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Vintage Salted Caramel Blondies

blondie covered in dark chocolate on parchment paper

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These Vintage Salted Caramel Blondies are the Classic Midwestern Bar at its best! 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 11 tablespoons (154g) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
  • 1 1/2 cups (192g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated preferred
  • 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, plus more for topping*
  • 1 cup (225g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, fridge-cold
  • 1/2 cup (85g) dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, optional

Instructions

Make the bars:

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Butter an 8×8 inch baking pan (preferably light-colored to avoid over-browning) and line with parchment paper. 
  2. Make the brown butter. Heat a 10-12-inch skillet over medium heat, and add the butter. Cook, stirring continuously, until the butter foams, stops sizzling, and turns a dark amber brown, about 7 minutes. Pour the butter, including the brown bits at the bottom of the pan, into a clean bowl or glass measuring cup and set aside until it is cool enough to touch. 
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, add the eggs and brown sugar. With a vigorous arm, whisk the eggs and brown sugar together until it lightens and thickens, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled butter to the wet mixture and whisk until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until no flour lumps remain.
  4. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer, smoothing the top. Bake until the surface wrinkles, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and the edges are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely on a baking rack before topping with melted chocolate.

Make the melted chocolate:

  1. Place half the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler (a glass or heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water). Melt the chocolate until it is smooth and fluid. Remove the bowl from the pan and add the second half of the chocolate, stirring again until smooth.

Top the bars with chocolate:

  1. Use a whisk to splatter the melted chocolate over the cooled bars. Sprinkle with additional sea salt.
  2. Use the parchment paper to lift the blondie slab out of the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into 2×2″ squares or your desired size. 

Notes

This recipe is adapted from Amy Thielen’s  Toffee Bars and Shauna Severe’s Caramel Canvas Blondies from Midwest Made.

SALT. If you are skipping the chocolate drizzle, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.

STORAGE. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

DOUBLING IT? Use a 9×13″ baking pan, use 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk, and increase the baking time to 40 minutes. 

 

Nutrition

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