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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.
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 shared it for your enjoyment.
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Brown Butter Candied Pecan Blondies
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
For the topping:
- 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.
For the blondies:
- 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.
Nutrition
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First of all thanks for ALL your recipes. Everyone I have made has been a keeper. I have a friend who is celiac and wanted to know if I could substitute gluten free all purpose flour for regular flour in this recipe.
Hi Camilla, thanks so much for your kind words 💕
Regarding your question, I haven’t tried this recipe with GF flour so I can’t say for sure. I do know that all of our biscuit and scone recipes turn out well with AP GF flour!
I unfortunately had the "raw in the middle result". I bake all the time. I have not ever had this result!
Hi Tamara, I'm so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. Unfortunately, every oven is a little different. If you try this recipe again, you might want to go with an instant thermometer to ensure doneness. Check the temp a few minutes before the suggested baking time and then every 3-5 minutes after. The perfect internal temperature to determine doneness for brownies, blondies etc. is 200-205˚F (93-96˚C).
Hi Chris
Can’t wait to make these. Can I sub dark brown sugar for the light brown? Thx
Yes, that will work, Dlevy.
Cant wait to try . Love the pecans. Please send labels. Thank you
Hope you enjoy them, Christina! This particular recipe doesn't have labels to go with it at this time.
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.
Thanks, Lindsay! I'm so happy you enjoyed them and appreciate you taking the time to share your results!
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?
Hi Suzelle, some readers were getting confused so I took that recipe off. It was just the 8x8 recipe, doubled.
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.
Hi Carol, I'm not sure what happened. I'm going to re-test the recipe and see if I can figure it out.
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
Thanks so much for letting us know, Tania!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Yum, that sounds wonderful!
Definitely worth a repeat! The chocolate chips I use are delicious but huge. Have to put minis on my list!
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!
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
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.
Crazy good is exactly the way to describe these, I'll bet. Terrific recipe -- thanks.
Oh my goodness!
These look fantastic Chris! So perfect for summer parties!
These sound beyond decadent Chris, going on my bucket list for sure!! Thanks for another great recipe!
I'm so glad you revived these winners, Chris, they have my name ALL over them!
I do love a blondie, Chris, and these look magnificent!!! Perfect weekend treat!
Keeper definitely; so simple, one bowl..... who on Earth could resist this one !?
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!
Terri, thanks so much for your comment. We used salted butter and it wasn't too salty for us.
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.
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.
I prepared these delicious=looking blonde brownies yesterday, using the version for an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. I love to bake, and have prepared many, many baked goods in my many, many years of cooking. That's one reason I was so disappointed when I made this recipe, following your ingredients and directions precisely. (Although, the ingredients were just a bit confusing with all the different amounts of salt called for.) I baked the blondies for the amount of time called for, but even after adding 15 minutes to the cooking time, they never did get done through. And the center of the blondies were sunken in the middle. I don't know if our higher altitude (4,600 feet) affected the outcome, but there definitely seemed to be too much batter for the pan. Even with the undercooked batter, however, they did taste good. I will try them again at some point, but I will probably use less butter and a bigger pan. I do enjoy your site, and especially enjoyed your recent trip to Paris!
Thanks Leslie, honestly I'm not sure what it could be and I've always lived on the East coast or in the Midwest, so I'm not familiar with high altitude baking???
I had a very similar problem, on the 9x13 recipe. Baked it for 40 minutes. The edges had boiled up and folded over and the center (being all except about an inch around the edge of the pan) was still liquid. Covered the very brown edges with foil and put it back in the oven for an additional 25 minutes before the center set. I wish I could post a picture - my result is fully worthy of being in the "Nailed It!" hall of fame. 🙂 The batter climbed all the way up the edges of the pan and overcooked there, and most of the chocolate and pecans completely disappeared. (Well. Not Houdini-style, just hibernating-bear style.) My hunch is that it would have gone much better with the same amount of batter in an 11x15" pan, which I will try next time, because despite looking like something they hang a photo of on the wall in Home Ec classes as a cautionary tale, this WAS delicious.
Incidentally, I'm also at about a 4500-foot altitude, but I've never had a recipe go this wonky on me before, so that seems an unlikely culprit.
