Browned Butter Brownie Blondies

Browned Butter Brownie Blondies are the best of both worlds: chewy browned butter blondies and fudgy brownies. Each piece has warm caramel and rich chocolatey flavors, crispy edges, and a gooey center. Prep this recipe in just 15 minutes with no special equipment and bake in the oven!

This brownie blondie recipe allows you to have two of favorite sweets in every bite. Each bite is loaded rich brownies and sweet butterscotch blondies. We use browned butter in the blondies to provide a hint of caramel and add a touch of flaky sea salt to accentuate the rich flavors.

About These Brownie Blondie Bars

• Taste - The chocolate brownies pair seamlessly with the vanilla blondies to create a unique flavor combination.
• Texture - These fudgy treats are crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.
• Effort - Despite combining 2 desserts, this brownie recipe only requires standard baking steps and techniques. Just mix the ingredients together then pop them in the oven.
• Time - It takes just 15 minutes to grease or line the pan and mix the ingredients together. Then about 30 minutes to bake the brownies.

Jump to:

• About These Brownie Blondie Bars
• What is a Brownie Blondie?
• What is Brown Butter?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• FAQ
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tips
• Did You Like this Recipe?
• Browned Butter Blondie Brownies
• Storage
• Top Tips
• Food safety

What is a Brownie Blondie?

A brownie blondie is a combination of 2 delicious desserts: brownies and blondies. Both brownies and blondies share the same base ingredients of flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. However, brownies rely on chocolate and cocoa powder for flavor while blondies rely on vanilla extract and brown sugar.

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is a process whereby butter is cooked until it turns golden brown. The result is a much richer flavored butter with hints of caramel and toffee. Here, we replace regular butter with nutty brown butter to deepen the flavor of the brownie blondies.

Ingredients

• Chocolate chips - We recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks because they are the perfect combination of sweet and rich.
• Unsalted Butter - Butter adds richness and moisture to the brownies, especially when browned.
• Granulated sugar - Granulated sugar adds a crisp crust to the brownies and helps create the shiny and crackly top.
• Dark brown sugar - Brown sugar makes the brownies fudgy and tender.
• Sea salt - Sea salt balances the sweetness from the sugar and enhances the flavors of the ingredients.
• Eggs - Eggs ensure that the brownies will be moist and binds the ingredients together.
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste - Vanilla extract adds complexity and sweetness to the brownies. For a stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste.
• All-purpose flour - All-purpose flour is the foundation for these brownies.
• Cocoa powder - cocoa powder adds extra chocolate flavor to the brownies.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

• Prepare pan - Place rack in the center tier of the oven and heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 square cake pan with butter or line with parchment paper with overhang on the sides. The extra parchment paper will help you lift the brownie blondies out of the pan once finished.

Browned Butter Blondies

• Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks.
• Whisk blondie ingredients - Using a hand or stand mixer or a whisk, whisk butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in one bowl until the sugars are completely combined and dissolved. Add egg and vanilla and whisk thoroughly. Add in flour and salt and whisk until just combined.

Fudgy Brownies

• Whisk brownie ingredients - Using a hand or stand mixer or a whisk, whisk butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the sugars are completely combined and dissolved. Add vanilla extract and eggs one at a time and whisk thoroughly. This step is important as it gives the brownies its shiny top. Next add in flour, cocoa powder, and salt and whisk until just combined. Add chocolate chips and hand mix them until just mixed.

Blondie Brownie Assembly

• Add batter to pan - Create a layered checkerboard in the brownie pan using the two batters. Designate a measuring cup for each batter to keep the batters from blending when assembled. Pour about a quarter cup of brownie batter in one corner and another quarter cup of brownie batter in the opposite corner. Pour about a quarter cup of blondie batter next to each of the brownie batter corners, creating a checkered pattern. Add a second layer of batter, this time layering the opposite batter on top. Pour a quarter cup of blondie batter on top of the brownie batter, and a quarter cup of brownie batter on top of the blondie batter. Continue this process until all of the batters are used up. See images in post for more detail.
• Create the swirl - Use a toothpick, dinner knife, or chopstick to create swirls in the batter. This will create a marbled effect once baked.

