Maple Pecan Blondie
These maple pecan blondies have my favorite browned butter blondie as the base. Then its piled high with salted maple caramel and pecans!
Servings: 24 Bars
Ingredients
Blondie Base
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter — 1 ½ sticks
- 2 cups light brown sugar — packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Pecan Caramel
- 4 cups pecans — chopped
- 2 cups maple syrup — grade B or dark amber
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Fleur de sel — for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, swirling frequently, until browned bits cling to the bottom and the butter smells nutty. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Beat brown sugar into the brown butter until the mixture resembles wet sand, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and fold until combined.
- Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan using an offset spatula. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Toast pecans in the 350°F oven, tossing every few minutes, until a nutty aroma fills your kitchen, 10 to 12 minutes. Watch them carefully as they can burn quickly.
- Pour maple syrup into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil gently, stirring every few minutes, until the syrup coats the back of a spatula and cools quickly to a caramel-like consistency, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the butter until fully melted, then add the cream, stirring constantly. Add the sea salt and stir to combine. Remove from heat and fold in the toasted pecans.
- Pour the caramel over the cooled blondie and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then lift from the pan, cut into bars, and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
Notes
Yield: 24 bars from a 13x9 inch pan, each approximately 2x2 inches.
Doneness Cue: The blondie is ready when the top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, not wet batter.
Storage: Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Make Ahead: The finished bars can be made up to one week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Doneness Cue: The blondie is ready when the top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, not wet batter.
Storage: Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Make Ahead: The finished bars can be made up to one week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 318IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg