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These Old Fashioned Butterscotch Brownies are soft, chewy, and incredibly easy! They 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 or topped with fruit and nuts like these cashew caramel pretzel blondies!
Table of Contents
Why you will love these butterscotch brownies:
- One Bowl! They are made in one bowl! Fast to make even faster to clean up!
- Infinite flavor possibilities. These brownies are a great base for any mix-in, swirls or toppings.
- Easily scalable. The only limitation is the size of your bowl and your pans! Just remember different sized pans have different bake times.
Ingredients
- 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.
- Whole 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.
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.
- 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
- Mix-ins: These butterscotch brownies are the perfect flavor base! 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, or the best cream cheese buttercream! The combinations are endless!
How to Make Butterscotch Brownies from Scratch
Use these instructions to make the perfect old fashioned butterscotch brownies every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Prepare your pan and oven:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Butter an 8×8 baking dish or line with criss-crossed parchment paper.
Make the batter:
Step 1: 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 2: Add the sugar to the bowl with the butter and whisk until completely incorporated.
Step 3: Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth and no streaks of eggs remain.
Step 4: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. You can, of course, whisk together the dry ingredients in another small bowl so that the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed. I always do this but I am persnickety and we know this.
Optional: Fold in pecans or anything your heart desires!
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.
Bake and cool the brownie:
Step 1: Place the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Step 2: 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 comes out with only a few clinging crumbs.
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 baking dish. Just take a breath, keep checking them and trust your gut!
Step 3: Remove from the oven and cool before cutting. Or pile with vanilla ice cream and have yourself a party in the kitchen.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
I suggest switching from a whisk to a rubber spatula before folding in the dry ingredients. This will help avoid overmixing and keep the gluten from developing. This is especially important if you are adding in mix-ins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store baked and cooled butterscotch brownies in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for four days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to two months.
Absolutely! Cool the brownies completely and cut them. Then store them wrapped in plastic wrap inside an airtight container. They will keep frozen for up to two months! Insider trick: if you cut them into tiny pieces the brownies will make a wonderful addition to any sundae!
If you have the proper sized bowl and the pans to bake in, this recipe will multiply nicely!
No, chilling this batter will make it very hard to spread evenly. The butter will solidify and become solid.
The great thing about these brownies is that they pair with almost anything! Top with a huge scoop of French vanilla ice cream or chocolate caramel ice cream then start piling on the toppings! Chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce, salted caramel sauce, sliced fruit and sprinkles!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Best Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Brownies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans or preferred type of nut, optional
Instructions
Prepare your pan and oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Butter an 8×8 baking dish or line with criss-crossed parchment paper.
Make the batter:
- 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.
- Add the sugar to the bowl with the butter and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth and no streaks of eggs remain.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. You can, of course, whisk together the dry ingredients in another small bowl so that the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed. I always do this but I am persnickety and we know this. Optional: Fold in pecans or anything your heart desires!
Bake and cool the brownie:
- Place the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. 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 comes out with only a few clinging crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and cool before cutting. Or pile with vanilla ice cream and have yourself a party in the kitchen.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed bar cookie recipes!
Recipe won’t print
Thank you, Peggy. Let me look into that for you
Hi Peggy, I spoke with the developers and also my tech support team. One item that I disabled seemed to do the trick. Try clearing your cache and try again. Also, if you are trying to print and you got to the recipe via instagram or facebook, that won’t work. Apparently it is a known bug with the plugin. YOu’ll need to go in through Safari on your phone.
Hi Peggy, It appears to be working for me in Chrome but not in Safari. I have maxed out my troubleshooting knowledge and I have an email in with support for the recipe plugin. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from them and everything is fixed! Hopefully you can try another browser in the meantime. I can also email you the recipe to print if you want. ~ Lindsey
Thank you! I too looked for a butterscotch brownie recipe. I think this is the one that I lost many years ago.
Hi Donalda! So glad you found it here. Enjoy!
Love these – a childhood favorite (and it’s been awhile – my youngest is 31 😉 Simply perfect recipe – thank you!
Awww! So glad you could get a chance to make them! ?
i am so relieved to find this recipe which is the recipe for my Aunt Eadie’s Brown Sugar Squares. She died in 2005 and I just recently lost her recipe, my all time go to recipe,
Thank goodness. Thank goodness. All is not lost.
For sure all is not lost! So happy that this recipe could help. I’m so sorry for your loss, and Happy Baking! ?
This is the recipe I made growing up! So simple and so delish! This is a classic for a reason!
Awww! That’s so sweet. Agreed, so classic! ????
The only difference in the Joy of Cooking is that their recipe uses just 1/2 cup of flour, making the brownies thinner and even gooier. I think next time I make them I’ll split the difference and use 5/8 cup of flour.