Butterscotch Brownies

These old fashioned Butterscotch Brownies are soft, chewy, and incredibly easy! These easy bar cookies are made in one bowl in under 30 minutes!

The highlight of my entire Middle School experience was when they served chewy butterscotch brownies in the cafeteria. I got so excited about these brownies that the kitchen staff would pack up a plate for me to bring home!

Even to this day, I can’t get the delicious taste out of my head, so I took it upon myself to recreate those nostalgic blond brownies. Inspired by Betty Crocker’s Cookbook 1984 Edition, I think I’ve finally nailed it! Not only are these mouthwatering but they are remarkably fast and easy to pull together. AND they only need one bowl! It’s my pleasure to add them to the ranks of one bowl desserts with lemon blondies, one bowl brownies, and one bowl chocolate cake.

They are fantastic on their own, but like other bar desserts, they would also be an amazing base for some mix-ins! Inspiration can be found in these caramel chocolate chip blondies and gingerbread blondies, or topped with fruit and nuts like these cashew caramel pretzel blondies!

Professional Tips for making Butterscotch Blondies

• Mix your dry ingredients separately. The brownies won’t be technically one bowl anymore, but I find that whisking your dry ingredients together beforehand will reduce the chance of pockets of salt or baking powder in your brownies.
• Adjust baking times to your pan. Baking pans that are darker will tend to bake your brownies faster than if you are baking in a ceramic or glass dish. Just take a breath, keep checking them and trust your gut!
• Quality vanilla.  Use a quality vanilla since it is one of the main flavors! I would highly recommend Nielson Massey Vanilla Extract if you can find it.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking because you want to control the amount of salt you are adding.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Using dark brown sugar adds sweetness along with a nice, rich molasses flavor. There is more sugar and less butter in these brownies than in my blondies recipe. It does make them dry out faster than my chewy blondies. You can also use light brown sugar.
• Large Eggs: The eggs are here to add fat, and moisture. Eggs also emulsify the batter and keep everything texturally perfect.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract adds a beautiful flavor itself, but it also boosts the flavor of other ingredients around it like the brown sugar. Use a quality vanilla since it is one of the main flavors! I would highly recommend Nielson Massey Vanilla Extract if you can find it.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten for a perfectly chewy bar.
• Baking Powder: Double acting baking powder will react instantly when it is mixed with an acid and then again when it is heated. Because it is double acting, it has a slower, more stable rise than baking soda alone.
• Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It heightens the flavor here and will keep your bars from tasting dull or flat.

Variations

• These butterscotch brownies are the perfect flavor base for mix-ins! Butterscotch chips to really bring home the butterscotch flavor, but any nut, chocolate chip or dried fruit would be delightful. Create your favorite combination and let us know in the comments!
• Lemon Brownies: With swapping out the brown sugar for granulated sugar and adding some lemon zest! Follow our recipe for lemon blondies!
• Toppings: These butterscotch brownies are amazing with the best chocolate buttercream, caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, vanilla American buttercream, less sweet ermine frosting, or cream cheese buttercream frosting! You could even spread on lemon buttercream or my cream cheese frosting for cookies! The combinations are endless!
• Change up how you serve butterscotch brownies. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of crème anglaise and my easy butterscotch sauce.   

How to Make this Butterscotch Brownies Recipe

Use these instructions to make the perfect old fashioned butterscotch brownies from scratch ! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F conventional or 325°F convection (with the fan). Spray or butter an 8×8 baking dish or line with crisscrossed parchment paper. I secured mine with metal binder clips (see image 1 below).

Step 2: Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave. I usually do 15 second intervals. This can also be done in a small pot on the stovetop.

Step 3: Add the sugar to the bowl with the butter and whisk until completely incorporated.

Step 4: Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth and no streaks of eggs remain.

The more you whisk, the more air that is incorporated into the batter. This is what makes that crust on top of the brownies and also makes them rise then fall when cooling.

Step 5: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a silicon spatula until just combined.

Optional: Fold in pecans or anything your heart desires!

Step 6: Place the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Step 7: Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes and remember the baking time will depend on the baking dish you chose. They are done when the edges are golden brown and a cake tester or wooden skewer or toothpick comes out with only a few clinging crumbs.

Step 8: Remove from the oven and cool before cutting. Or pile with vanilla ice cream and have yourself a party in the kitchen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed bar & brownies recipes, or head over to my Brown Butter Brownies next!