Browned Butter White Chocolate Blondies are one of the simplest bars to make with maximum flavour. Soft and chewy, with a beautiful caramel, nutty undertone and loaded with white chocolate and walnuts, they are hard to beat.
Brownies and Bars are a firm favourite snack at home. They are simple to make, serves many, can be eaten for a teatime treat or turned into a delectable dessert with the addition of a scoop of ice cream. My Dark Chocolate Walnut Blondies are a perfect small-batch treat, whilst my Cherry Brownies use in-season cherries to perfection.
My love affair with browned butter blondies first started whilst living in Sydney, Australia. They're a popular café treat in Australia, and when we moved back to London, UK, I knew that I would have to re-create them.
These White Chocolate Blondies are delectable, to say the least. I browned the butter in these so that I could maximise the nutty notes of the brown butter alongside the molasses flavour from the brown sugar. The taste is well rounded, nutty and sweet, but not cloyingly so. The white chocolate adds another fantastic flavour, whilst the walnuts complement the nuttiness and add a fab crunch. With a papery thin top and a fudgy, soft centre, these White Chocolate Blondies are delicious in every way.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Comes together quickly. These blondies can be made and in the oven in under 20 minutes and you let the oven do the rest of the work!
- Pantry ingredients. With under 10 ingredients needed to make these, you'll most likely have them in your pantry or fridge making these easy to make when the cravings are real!
- You can create your own adventure. I love the fact that you can swap out the white chocolate and walnuts for any other type of chocolate, dried fruit or nuts. You can literally go with what you feel like in that minute!
- Makes the perfect portable snack. Baked in a paper sling, once cooled, the blondies can easily be removed and cut into squares and transported. Office potluck here we come!
Ingredients needed
Some compare blondies to going cookie bars, but I have to say that these are a stand alone dessert recipe by themselves. All the ingredients are basic pantry or refrigerator ingredients. If you organise your panty/fridge like I do, then I know I have everything on hand. Checkout my insightful guide as to What's In My Baking Pantry for some invaluable tips.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is used. Don't worry about cold or room temperature as it will be melted and browned in the first step of the recipe. Unconfident when browning butter- don't worry, I go into detail a bit further down the post.
- Brown Sugar - Using brown sugar adds extra caramelly notes to the blondie from the high levels of molasses in the sugar. Not only does it pack in flavour but also moisture to the blondies.
- Eggs - I use large eggs in all my recipes. Here 2 whole eggs and 1 extra egg yolk is used. The extra yolk adds richness and more chew to the texture. The eggs in general, bind the ingredients together and add moisture.
- Vanilla Extract - You can use vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of a vanilla pod as an alternative. The vanilla adds another layer of flavour that works well with the brown sugar and white chocolate.
- Flour - Plain (all purpose) flour is used rather than self raising flour and just enough flour to bring the batter together without making the blondies cakey once baked.
- Baking Powder - A small amount is used to create lift in the batter.
- Salt - Absolutely necessary to balance out the sweetness from the sugar and white chocolate.
- White Chocolate - My preference is to use chocolate bars and coarsley chop them to get the different size chunks. With chocolate chips, they hold their shape once baked due to how they are made, whereas I love the chocolate puddles that chunks make. However, you do you here, and use chocolate chips if you'd prefer.
- Walnuts - A fabulous addition to the White Chocolate Blondies to accentuate the nutty notes of the brown butter. Leave the nuts out if you aren't a fan.
Step-by-step instructions
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
I can't say it enough, these really are the best White Chocolate Blondies as they are so simple to make yet taste so incredible. I think the hardest part is browning the butter, but because I describe to you exactly how to do this, you won't have any problems at all. The rest is a piece of cake, so without further ado, let me show you exactly how to make these blondies.
1. Brown the butter. Turn normal melted butter into a thing of nutty goodness in one simple step. Add the butter to a saucepan set over medium heat and allow the butter to melt. Once melted, the butter will start to foam and bubble (Image 1) and this is the point that the milk solids have separated from the fats and they'll start to caramelise on the base of the saucepan. Watch the yellow butter turn golden and then brown.
Once the butter is browned, take the pan off the stove and pour it into a bowl. The butter can go from brown to burnt quite quickly. Set the butter aside cool for ten minutes. (Image 2)
TIP: Brown butter bits
Once the brown butter is poured into a bowl, make sure to scrape out all the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the saucepan. These bits are where all the nutty, rich flavour is held. The aroma of brown butter is enticing and intoxicating.
2. Prepare your pan. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23 x 23cm (9x9-inch) square baking pan and set to one side. Check out my handy tip below. (Image 3)
TIP: Paper Overhang
Make sure that the baking paper overhangs the sides of your baking pan. Once the blondies are baked, you can easily lift out the blondies to place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Such a simple tip that really helps later on!
3. Mix sugar into the butter. Whilst the butter is still warm, add the brown butter into a bowl and mix with hand-held electric beaters until the sugar is mixed in and the butter has cooled slightly. (Image 4)
4. Add eggs and beat. Add the 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk and vanilla extract into the bowl and beat with the electric hand-held beaters until the batter is pale in colour and thickened. This can take a couple of minutes to achieve. (Image 5 & 6)
TIP: Aerate the eggs
By beating the eggs into the sugar and butter until they are pale, you are incorporating lots of air into them, kind of like a meringue. In the oven, the top of the blondies bake to form a thin shiny crust. This is exactly what we want!
