Browned Butter Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies
These one-bowl Browned Butter Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies are chewy, easy, and totally delicious! This easy recipe will be a new favorite.
When I look at the words in the title of this post, I see so many of my favorite things. All the ingredients in this blondie recipe are some of my absolutely favorite baking ingredients, and it’s wonderful that they all play so nicely together. Browned butter, caramel, pecans, and chocolate chips just must be the best of friends, because they seriously love each other in this recipe, and each element works so nicely with the others to create a RICH, but totally delicious and sinful dessert bar.
These blondies use the same base blondie recipe as these Browned Butter Butterscotch Bars (also awesome), which is easy to make and doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients. The result is a rich, dark, almost chocolate-y looking base because of how deep and dark the browned butter and dark brown sugar make the bars. The taste is buttery and caramelized and everything that caramel lovers appreciate in a good blondie. They get about as “fudgy” as a blondie can manage to be, and the words dry and crumbly will never ever be associated with these babies.
Of course, in my world, adding chocolate chips, caramel sauce, caramel bits, and pecans to anything improves them 10 fold. If you’re not a pecan fan, replace them with your favorite nut or just leave them out all together, but I loooove the crunch that they add.
I’m a major pecan person, but I get it. We’re not all nutzo about nuts (like me). Do what you like. Do what makes you happy (you’re welcome for the innovative life advice).
The caramel makes the blondie base taste even more caramelized and buttery and rich and yummy, and the caramel bits give a lil’ bit of chew that adds a nice texture contrast to the crunchy pecans. And chocolate chips…well, they do what chocolate chips do: make everything chocolatey and melty and heaven-like. Can you tell I like chocolate chips?
Dessert bars are just too easy, so I really do recommend you try these guys out. Your family, friends, and co-workers will thank you. Mine sure did. Enjoy!
PrintCaramel, Pecan & Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup caramel bits (or caramel squares cut into quarters)
- 1/2 cup pre-made caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place butter in a medium sauce pan and heat over medium-low to medium heat. Butter will melt, then begin to bubble and foam. Brown specks will begin to form in the bottom of the pan, with a white foam will appear on top of the melted butter. Stir the butter very frequently to prevent burning. It should smell very nutty and the butter in the bottom of the pan should have brown flecks in it. This process should take 2-4 minutes. Butter can go from being browned and nutty-smelling to burnt and inedible in less than one minute. Watch for the brown specks and once you see them, remove the pan from the burner, continuing to whisk for another 30 seconds. Transfer butter into large mixing bowl and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- Add the brown sugar to the browned butter and whisk to combine. Add the egg, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel bits. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife. Drizzle half of the caramel over over the batter. Cover with remaining batter, and drizzle rest of the caramel sauce on top.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bars are set. The edges will be slightly pulling away from sides of pan. Allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving into 16 squares. I like to refrigerate them before cutting to make them easier to cut.
Notes
Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You had me at browned butter. And caramel. And blondies. Uhm, I basically just want to stuff my face with these right now haha
Wow, that’s pretty awesome snacks!!!
eventhough i’m not eat so much carbs lately but i think this ones are worth to try…
These are just DREAMY!
I’m sorry did you say browned butter, chocolate, pecans AND caramel?!!! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!
Everything sounds amazing in these blondies, yum!!
Oh good gracious. I would have a VERY hard time with these in the house. And it would be AWESOME. These have all of my favorite things. Yum!
These look heavenly. The name sounds delicious. Browned butter + caramel + pecan + chocolate….!!!! I need to try these ASAP.
These look absolutely wonderful. I love pecans so much too, and I’ve been sneaking them into as many recipes as I can with the hopes that my hubby will learn to like them too. (It’s starting to work!) So this looks like a perfect recipe to make for us :)
Oh wow! These look sensational. I cannot resist a brown butter blondie especially when it is packed with caramel and pecans!
Omg, definitely love all of the things in these bars! I’m not the biggest pecan person, but I think they’re actually growing on me! It doesn’t get much better than chocolate, caramel, and browned butter! <3 I really should make more bars. :) Pinned!
these look so tempting!
OK, I hereby crown you the Queen of Bar Cookies. After your magic bars recently, now these, I am totally in awe!
Ummmm yes there are so many good things in these!! I’ll take one please with the cup of tea I’m currently drinking :)
Gimmegimmegimmegimmegimme!
TOO MANY GOOD THINGS!!!! lovelovelovinggggg everything about these fabulous blondies!!! mmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm
I wish I can have one right now … Very delicious looking blondies Rachel! When I make them I’ll top one with a small scoop of vanilla Ice Cream jut to make them more naughty ;)
My goal in life is to find the densest, richest, gooeyest blondies ever. Basically my goal in life was to find these :)
I am a major pecan person too and these blondies look as good as they sound.
Love it! Pinned!
Cheers..
Ice
Thanks for the pin, Aysegul!
These are totally calling my name! You used all of my favorite ingredients!
This is ridiculous in the best use of the word possible,, of course. Really!!! Out of this world. Looks so good ;-)
Thanks Olivia!! :)
These look completely and utterly addicting. Can’t go wrong with some blondies- and REALLY can’t go wrong with the addition of chocolate chips, caramel and pecans! Yum!
My mom was in the kitchen while I was going through the blogs I follow and I had this open. She looked over my shoulder and said “THAT is what I want you to make.” :) So it is in the oven! It was the fastest blondie dough I’ve whipped up and the dough is delicious. Cannot wait to try! Thanks Rachel!
Oh that’s awesome!! I hope that you like them :) and I know, isn’t it awesome how quick they are to throw together?!
They were a smashing success (if I do say so myself :) ) My family loved them! Thank you so much Rachel, this is a keeper!
And I accidentally press 2 stars I mean 4 stars but my phone wouldn’t let me. What caramel sauce is it? Can it be the liquidy kind or does it have to be the thick kind like dulce de leche or the canned caramel sauce?
Hi Kelsey. It doesn’t need to be extremely thick, but I wouldn’t use one that is too liquidy. A medium to thick caramel sauce would perform best! Too thin and it will just spread all over and make things sticky. Hope this helps!