In all the years of baking, I have never made blondies. Honestly, no one I know has made them. How about you, have you made blondies? Ever since I found this recipe for Browned Butter Blondies with Pecans I have become a bit obsessed with them. These blondies are more cake-like, not too sweet and big on taste. This recipe calls for browning the butter which brings out a deeply intense flavor that makes these dessert bars irresistible.
Blondies
This page may contain affiliate links, please see my full DISCLOSURE for policy details.
Why are blondies called blondies?
Blondies are considered a brownie without the chocolate and have a butterscotch or caramel flavor. Maybe, sort of, well no; to me, a blondie is more like a chocolate chip cookie but without the chips. Just my thought on the subject.
I wanted to try this recipe because it calls for Lyle’s Golden Syrup which I had seen in stores but never knew what to use it for. So now I’m intrigued by this ingredient and found a jar of the syrup while shopping in Napa.
So where else can you buy Lyle’s Golden Syrup? I started looking everywhere I shopped, after all, I can’t go to Napa every time I run out. Well I could and I would like to, but someone would pitch a fit, because if I go to Napa that would include lunch, wine tasting, and more shopping. So closer to home I have found the syrup at Whole Foods and Cost Plus World Market, or you can buy Lyle’s Golden Syrup here.
Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a British staple used in cooking and baking. It’s a light golden brown, velvety syrup made from refined sugar with a buttery-caramel flavor and it adds a rich flavor to these blondies. You can substitute light or dark corn syrup, but the flavor will be a bit different.
There is more to this recipe that makes these bars so tasty. This recipe calls for cooking the pecans in the butter until the butter turns a rich golden brown. Little did I know that this brings out some intense rich flavor in the pecans. Nibble on some before putting them in the batter and you will know what I mean.
Browning the butter and toasting the pecans
When you are browning the butter it always foams up, just make sure to stir occasionally. After the butter has browned and you can smell the pecans, strain the butter and put in the fridge to cool.
This recipe is really quick and easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for these bars to bake and smelling the buttery pecans.
Drizzle with a cinnamon glaze then cut into slices for an indulgent dessert bar perfect with a mug of coffee, a cup of tea or a cold glass of milk. I bet even a cold Moscato would go well with these bars. I’ll be trying that next time.
Cutting bars into diamond shapes

Browned Butter Blondies with Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 1/4 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Drizzle
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar,
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 - 1 tbls milk or half and half
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the pecans. Cook over medium-low heat until the pecans are toasted and the butter turns brown. About 15 minutes.
- Strain the pecans from the butter. Chill the butter for about 20 minutes.
- Cream the chilled butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the syrup and mix until incorporated.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined
- Add the dry ingredients and pecans; mix until just combined.
- Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until nice and golden
- Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the blondies when cooled.
Do you have a recipe using Lyle’s Golden Syrup? I would love to share it here on
One Hot Oven!
This is not a paid advertisement, I just like this product and wanted to feature it in this post.
You can get Lyle’s Golden Syrup here for your next batch of blondies.
Want to save this recipe to Pinterest you can do that right here.
Ali Hanson
You had me at brown butter and pecans 🙂 These look great!
Jere Cassidy
Just the pecans cooked in the butter are awesome.
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I love blondies! I totally forgot about my browned butter obsession until now! I need to bring it back 🙂
Jere Cassidy
They are tasty and I am starting to experiment with adding additional ingredients.
dikla
Ok, so I have been looking for soooo long for the Lyle’s syrup! SO HAPPY I got to this post!!!!
This recipe is a must try! love love love the idea of cooking the pecans with the butter!
OneHotOven
I just bought more, this week. What recipes do you use it for?
camila
Brown butter for the win, as always!!! Great job! This sounds delectable!
Nicole Tingwall
I’ve never made blondies but now they’re all I can think about!! Love anything with browned butter!
OneHotOven
Yes, browned butter really makes baked good twice as good.
Vladka
The pecans and cinnamon will make this blondies very tasteful. Great idea for my next baking adventure.
Courtney
I have never had a blondie before, but it sounds delicous!! I love how you’ve described these as not too sweet as well, exactly how I like my treats – slightly sweet. Thank you for sharing!
OneHotOven
For some reason, blondies just are really popular. I love these since they are so easy to make and are super tasty.
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
I’ll bet the browned butter really makes these taste amazing! My kids would love these for an afternoon snack.
OneHotOven
These do make a great snack since they aren’t really sweet, but big on flavor.
Beth
These look so good! The sounds of that Lyle’s golden syrup is very intriguing! I’ll have to see if I can locate some! I’d love to try these!! And honestly, my favorite part of a chocolate chip cookie is the cookie. Not the chips!!
Kristina @ Love & Zest
I love the pecan addition! Going to have to make them very soon!
Roli
You know, I’ve never had blondies before! But this is definitely a recipe I want to try. They look so good, well done.
OneHotOven
They are so easy to make too.