5. Sift in the dry ingredients. I'm all about saving time washing up, so I don't ask you to sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and then add it into the batter. Nope. Sift that flour, baking powder and salt right on top of your batter. And then fold it in with a rubber spatula- but only until you see some flour streaks remain. This ensures you don't overmix it! (Image 7)
6. Add the flavourings. Now's the chance to add in your flavourings. (Image 8) Obviously white chocolate, but I also included chopped walnuts to bring out the nutty flavours and add textural contrast. Stir those in until just combined.
7. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level off with an offset spatula and then bake until the centre is just set and the top is golden (Image 9 & 10). The top will be shiny and paper-thin and the interior chewy around the edges and fudgy in the centre.
Set the baking pan on a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Then use the paper overhang to lift the blondie square out of the pan. For super neat edges refrigerate the brown butter blondie for an hour. To cut the blondies, use a sharp knife run under warm water to heat the blade and cut. After every slice, wipe the blade clean. With this trick,, you'll achieve super clean, neat edges like a pro.
Enjoy these cold, at room temperature or warm - whichever way, these blondies will taste incredible. Secretly, I love these warm (microwave for ten seconds if need be) and topped with a cheeky scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just dreamy!
Variations
I adore the flavour combination of the white chocolate and walnuts in this recipe, but I've created a great base recipe that you can add in some super alternatives.
- Raspberry Blondies: Add in a cupful of fresh or frozen raspberries and stir through the batter. The sweet fruit will sit perfectly alongside the blondie taste.
- Biscoff Blondies: Swirl this awesome spread throughout the batter for a flavour boost.
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Blondies: Probably my favourite flavour add-ins. The bitterness of the dark chocolate balances out the sweetness of the blondies and the pecans emphasize all the nutty brown butter taste.
Other flavour addins you might like can be dried cherries or cranberries, fresh fruit such as blueberries or blackberries, or other types of nuts like hazelnuts or almonds.
Pro tips re-cap
- Brown butter bits. Make sure to scrape all those brown butter bits from the bottom of the saucepan- that's where the flvour is held.
- Paper overhang. Set yourself up for success and make sure to use the baking paper as sling.
- Glossy, crackley thin top. The sure fire way to get that golden papery thin shiny top is to whip the eggs until pale and thick so that they can work their magic once baked.
Frequently asked questions
They are essentially the fairer cousin of a brownie. They are a rich and quite sweet dessert made up of flour, butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and baking powder.
Unlike a brownie, they don’t have any cocoa powder in them. This allows the flavour of the brown sugar to shine through and this gives the blondies a beautiful caramel taste too.
Absolutely not. I do it as I love the extra layer of flavour that brown butter imparts, but if you don't fancy it, then just melt the butter as normal and carry on with the recipe.
Two things spring to mind. It could be as a result of measuring out your flour with a cup rather than by using digital scales. There is a far higher room for error when measuring with a cup as you can inadvertently measure too much flour into the batter making it cakey.
Oven temperature and the length of time baking plays a huge part. I give my temperature and baking time guide but everyone's oven runes slightly differently. Over baking will cause the blondies to lose their fudginess and develop more of a cakey texture.
How to store and freeze
To store: Store these Brown Butter White Chocolate Blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to 7 days.
To freeze: Freeze individual blondies wrapped well in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
Equipment you’ll need
- Baking pan 23x23cm (9x9in): The perfect size for 16 perfect blondie squares.
- Hand-held Electric Beaters: The easiest way to whip air into the eggs. If you want to use a standard whisk then that's no problem. You may not get the papery top though, but it will still taste delicious.
More recipes with white chocolate that you'll like
I truly hope that you try out this easy-to-make, no-fail Brown Butter Blondies Recipe, as after one bite you'll fall in love with them!
If you tried this Brown Butter White Chocolate Blondies or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how you go in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Also, please leave a star rating whilst you're there!
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This post was originally published in November 2019 but has been updated with new photos, new content and a revised recipe.
Browned Butter White Chocolate Blondies Recipe
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 330 g brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 200 g white chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
- 120 g walnuts, lightly toasted
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Pre-heat oven to 170°C (340°F). In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter. Continue to cook until the butter is golden brown and has a nutty fragrance. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Note that the butter turns very quickly from golden to burnt, so keep an eye on it. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and leave at room temperature cool for ten minutes.
- Prepare your pan. Line a 23cm (9-inch) square baking pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides so that it is easy to lift the blondies out after they are baked.
- Mix sugar into the butter. Into the bowl with the brown butter, add brown sugar and using hand-held electric beaters, to beat on high until well mixed in.
- Add eggs. Add the 2 eggs, the 1 egg yolk and vanilla extract into the mixing bowl and using the hand-held electric beaters on high speed, beat until the mixture is visibly paler and thicker. This can take 3 to 4 minutes to achieve. The length of time not only cools the butter down but also aerates the eggs.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift into this mixture the flour, baking powder and salt and fold through using a rubber spatula until a few flour streaks remain.
- Add chocolate and nuts. Fold in the white chocolate and walnuts until just combined. Spoon batter into the prepared baking tray and level with an offset spatula.
- Bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and the sides are set, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for ten minutes. Using the paper, lift the blondie square out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Use a sharp knife, to cut into 16 squares and serve immediately.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Cindy
I am on team blonde all the way. I think that brownies get way too much undeserved love.
Browned butter makes everything better. Can’t wait to bake these.
Emma
Ha! I totally agree with you. They have such a subtle nutty flavour that I love! My next batch, I want to add raspberries to these- yum!!
Sarah
I made these White Chocolate Blondies over the weekend and oh my word- what a delight- huge hit in our household- kids loved them. Browning the butter is a fab tip- adds so much flavour and takes no time at all. These are the best! Sarah