I don’t boast many baking skills, but there is one thing I’ve learned that’s made all the difference. The secret to making any cookie delicious is to under bake it. I mean it. A good cookie, be it in drop, skillet, or bar form, should always be a little gooey when it’s pulled from the oven and ever so slightly brown around the edges.
Of course, this is coming from someone who’s last words will probably be ‘I know there’s raw eggs in this cookie dough, but I’m gonna eat it anyway.’ If you’re team ‘burnt bottom cookie,’ that’s all well and good, but I’ll take my cookies soft, chewy, and borderline raw.
Our family Christmas party was coming up and instead of making the whoopie pies I usually bring, I decided to switch it up and bring a pan of blondies. Browning the butter for these blondies amps up the flavor making them out of this world delicious.
Just like these salted peanut butter blondies, I’m using brown sugar to keep these bars extra chewy. And pulling them from the oven just when they’re starting brown around the edges will ensure that perfect blondie texture.
I frosted these blondies bringing the butter count in this recipe up to a whopping one pound. They are delicious on their own, but frosting these blondies sets them over the edge. It’s Christmas, after all.
And speaking of Christmas, are you as excited as I am? We decided to go with not one but two Christmas trees this year. The trees we buy are live and potted so they can be replanted when Christmas is over. However, we’re heading out of town over Christmas and will need to plant our trees by the 17th so our holiday decor will be short lived. I’ll just have to get as much joy that I can from the warm glowing lights decorating our trees.
I hope you have some incredible plans this Christmas season. If you’re headed to a potluck or cookie swap, these blondies would make an awesome addition. Try them out and tell me about it in the comments below!
Maple Macadamia Brown Butter Blondies
Makes 20-24 Blondies
For the Blondies
- 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Cups Flour
- 3/4 Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts
- 11 Oz. White Chocolate Chips
For the Frosting
- 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 pan. To brown the butter, place the sticks of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Heat until the butter turns amber, swirling the pan occasionally, and pour into another container being careful not to scrape the bits in the bottom of the pan. Those are the burned milk solids that will be too strong for the blondies. Set the butter aside to cool slightly.
Add the sugar, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla to the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium until well combined. Turn the mixer to low and gently drizzle the melted butter in. Add the salt, baking powder, and flour and mix until just combined. Fold in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 27-30 minutes.
For the frosting, place the butter in your mixing bowl and mix the butter on medium until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and mix on low. Turn the mixer to medium low and add the maple syrup, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If you’d like it to be smoother, add more maple syrup or cream. Frost the blondies, slice, and enjoy!
