Caramel Swirled Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Brown butter and a touch of rye flour give these blondies depth of flavor, while the homemade caramel and chocolate chunks make them rich and decadent. But what makes them different from cookie bars? Well, nothing. Blondies are the opposite of brownies, but are essentially cookie bars. No matter what you call them, they're still insanely good.

For more blondie recipes, try Gingerbread Blondies, Nutella Swirled Banana Blondies, Gooey Candy Bar Blondies, and Brownie Blondies.

Ingredient Notes

• All-Purpose Flour: It is easy to over-measure flour, so I recommend measuring by weight!
• Rye Flour: If you do not want to use rye flour, simply substitute it for an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh by testing a little in water.
• Salt: A little bit of salt helps to round out the sweetness.
• Unsalted Butter: The butter is browned in this recipe, which gives the blondies an amazing flavor!
• Granulated Sugar: You'll need about a half cup of granulated sugar. 
• Light Brown Sugar: This is also easy to over-measure, so it's best to go by weight!
• Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temp quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water. 
• Vanilla Extract: Can't make a good recipe without some quality vanilla!
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Chop up some baking chocolate bars to get lots of pools of warm chocolate throughout the blondies!
• Caramel: You can make my homemade recipe written below, or use store-bought caramel sauce, or omit it all together!
• Cream of Tartar: This keeps the sugar from crystalizing as it caramels.
• Salt: If you want a salted caramel sauce, use flaky sea salt and increase the amount to ½ tsp.
• Heavy Cream: Warm your heavy cream up slightly in the microwave or on the stove. If it is too cold, the caramel will seize up.
• Vanilla: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this caramel swirled brown butter chocolate chunk blondie recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the caramel. In a medium-sized pot, combine the sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling (not stirring) the pan often so the sugar melts evenly. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. When the color turns a medium amber, remove from heat and add butter one cube at a time, swirling with each addition. Then, pour in the heavy cream and vanilla and stir until completely smooth. Allow the caramel to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a glass jar. Place in the fridge until ready to use. 

STEP 2: Make the blondies. Start by making the brown butter, then in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and brown butter until fully combined. Then, mix in the eggs and vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks. Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing it out to make as even as possible. Drizzle a small amount of caramel on top of the blondie dough and use a tooth pick to swirl it. Bake the blondies for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting. 

Expert Baking Tips

• Make the caramel first to allow it to cool before making the blondies. 
• The caramel recipe yields about 1 cup, but you'll only need about a tablespoon or so to swirl into the dough. The caramel will last for a couple of weeks in the fridge, so it can be used for other recipes!
• If you do not want to use rye flour, simply substitute it for an equal amount of all-purpose flour. 
• Do not over-mix the batter! Over-mixing leads to tough, hard-to-chew blondies.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x