Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Browned Butter Toffee Blondies

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 22 comments » / brownies and bars, dessert, Martha Stewart Cookies

These blondies may look somewhat similar to the Graham Cracker Chewy Bars, but they have a taste all their own.  If you’re not familiar with browned butter, according to Wikipedia, it’s also known as beurre noisette, which the literal French translation is hazelnut butter.  This is a good description of the resulting flavor you get when the milk solids and butterfat separate, then the milk solids sink to the bottom and turn to a toasty color.  The flavor is so deep, and delicious.  This recipe is yet another winner from my Martha Stewart Cookies Cookbook.  I whipped these up and sent them to work with The Boy, and… let’s just say they were a hit!  All his coworkers posted photos of themselves eating them!

These would be a great addition to any Memorial Day picnic… or perhaps a bakesale!  

Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil, (my fabulous web designer), is spearheading the event, and I’m sure it’s going to be a success!  Unfortunately I won’t be in town to help out, but I am planning on baking up something yummy to contribute.  If you’re looking for some yummy treats this weekend, be sure and stop by!  If you aren’t local, but still want to give, the two organizations I recommend are the American Red Cross, or an organization called Hands on Nashville that has done an amazing job coordinating relief efforts.  My work has had a partnership and great history with this organization, and when I did some volunteering, this is how I found out how to help.  Here’s a link to a video from the NBC Nightly News about the difference Hands on Nashville has made.

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Browned Butter Toffee Blondies

from Martha Stewart Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
1 cup toffee bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, and let cool. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.