Why This Recipe Works

For a blondie that's chewy but not too sweet, we found that you can't simply swap in a cookie dough or brownie batter. Using melted rather than creamed butter made for a blondie that was dense and chewy instead of cakey. To boost the blondie's bland flavor with nutty complexity, we browned the butter first. Using brown sugar was a must for its underlying caramel notes, and its moistness contributed to a chewy texture. To tone down the sweetness, we replaced a portion of the sugar with corn syrup. A full 2 tablespoons of vanilla brought more complexity to the bars, and a generous amount of salt in the batter and sprinkled on top brought all the flavors into focus. Chopped pecans and milk chocolate chips complemented the butterscotch flavor without overwhelming it.

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Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using a metal baking pan; using a glass baking dish may cause the blondies to overbake. Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring them halfway through.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Lightly spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk flour, table salt, and baking powder together in medium bowl.

Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling skillet and stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.

Add sugar to hot butter and whisk until combined. Add eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle with sea salt, if using. Bake until top is deep golden brown and springs backs when lightly pressed, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking (blondies will firm as they cool).

Let blondies cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift blondies out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Remove foil. Cut into 24 bars. (Blondies can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)