Brown Butter Blondies with Hazelnuts and White Chocolate

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Classic blondie chew with a deeply nutty twist from brown butter and toasted hazelnuts.
• White chocolate forms creamy pockets that balance the caramel notes.
• Simple pantry ingredients, one bowl after browning the butter, and no mixer needed.
• Perfect with coffee on chilly days; stays soft for days.

Grocery List

• Produce: None
• Dairy: Unsalted butter; eggs
• Pantry: Hazelnuts; white chocolate (chips or bar); light brown sugar; granulated sugar; all-purpose flour; baking powder; fine sea salt; vanilla extract; cornstarch (optional); flaky sea salt (optional)

Full Ingredients

Blondie Base

• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• Optional but nice: 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch for extra chew

Mix-ins and Finishing

• 1 cup (120 g) hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, plus 2–3 tbsp extra for topping
• Optional: Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
• Optional: 1–2 oz (30–55 g) additional white chocolate, melted for drizzling

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep pan, preheat, and toast hazelnuts

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides for easy lifting. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8–10 minutes, until fragrant and skins blister. Wrap the hot nuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub to remove most of the skins. Cool, then roughly chop. Reduce oven temperature back to 350°F if it dropped during toasting.

Step 2: Brown the butter

Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and swirling often, until the butter foams, then the foam subsides and brown milk solids collect on the bottom, 5–7 minutes. It should smell nutty and look amber with toasty brown flecks. Immediately scrape butter and browned bits into a large mixing bowl. Cool until just warm to the touch, 8–10 minutes.

Step 3: Whisk in sugars, egg, and vanilla

Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the warm browned butter until glossy and well combined, about 60–90 seconds. Whisk in the egg and the egg yolk until the mixture lightens slightly and looks shiny, 30–45 seconds. Stir in the vanilla. For an extra crackly top, let the mixture rest 2–3 minutes, then whisk again briefly.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients and mix-ins

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch (if using). Add to the wet mixture and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Reserve a small handful of hazelnuts and white chocolate for the top, then fold the rest into the batter. The batter will be thick.

Step 5: Pan and bake

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle over the reserved hazelnuts and white chocolate. Bake for 24–28 minutes, rotating once at 15 minutes, until the edges are set and deeply golden, the top is shiny and lightly crackled, and a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). If using a glass pan, reduce oven temperature to 325°F (165°C) and bake 28–32 minutes.

Step 6: Cool and finish

Set the pan on a rack and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using. Cool 15–30 minutes in the pan. Use the parchment sling to lift the slab onto a cutting board. For a bakery-style finish, drizzle with melted white chocolate in a thin zigzag. Let set briefly.

Step 7: Slice and serve

Cut into 16 squares (4 by 4). Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. These blondies are especially good with hot coffee or tea on a chilly day.

Pro Tips

• Cool browned butter to warm, not hot, so it does not scramble the egg and melt the white chocolate.
• Weigh ingredients for best consistency; flour compacts easily.
• Pull blondies when a toothpick shows moist crumbs. Overbaking will make them cakey, not chewy.
• Use chopped white chocolate bars for creamy puddles; chips hold their shape for extra texture. A mix gives the best of both.
• Toast hazelnuts for full flavor, and rub off most skins to reduce bitterness.

Variations

• Cranberry-Orange: Fold in 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1 tbsp orange zest; reduce white chocolate to 3/4 cup.
• Mocha Hazelnut: Add 1–2 tsp instant espresso powder to the browned butter-sugar mixture; swap 1/4 cup of the white chocolate for dark chocolate chunks.
• Gluten-Free: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend (with xanthan gum). Rest batter 20 minutes before baking to hydrate.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Store blondies airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap bars individually and freeze up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature or warm 10–15 seconds in the microwave. Brown the butter and toast/chop the hazelnuts up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate butter and store nuts in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate per bar (1 of 16): 300 calories; 18 g fat; 30 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 23 g sugars; 4 g protein; 150 mg sodium.