These Brown Butter Cinnamon Pecan Blondies are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert or other Holiday baked good! Classic, chewy pecan blondies get an upgrade with a big spoonful of warm cinnamon and a white chocolate drizzle.
Happy first day of November and daylight savings time! We are now officially in sunset at 4pm and feasting season. One of my favorite flavors of this time of year is pecan. Pecan pie, pecan cookies, roasted pecans…you name it. I actually bought the biggest bag of pecans I could find at Costco this year to prepare and have lots of fun recipes to share with you!
The recipe featured in this post is wonderfully chewy, rich, and nutty brown butter cinnamon pecan blondies. Start with some browned butter and then add brown sugar, a heaping of cinnamon, lots of pecans, and some white chocolate.
It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert. Serve it on a Thanksgiving dessert platter, bring them to a Friendsgiving, or make them to eat while you online shop for holiday gifts.
What You Will Need
The ingredients for these blondies are relatively simple:
- One stick of butter
- One egg, at room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Pecans
- White Chocolate
How to Make Pecan Blondies
The first thing you will want to do when making these blondies brown the butter, as it does need to cool for around 20 minutes before you get to baking. Browning butter is pretty simple and something that gets easier with practice! The key is to keep a close eye on it since it can quickly go from brown to burnt.
Cut the butter into slices first so that it melts evenly. Then, place the butter into a small skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring or whisking it frequency. It will start bubbling and sizzling, and then eventually turn foamy. As it begins to foam, keep an eye out for brown flecks and a very nutty (and amazing) aroma. Once you see/smell it, turn off the heat!
From there, let the butter cool down before whisking it with sugar, egg, vanilla, and the remaining ingredients. Bake them in an 8×8 nonstick pan lined with parchment paper until they’re golden brown and crisp along the edges.
Tips & Tricks
When do I know when blondies are done?
Great question! Think of a blondie like a giant cookie. The edges will be crisp and golden brown, and the middle will be just set. The blondies will continue to cook slightly from the residual heat the pan after you take them out of the oven, so keep that in mind.
If the dough in the middle is still raw though, then it’s definitely not done.
A couple rules of thumb: if the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs, then the blondies are done!
Use a room temperature egg
A room temperature egg will blend better into your batter and prevent the butter you so carefully prepared from hardening and breaking.
Pecan blondie variations
Here are some ideas how you could elevate this recipe!
- Toast the pecans in the oven for 7 minutes before baking to enhance their flavor.
- Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the blondies before serving.
- Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Add a splash of bourbon to the batter for a ~extra~ special dessert. 😉
Enjoy!
Did you Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or a rating, or take a picture and share it with me on instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to connecting and seeing your chewy pecan blondies!
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Brown Butter Cinnamon Pecan Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, 8 tbsp or one stick
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the browned butter: cut the butter into cubes and place them into a small skillet on medium heat. Melt the butter, whisking it frequently. The butter will begin to bubble and crackle. The bubbles will eventually start to foam, and this point, keep an eye out for brown specks and a very nutty aroma. As soon as you start seeing the butter turn brown, remove the pan from the heat, give it a final few stirs, and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl to cool.
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Leave a 2" parchment paper overhang on the sides to help lift the blondies out of the pan once they're cooled.
- Mix dry ingredients: While the butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Prepare the batter: Once your butter has cooled down to just warm to the touch, whisk in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth and creamy (approximately 1 minute if you're using a stand mixer). Then fold in the dry ingredients until they are just fully incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter. Lastly, add the chopped pecans and white chocolate and fold them in until fully incorporated.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and use a spatula to spread it into an even layer. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crisp and middle is set. Once they're done, remove pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Leave the blondies in the pan until they're cooled completely! After that, use a sharp knife to cut them into 16 equal sized pieces. Enjoy!
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