Irresistibly Chewy Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies: Your New Favorite Dessert

Prepare to be absolutely captivated by these Tender Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies. More than just a simple sweet treat, these blondies are a symphony of sophisticated flavors and delightful textures, promising to become an instant addiction. Each square is generously studded with perfectly toasted pecans and luscious chocolate chips, creating a harmonious blend that melts in your mouth. For an extra layer of complexity and fun, I sometimes incorporate a handful of shredded coconut, adding a subtle tropical whisper to the rich, buttery base. Be warned: a batch of these glorious homemade blondies tends to vanish in record time!

Beyond Ordinary Blondies: A Symphony of Sophisticated Flavors

When I call these “adult blondies,” I’m referring to their elevated flavor profile, not anything illicit – though their addictiveness might make you think otherwise! While many blondie recipes rely on plain melted butter, it’s the transformative step of browning the butter that truly sets these brown butter blondies apart. This simple technique infuses the entire dessert with a profound, nutty, and toffee-like aroma that will fill your home with the inviting scent of a bustling bakery. It’s a game-changer, turning a good blondie into an extraordinary one.

To further enhance this sophisticated character, I’ve specifically chosen semi-sweet chocolate chips. This decision helps to beautifully cut through the sweetness, introducing a dark, rich counterpoint that perfectly complements the nutty brown butter base. And just before these incredible pecan chocolate chip blondies embark on their journey into the oven, a generous pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt is sprinkled on top. That initial bite reveals layers of flavor: the deep, toasty brown butter toffee, the satisfying crunch of pecans, a delicate hint of salt, and the smooth, comforting sweetness of chocolate to bring it all together. It’s an experience that truly elevates the humble blondie to gourmet status.

The Magic of Sea Salt: Anees’s Seal of Approval

My partner, Anees – a man whose love for chocolate knows no bounds, famously known as the chocolatiest person I know – declared that the sea salt made these blondies even BETTER. This is a significant endorsement, coming from someone who wouldn’t bat an eye at a chocolate pie made entirely of chocolate. If he, a purist, can get on board with salting his chocolate, then my mission to perfect these salty-sweet treats is accomplished. The coarse sea salt isn’t just for show; it acts as a flavor amplifier, drawing out the complex notes of the brown butter and chocolate, creating a delightful contrast that dances on your palate.

If merely imagining these rich, layered flavors has your mouth watering, just wait until you experience the intoxicating aroma that fills your kitchen when you bake a batch of these chewy brown butter blondies! And you’ll be delighted by the generous yield from a single batch. I specifically scaled this recipe up because the first time I tested it, our 8×8 inch pan of blondies disappeared in a single day – a truly astonishing feat for a household of just two people! This time, I knew we needed more: some for savoring, some for sharing with lucky friends, and some for freezing. Alas, despite my best intentions, they once again failed to make it to the freezer. They’re just too good to resist!

Mastering Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies: Key Insights

The Foundation: Perfect Brown Butter

The secret to these exceptional brown butter blondies begins with one crucial ingredient: brown butter. While most blondie recipes might call for simple melted butter, taking an extra few minutes to brown it is an investment that pays off immensely in flavor. You’ll need a medium saucepan and two sticks of butter for this step. The process is straightforward, but a few tips ensure success:

**Choose the Right Pan:** A thick-bottomed, stainless steel, or light-colored saucepan is ideal. This allows you to easily monitor the butter’s color progression, preventing it from burning.
**Even Melting:** For more consistent browning, slice your butter into even pieces before adding it to the pan. This helps it melt and brown uniformly.
**Constant Attention:** Swirl the pan occasionally and stir frequently. This prevents solids from sticking to the bottom and ensures even cooking, yielding perfectly browned bits.
**Trust Your Senses:** The butter will foam, then sizzle, and eventually develop a rich, nutty aroma reminiscent of hazelnuts or toffee. Once you detect this distinct scent and see light to medium brown specks at the bottom, immediately remove the pan from the heat. The residual heat will continue the browning process, so acting quickly is key to avoid burning. Whisk in the brown sugar right away to halt the browning and create that gorgeous, slushy base. Allow this mixture to cool completely to room temperature before proceeding with the rest of the batter.

Effortless Baking: No Stand Mixer Required!

One of the many joys of these homemade pecan chocolate chip blondies is their simplicity. You absolutely don’t need to haul out your heavy stand mixer. In fact, mixing everything by hand is often preferred. Overmixing can incorporate too much air, leading to a cakey texture. Our goal is a dense, chewy blondie, and gentle hand-mixing helps achieve this. I figured if I’m adding an extra step like browning butter, I should simplify another part of the process – making these perfect for even the most “lazy” of bakers (like myself!).

Achieving the Perfect Chewy Texture

My ultimate goal for these homemade pecan chocolate chip blondies was a dense, chewy texture, distinctly not cakey. This required several rounds of testing to perfect the leavening. I discovered that adding more than one teaspoon of baking powder caused them to rise too much, resulting in a less desirable, lighter crumb. The brown butter is also a crucial player here, contributing significantly to that sought-after super-chewy consistency – exactly how I love my chocolate chip cookies, and now, unequivocally, my blondies too.