• Bake - Bake the brownie blondies for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to test the center of the brownie blondies. If the toothpick has wet batter, continue to cook the brownies, checking every couple of minutes. If the toothpick comes out almost clean, the center still jiggles slightly, and the edges of the brownie pull from the side of the pan, then the brownies are done cooking.
• Cool and slice - Remove the brownie blondies from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the cake pan and use a sharp knife to cut the brownies into thirds for 9 pieces total.

Hint: make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the butter and the eggs are whisked thoroughly before adding the flour. The moisture from the butter and the eggs dissolves the sugar and creates a thin glossy top of the brownies.

Substitutions

• Gluten-free flour - Use gluten-free all-purpose flour that has a 1-to-1 ratio to make this recipe gluten-free.
• Light brown sugar - Use light brown sugar if you prefer a less rich and less caramel flavored brownie blondie.
• Melted butter - Use regular melted butter instead of browned butter for the blondies batter for a milder flavor.
• Dark Chocolate chips - If you prefer the intensely flavored and lightly bitter taste of dark chocolate, use dark chocolate chunks or chips instead of semi-sweet.

Variations

• Milk - Enjoy brownie slices beside your favorite milk.
• Nuts - Add chopped almonds or walnuts to the blondie and brownie batters.
• White chocolate - Add white chocolate to the blondie batter.
• Chocolate drizzle - Add a drizzle of semi-sweet and white chocolate for extra decadence.
• Confectioner's sugar - Add powdered sugar for for a sweet final touch.
• Soft and gooey - If you want the brownies extra soft and gooey, take the brownies out a couple minutes early.
• Cakey - If you want these brownies more cakey, let the brownies bake a couple minutes longer.
• Ice cream - Enjoy these chocolatey blondie brownies with vanilla bean ice cream or your other favorite ice cream for extra deliciousness.
• Peanut butter - Make these peanut butter brownie blondies by adding a few dollops of batter (a few teaspoons) before making the swirls. Alternatively, you can use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips.

FAQ

Equipment

This easy blondie brownie recipe requires common kitchen essentials. You will need a mixer or whisk, mixing bowl, baking spatula, 8×8 inch square baking pan, chefs knife, cutting board, and parchment paper.

Storage

Store leftover brown butter chocolate blondies in an air-tight container or cover the 8x8 inch cake pan with foil. The air-tight container or foil will retain the brownies' moisture. You can enjoy them for up to 3 days. To reheat these brownie cookie bars, put individual brownies in the microwave for 15 seconds or warm them in the oven at 250°F (or "warm" setting) for a few minutes.

You can also freeze these homemade brownies for up to 2 months. In order to freeze them, let the brownies reach room temperature then take them out of 8x8 inch pan and place them into an air-tight container or storage bag. When you want to enjoy the brownies, thaw them in the fridge or on the counter. To warm them, put individual brownies in the microwave for 15 seconds or heat them in the oven at 250°F (or "warm" setting) for a few minutes.

Top Tips

• Be careful to not over bake the brownies. This ensures that the brownies have a fudgy center.
• To make these brown butter brownies shiny, make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the hot butter before adding the flour.
• For easy removal, line the cake pan with parchment paper. Once the brownies cool, use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the brownies up and out of the pan.
• Be sure not to cut the brownies until cool or they won't cut cleanly.
• Be careful to not overmix the brownie and blondie batters or the blondie batter will disappear into the brownie batter.

Did You Like this Recipe?

If you loved this blonde brownies recipe, check out our other yummy sweets:

• Fudgy Matcha Brownies with White Chocolate
• Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
• Matcha Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
• Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Cream
• Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Food safety

• Wash hands after touching raw eggs
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.