Mega Delish Salted Caramel Blondies
These blondies are LOADED with flavor! Imagine the chewiest, gooey brown butter blondie base and then layer in flavors of espresso/coffee, dark brown sugar, chocolate chips, vanilla and salted caramel! This blondie recipe is the stuff of dreams! Add vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of more caramel sauce and you have the perfect dessert!
Print
Save
Servings: 12 Servings
Ingredients
- 182 grams unsalted brown butter (16 tablespoons (226 g unsalted butter before browning; cooled))
- 1 ½ cup (330 g) dark brown sugar (packed; can also use light brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (cold)
- 1 large egg yolk (cold)
- 1 ½ tablespoons (19 g) real vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) fresh-brewed espresso (or strong coffee; cooled)
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (288 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (128 g) dark chocolate chips
- sea salt flakes for the tops (optional)
- 1/3 cup (75 g) caramel sauce (such as Brown Sugar Caramel or Fran's)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and place a rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking dish and line the bottom and two sides of the pan with parchment paper.
For the Brown Butter
- Place 16 tablespoons (226 g) butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium-high. Stand by, continuously stirring and watching. Small golden bits will start to settle on the bottom of the pan. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour it into a medium, heat-safe bowl (be sure to scrape all of the brown bits too!). Set aside to cool.For more details on browning butter, check out my How to Perfectly Brown Butter
For the Blondies
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and whisk), add the brown sugar, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, espresso/coffee, vanilla and salt and mix for 2 to 3 minutes on medium until thick, lightened in color and well combined. Whisk in the cooled brown butter until fully combined. It will resist combining and try to separate; it's important you whisk until it is completely combined and you see no traces of the brown butter.
- On low mix in the baking powder for 30 seconds and then add the flour, mixing until barely combined and the flour has barely disappeared and you still see some streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips until just combined. Grab a spatula and give it one more mix around the bowl, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure there aren't any pockets of un-mixed flour. The blondie cookie dough will be thick. Take care not to over-mix the dough.
- Scoop the blondie mixture into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth the tops of the blondies (it doesn't have to be perfect). Drizzle the caramel over the top. Grab a butter knife swirl the caramel into the top of the blondies.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (27 minutes is perfect in my oven). The edges of the blondies should be golden brown, the top puffed up a bit and there will be some jiggle in the center of the pan. That's perfect. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if using) over the top of the blondies and set on a wire rack until completely cool.
- See notes below for tips on cutting brownies. Wait until they are completely cool (which will take 2 to 3 hours) before cutting. You can additionally set them in the fridge to make cutting them even easier. Use a very sharp knife and clean the blade in between cuts for the sharpest blondies slices. Enjoy!
Notes
Mixer vs Your Arms
I mention a mixer in the instructions. However, this perfect blondie recipe is definitely a recipe that can easily be made with a large mixing bowl and spatula and/or whisk. Whichever method you use, take care not to over-mix your dough once the flour has been added. Additionally, you can use a hand mixer if you have one handy!Melted Butter vs Brown Butter
The brown butter adds SO MUCH flavor to this!!! I highly recommend this extra quick step when making these. However, if you absolutely cannot be bothered, you can use melted butter.Choosing Chocolate for Your Blondies
I added dark chocolate to the tops of these. Remember that dark chocolate covers everything from semi-sweet to bittersweet chocolate and can contain anywhere between 50% to 90% cocoa solids. What does this mean to you? Pick whatever chocolate chips you prefer or have on hand!Storing Your Blondies
Store your perfect blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.Your Baking Pan
A metal pan is ideal for baking brownies. I link to my favorite in the Shopping section above the recipe.How to Cut Blondies
The first rule for cutting perfect blondies is the hardest: let the blondies cool completely! If you want super clean cuts, chill your blondies for several hours before cutting them. Lastly, use a very sharp knife and clean + dry the knife in between cuts. I tend to be impatient so my blondies are never perfectly cut, such is life. NOTE: I cut the blondies into 9 or 12 blondie servings depending on how many people you’re feeding. I think they’re pretty cute when cut into 12 slices!Add-Ins
So many different things that you can add to blondies! Instead of chocolate chips, feel free to use: caramel chips, toffee chips, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, caramel chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips and chopped nuts are all delicious options. Or, you could use half chocolate chips and half one of the above add-ins. Be sure not to add more than 1 cup of add-ins to your blondies (I didn’t include grams because it’s different for all of those items).To Serve Caramel Blondies
These blondies are unreal on their own with a glass of cold milk or, turned into more of a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled in homemade caramel. I know I list the flaky sea salt as optional, but I highly recommend it for the ultimate salty-sweet dessert.For More Brown Butter Tips:
Check out my How to Brown Butter Tutorial. Enjoy your salted caramel blondie recipe! Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo