Butter Pecan Blondies with Browned Butter

Bake a pan of these rich and delicious Butter Pecan Blondies with Brown Butter for dessert and see why I have become a bit obsessed with them. These blondies are more cake-like, not too sweet, and big on taste.  

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If you love the classic flavor of butter pecan then you will love these easy-to-make tender cookie bars, they taste like a pecan pie or these classic pecan tassies. 

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.

And just in case you are wondering, blondies are considered to be a bar cookie or for fun, you can call them Blondie Brownies!  

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 this 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, Walmart, 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, honey light or dark corn syrup, but the flavor will be a bit different.

What is brown butter?

Browning the butter is a technique of cooking melted butter until the water evaporates in the butter leaving the milk solids and as the milk solids cook and get toasted and turn brown. What you end up with is a fragrant nutty aroma that adds extra flavor to baked goods and sauces. 

Why use brown butter in blondies?

Well, brown butter just makes everything taste better by adding an extra rich nutty, caramel and buttery flavor you can’t get with just melted butter.  It’s a step that is well worth doing.

These blondies would be good with just melted butter, but the brown butter takes these blondies up a notch in flavor,

Toasting pecans

Just like browning the butter, toasting the pecans intensifies their flavor and makes them extra crunchy.  Normally you toast pecan in the oven or a pan, but for today’s recipe, you will be toasting the pecans in the butter which makes them insanely delicious. This step is so worth it because it 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 it 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

If you like pecans try these other One Hot Oven recipes

This is a family favorite and for good reason, this Sweet Nut Braid Bread recipe is tender inside and studded with chopped pecans with a hint of nutmeg flavoring.  You will love a slice of bread for breakfast.

This Apple Pecan Tart is simple and impressive. Make this free-form tart and fill it with lots of apples and pecans and enjoy a warm slice. 

Add a sprinkling of pecans, cranberries, and ginger on top of this Pumpkin Sheet Cake for a nutty crunchy topping.

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  Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.