The Sweet Secret: All Brown Sugar

For this specific blondie recipe, I made the deliberate choice to use exclusively brown sugar, a departure from my usual practice in cookies where I often blend brown and granulated sugars for a crispy edge. Here, brown sugar plays a vital dual role. Firstly, it intensely amplifies those desirable toffee and butterscotch notes, building upon the rich foundation laid by the brown butter. Secondly, its inherent moisture and slight acidity react perfectly with the baking powder, ensuring the blondies achieve just the right amount of softness and a subtle puff, without becoming overly airy or cake-like. This thoughtful ingredient choice is key to the blondies’ signature chewiness and deep, caramel-like flavor.

The Perfect Mix-Ins: Chocolate, Pecans, and Optional Coconut

When it comes to the mix-ins, flexibility meets flavor. While I chose semi-sweet chocolate chips for this particular batch, dark chocolate chips work equally well if that’s what you have or prefer – and I’ve made them that way in the past. I generally advise against milk chocolate chips for these blondies, as they can make the dessert overly sweet, detracting from the nuanced brown butter flavor. The goal is balance, not just sweetness. Next, chopped toasted pecans are non-negotiable for their incredible crunch and deep, earthy flavor. Both my husband and I adore the texture of walnuts or pecans in our brownies, so incorporating them generously into my blondies recipe was a natural choice. The nuts beautifully complement the butterscotch undertones of our blondie base. Finally, for fellow coconut lovers, a touch of sweetened shredded coconut adds a wonderful chewiness and a hint of tropical sweetness. However, if you have allergies or simply aren’t a fan, it can be easily omitted without affecting the overall structure or requiring any other recipe adjustments.

With their crackly, golden-brown tops speckled with glistening sea salt, I have to confess: these pecan chocolate chip blondies are currently giving brownies a serious run for their money in my book. That warm, toffee-flavored base, combined with the ideal blend of crunchy nuts and creamy chocolate, makes these blondies truly irresistible and an absolute must-bake!

Yield: 12- 24

Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook Time
20 minutes

Additional Time
15 minutes

Total Time
50 minutes

Tender Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies that will have you addicted. These blondies are studded with toasted pecans and chocolate chips. And sometimes for fun, I’ll throw in a handful of shredded coconut too! These disappear in no time!

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour (see notes)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
¾ cup toasted pecans, chopped (or walnuts)
¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions

Brown Butter: Heat the butter in a medium stainless steel saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown for a total of 3-5 minutes. Every now and then grab the handle and gently swirl the pan and stir often. You’ll notice it’ll start to foam but keep going. Usually, better quality butter has less water, which means it would brown quicker. Remove the saucepan from the stove when the butter smells like hazelnuts and looks light to medium brown in color. Whisk in the brown sugar until it looks like a slushy mixture, pour into a large glass bowl and allow it to cool to room temp.
Batter: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. In the bowl with the butter mixture add and whisk the eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold, it’s okay if you still see a few pockets of flour. Add the chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut and fold until evenly distributed but don’t over-mix!
Bake: Spread the batter into the baking pan, smooth out the top and sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt if you’d like. Bake for 20-27 minutes or until the blondies are crackly and light golden brown on top. Feel the top of the blondies, it shouldn’t be soft. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving!

Notes

If you don’t have salted butter, just adjust the salt to 1 teaspoon in the batter.
I always like to measure using the spoon and leveled method
You can easily omit the shredded coconut from the recipe without making any other adjustments.
Leftover blondies can be placed in a container or zip-top bag and frozen for a couple of months!

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I’d love to see what you made!

Why These Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Blondies Will Become Your Go-To

**Unmatched Flavor:** The brown butter base provides a deep, complex, nutty, and butterscotch-like flavor that elevates these blondies far beyond ordinary.
**Perfectly Chewy Texture:** Carefully balanced ingredients ensure a dense, incredibly chewy blondie with just the right amount of softness, never cakey.
**Satisfying Mix-Ins:** Toasted pecans add a delightful crunch and earthy balance, while semi-sweet chocolate chips provide rich, melty pockets that cut through the sweetness.
**Ease of Preparation:** No stand mixer is needed! This recipe is designed for simple hand-mixing, making it accessible for bakers of all skill levels.
**Crowd-Pleaser:** Their addictive quality makes them perfect for parties, gatherings, or simply treating yourself. They disappear fast, so consider baking a double batch!

Storage and Freezing Tips for Your Blondies

While these chewy blondies are notorious for disappearing quickly, proper storage can help prolong their deliciousness. Once completely cooled, store leftover blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. To enjoy them warm, simply pop a square into the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

If you manage to resist eating them all, these blondies freeze beautifully! Place cooled blondies in a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty zip-top bag, separating layers with parchment paper if stacking. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the microwave or oven for a fresh-baked taste experience. Now you have no excuse not to make a large batch!