Description
My very favorite blondie recipe – a butterscotch-y bar studded with toasted walnuts and chocolate chunks and topped with a generous sprinkle of sea salt.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (about 100 grams) walnut halves and pieces
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons, 179 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/4 cup (250 grams) lightly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted if necessary
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- A heaping 1/2 cup (3 ounces) dark chocolate chunks
- Sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven preheats, scatter walnuts across a 9×13-inch quarter sheet pan and place the nuts in the oven to toast while the oven preheats. Toast until golden and fragrant and remove from the oven to cool. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board and wipe the sheet pan clean.
- Spray the pan with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper as well.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, melt butter in the microwave until just melted and warmed. Whisk in brown sugar and powdered sugar until silky smooth. If the powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it into the butter and brown sugar or just put some elbow grease into whisking any pesky lumps.
- Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Whisk in vanilla bean paste or extract.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir in dry ingredients until just thoroughly combined. Stir in most of the walnut pieces and chocolate chunks, reserving a small handful for topping the batter. Spread the batter evenly edge to edge and dot the top with remaining nuts and chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake 22-24 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden and just beginning to crack. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with more sea salt. Allow to cool before slicing. Blondies can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature or frozen for your future self.
