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Created by Chef Remy
Dense, butterscotch-scented bars made with deeply nutty brown butter, good Kentucky bourbon, and toasted Louisiana pecans, finished with a boozy glaze that pools into every crack and crevice.
Brown butter changes everything. That's the truth of it. You take plain butter and cook it past melting, past foaming, until those milk solids turn golden and the whole kitchen smells like toasted hazelnuts. My grandmother Evangeline called it beurre noisette, the French way, because our Cajun roots run deep. She'd brown butter for everything from fish to biscuits. The woman understood that patience at the stove pays off in flavor.
These blondies are built on that foundation. The brown butter gives them a depth you won't find in any recipe using plain melted butter. Add good bourbon, the kind you'd sip on the porch after supper, and you've got something special. At Lagniappe, we serve these warm with vanilla ice cream, and grown men have been known to order seconds.
The technique here matters more than exact measurements. You're watching the butter, listening to it, smelling when it's ready. You're folding the batter gently so you don't knock out all the air. You're pulling the pan when the center still jiggles because carryover heat finishes the job. Trust your senses. That's the bayou way.
Quantity
1 cup (2 sticks/226g)
Quantity
2 cups (440g)
packed
Quantity
2
at room temperature
Quantity
2
at room temperature
Quantity
3 tablespoons
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
2 cups (250g)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1 cup (120g)
chopped and toasted
Quantity
1 cup (170g)
Quantity
for finishing
Quantity
1 1/2 cups (180g)
sifted
Quantity
2-3 tablespoons
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
pinch
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted butter | 1 cup (2 sticks/226g) |
| light brown sugarpacked | 2 cups (440g) |
| large eggsat room temperature | 2 |
| large egg yolksat room temperature | 2 |
| bourbon | 3 tablespoons |
| pure vanilla extract | 1 tablespoon |
| all-purpose flour | 2 cups (250g) |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon |
| baking powder | 1/2 teaspoon |
| pecanschopped and toasted | 1 cup (120g) |
| butterscotch chips | 1 cup (170g) |
| flaky sea salt | for finishing |
| powdered sugarsifted | 1 1/2 cups (180g) |
| bourbon (for glaze) | 2-3 tablespoons |
| heavy cream | 2 tablespoons |
| fine sea salt (for glaze) | pinch |
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy lifting later. This is not optional. Blondies stick something fierce, and you'll curse yourself if you skip this step.
Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. The light color lets you see the browning happen. The butter will melt, then foam vigorously as the water cooks off. Swirl the pan gently and watch. After about five minutes, the foam will subside and you'll see golden-brown specks forming at the bottom. The smell will shift from plain butter to something nutty and rich, like toasted hazelnuts. That's your signal. Pull it off the heat immediately.
Pour the brown butter, including every last golden speck from the bottom, into a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and whisk until combined. The mixture will look grainy and smell like butterscotch. Let it cool for about five minutes so you don't scramble your eggs when they go in.
Whisk in the whole eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. The extra yolks give these blondies their dense, fudgy chew. Add the bourbon and vanilla, whisking until the batter turns glossy and smooth. You should see it come together and look almost like caramel sauce.
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. You'll see streaks of flour disappear into the batter. Stop the moment it comes together. Overmixing makes tough blondies, and nobody wants that.
Fold in the toasted pecans and butterscotch chips, reserving a small handful of each for the top. Distribute evenly through the thick batter. It should be dense and glossy, holding its shape when you lift the spatula.
Spread the batter evenly in your prepared pan. Scatter the reserved pecans and chips over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are golden and pulling away slightly from the pan. The center should still have a gentle jiggle when you shake the pan. This is crucial: they will firm up as they cool. Overbaked blondies are dry blondies.
Let the blondies cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least two hours, preferably three. I know you want to cut into them. Patience. They need this time to set up properly. The texture transforms from gooey mess to perfectly fudgy as they rest.
Whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, two tablespoons of bourbon, the heavy cream, and a pinch of salt until smooth. The consistency should be like thick honey, drizzling slowly off the whisk. Add more bourbon by the teaspoon if you want it thinner or boozier. Taste it. Adjust. That's how real cooking works.
Use the parchment overhang to lift the cooled blondies onto a cutting board. Drizzle the bourbon glaze over the top in long, lazy strokes. Let it pool in the cracks and run down the sides. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while the glaze is still tacky. Cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean edges.
1 serving (about 95g)
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