I loved blondies more than almost any other dessert. Then I moved to Denver (50 years ago) and never made a successful batch. I gave up long ago. As good as these look, I know better. I've conquered almost every high altitude issue, but not these. Sad!
That's super sad, Susan! But maybe better for the waistline 🙂
Heaven in a baking pan! Thanks for sharing this fabuous recipe!
First, Chris, I NEED this recipe. Easy and delicious and you do spell it out for we non-proficient bakers. Thank you. Another thing I appreciate is your providing the right ingredients for two different sized pans. I know baking has to be more exacting and I can't halve and split my baking recipes easily. The kids around here will love this. To my mind, it looks very tasty also. The more I hike, the more bars I can eat! Just sayin' (And, you are inspiring me to get back on my bike. Haven't been riding since I returned to Aspen and we have great bike paths.)
Seriously, how amazing do these look 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Liz x
They do look like the best Blondie ever, Chris! Pecans just happen to be my favorite nut in cookies or bars so I'm head over heals for this recipe!
I made TWO 9 x 13 pans of these for an event yesterday. They really are amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe...I will be making them again and again!
I am so happy you enjoyed them!
My word, Chris, no wonder a tidal wave of accolades came your way because the scrumptiousness leaps off the screen! Pinned for a future run in the kitchen.
Hi Chris, I think I would totally lose control with these luscious bars, I don't know how you do it time after time but you are an incredible baker and cook.
Chris, what a decadent treat to bake for family and friends - I can understand why all of your beloved taste testers were oohing over these lovelies...
Andrea
Looks so tasty!!! Will try it
These are high on my list of "must make" after the wedding!
Chris, I'm holy schmoly-in just looking at the picture!! I can nearly taste it. Wow!! I know I've been away a long time, but what a way to welcome me back. Yowzers!
With all the things you've cooked for your family over the years, to hear that this is the best one -- well, we have to listen, don't we? I can't wait to see what my crew says. 🙂
I've already hit print. These are surely winners. Bill won't like the pecans so I'll wait till after Father's Day to make them 🙂
There just can't be anything better than these Chris! Your photos are mouthwatering!
Oh my gosh, indeed! I could definitely not be trusted around these, so good to read that they freeze well (that's my way of keeping things out of reach 😉
They look definitely worth all of calories!
All I can say is you have the luckiest taste testers ever! These look like the ultimate blondie 🙂
These sounds totally delicious What's not to love about brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips. Pure indulgence!
I made browned butter for the first time in a chocolate chip cookie recipe a few days ago. I couldn't believe the difference the browned butter made to the cookies, especially the pan I cooked up before chilling the dough. (Just couldn't wait!) Thanks to the two of you for all you put in to this site- recipes, beautiful pics, and stories, love it all!
Thank you for the kind words Annie!
These look so yummy!!! My husband would devour these. I am not a chocolate chip person but I might could leave some off one end. Ha!!!
You could definitely do that OR you substitute toffee bits for the chocolate chips. That would be quite amazing too! Have a great Father's Day weekend Charlotte!
These look yummy and I will try them this weekend - just one question - when do you add the pecans in step 2? When you add the syrup?
Hi Donna, sorry that wasn't clear. I've amended the instructions. Thanks so much.
Pass the milk because these look amazing! The magic of chocolate, browned butter and sugar - what a great way to start the weekend and father's day!
Oh, a tall glass of milk is just perfect with these. The only problem is that if you don't drink all the milk with the first blondie, you have to have a second to make sure you finish all the milk. I guess that's not such a bad problem to have though.
I'm wondering if you mean 1 1/2 sticks of butter which would be 12 oz or do you really mean 1 1/2 cups?
Hi Shelly, it is 1 1/2 cups which is 12 ounces. 1 1/2 sticks would only be 6 ounces as each stick of butter is 4 ounces. I know that all can be a bit confusing.
These blondies look simply divine! Love the brown butter and candied pecan topping - always a winner!
Thanks Laura, yes indeed - you can't go wrong with brown butter and pecans, for sure!
Perfect size for a family gathering too..your pics always make me want to make everything you make.
You should have a bistro..or be the Ina of there..w/ a little shop..you would be sold out of everything.
A real café:)Mais oui!
Thanks Monique! You are so sweet. It's funny, as much as I love to cook, I've never wanted to open a restaurant, café, etc. I think it's because I'm always wanting to create something new 🙂