also high altitude) and my experience was the same as the other high altitude folks. I added a good 25 minutes of baking time before they were even close to done,and all the goodies on top disappeared down the "black hole" in the center of the pan while the edges rose high. I wanted to take them for dessert to a friend's house but they don't look very pretty...nothing like yours. But my husband said...don't throw these away...they still taste good. High altitude folks beware...or if you figure out how to adjust for high altitude let us know.
Chris Scheuer says
Hello, all the way to Johannesburg! I'm so sorry that this happened, Nese. That's so interesting how the high altitude affects these blondies. I'm wondering if you baked them partially, like for 20 minutes, then added the topping, if that might work better in high altitude settings.
Susan Crum says
I will definitely be making this recipe again! Much to my surprise, I had no vanilla extract on hand and substituted almond extract. They were still delicious. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Yum, that sounds wonderful!
Susan says
Definitely worth a repeat! The chocolate chips I use are delicious but huge. Have to put minis on my list!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I think you have a very smart husband. And I think I will see if these have the same effect on mine. I'm not worried!
Richard says
Greetings Chris, and thank you for contributing this recipe.
Disappointingly, I got the same results as Carol, Wendy, & Nese.
However, after dabbing away the tears from my crestfallen countenance, I did a minute of sleuthing on the web and may have found an explanation for our collective culinary catastrophe.
First off, there will (of course) be some tweaking of the bake time if using an 8×8 vs 9×9 pan, metal vs glass pan, dark vs light brown sugar, and/or cooking at high altitudes. But those adjustments to the recipe aren't enough to account for our greasy, under-baked, still "raw in the middle," results.
I hypothesize that our baking boo-boo had to do with under-aeration -- we didn't whip our batter long enough!
Specifically, we erred in our mixing of the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla (prior to adding the flour, salt, and baking powder). Although we mixed these ingredients well, we probably should have whisked or beaten them until the mixture went from a dense, runny, and dark consistency to one which was light, thick, and pale -- especially since the ratio of brown sugar in these blondies is so high. Without sufficient air whisked into the batter, our blondies could never rise to our anticipated level of scrumptiousness, no matter how long we baked them.
I hope my rant is of help to my fellow bakers out there.
Peace be with you, and may your future blondies rise high!
Cheers, Richard
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Richard! I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a detailed comment. I will be revisiting this recipe since a number of readers have had difficulty with it.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Crazy good is exactly the way to describe these, I'll bet. Terrific recipe -- thanks.
Sandra L Garth says
Oh my goodness!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
These look fantastic Chris! So perfect for summer parties!
Jenna says
These sound beyond decadent Chris, going on my bucket list for sure!! Thanks for another great recipe!
sue@theviewfromgreatisland says
I'm so glad you revived these winners, Chris, they have my name ALL over them!
Liz says
I do love a blondie, Chris, and these look magnificent!!! Perfect weekend treat!
2pots2cook says
Keeper definitely; so simple, one bowl..... who on Earth could resist this one !?
Terri Vaughan says
Chris,
I have only recently dared to challenge my short attention span and make browned butter. I never want to eat regular butter again! I want to make these for a holiday party but I wasn't sure if you used salted or unsalted butter. Please forgive me if I have overlooked that information in the recipe. I recently made browned butter with salted butter and found it WAY too salty (I am salt sensitive though) but thought maybe salted butter complemented the sweetness in this recipe. What worked for you?
Thanks so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Terri, thanks so much for your comment. We used salted butter and it wasn't too salty for us.
LaVerne says
Found my mistake! Started looking at the 9 x 13 and then moved the screen on the iPad down and was on a different size.
LaVerne says
I'm confused by the butter. The actual recipe calls for a teaspoon for the pecans and one cup for the brownies but in the comments someone questions if you meant 1 1/2 cups of butter.