Malted Brown Butter Blondies
It’s officially the holiday season and if we aren’t all hoarding butter to make cookies and pies and cakes, then what’s the point? Especially in 2020, when we all learned to hoard (toilet paper and hand sanitizer, at least), keep a sourdough starter alive, bake excessive amounts of banana bread and eat entire pies in one sitting. Or is that last one just me?
Either way, I have no social obligations on the calendar until 2022, so who’s there to judge me?
I’ve discovered a deep love for making the simple things taste incredible. The perfect banana bread, the best ever pie crust, and now the most ridiculous blondies you’ll ever sink your teeth into.
I know you wouldn’t believe it because it’s so simple and easy to make, but it’s the bright spot in my kitchen chronicles this year. It’s chewy in a way that makes you wish you had at least one more bite in each perfect square, something you’ll be saying on your third, fourth and fifth blondie. And I’ve added just the right amount of malted milk powder to make sure the brown butter comes alive on your tongue. You’ll wish you’d made a second pan, so if you want to double it and put it in a 9x13 pan, you have my blessing.
These can be dressed up for the holidays with an even coat of dark chocolate ganache and some festive sprinkles, but I’m partial to the perfect simplicity of this unassuming treat. Trust me when I say you’ll be making these to stay warm well through the holidays.
There’s not much left to say or do other than whip up a batch of these sweet babies while listening to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, snuggle up on the couch with a plate full of blondies and watch Love Actually. What are you waiting for?
Malted Brown Butter Blondies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, (plus more for sprinkling on top, optional)
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
2 eggs
1/3 cup malted milk powder
Process
Yields 16 2-inch blondie squares, or 32 1-inch squares.
Preheat oven to 350F. Parchment-line an 8x8-inch brownie pan, spraying under and over the parchment paper to ensure blondies don’t stick or bake under the paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla. Add eggs in one at a time and whisk until smooth and homogenous. Whisk in malted milk powder until combined. Add flour mixture in three parts and whisk until just incorporated. Mixture should be very thick.
Pour into sprayed and lined 8x8-inch pan and spread evenly using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle with salt if desired.
Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Let cool completely before removing from pan and cutting into squares.