Dense and chewy butterscotch blondies are made with brown butter, sea salt, and butterscotch morsels. These sweet and salty bars hit the spot when you need a simple yet satisfying dessert. No mixer needed!
These innocent little squares boast huge flavor and texture. Super dense, chewy, filled with brown sugar, topped with sea salt, and the two words to end all other words: brown butter. Not to mention they’re loaded with butterscotch, the best and most underrated morsel in the baking aisle! There’s also no mixer or fancy kitchenware required, so not only do they taste unbelievable– they’re insanely easy to make. Win win win and… win.
If you gush over sweet & salty desserts, this one has your name written all over it.
These Butterscotch Blondies Are:
- Soft and chewy
- Dense and buttery
- Sweet and salty
- Made with brown butter
- Sprinkled with sea salt
- Simple to make– you don’t need a mixer
This Is My Base Blondie Recipe
This blondie recipe is my go-to blondie base. I shared the recipe a few years ago with my dark chocolate coconut blondies. In that recipe, I spread the blondies into a large 9×13 inch pan. For today’s butterscotch version, we’re squeezing them into a 9-inch square baking pan so they’re thicker and denser. We do this with mocha blondies, too.
The best blondies are buttery, soft, and chewy with tight dense crumbs. More like a brown sugar brownie and less like a thin piece of cake. To help us achieve this special blondie texture, we begin with melted butter. Though regular melted butter is fine, I highly recommend browning the butter. Brown butter, pictured below, adds a new layer of flavor.
We’ve discussed brown butter many times before and I have a complete how to brown butter tutorial as well. All you’re really doing is melting butter on the stovetop and gently cooking the butter until it develops a nutty flavor and aroma. It’s a basic technique that considerably changes the flavor of anything it touches, like brown butter chocolate chip cookies and brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies. As the butter browns, you’ll notice there are bits at the bottom of the pan. These are good! They are actually milk solids that have cooked faster and will give even more flavor to your recipe. Don’t leave the bits behind.
Ingredients in Butterscotch Blondies
Blondies are very low key– made with simple baking basics. They’re also unexpected and underrated, which is why I love making them. Everyone forgets how good they are!
- Flour: Sturdy all-purpose flour is the base of this blondie recipe.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the blondies rise.
- Salt: Salt adds flavor.
- Butter: You can use either melted butter or browned butter, but I really love using browned butter because it adds another layer of flavor to these blondies. I share more about browned butter above.
- Sugar: We use all brown sugar for mega flavor and ultra moist blondies.
- Eggs: Use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk for ultra chewy blondies.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Butterscotch Morsels: Butterscotch morsels are essential for butterscotch blondies!
- Walnuts: While totally optional, chopped walnuts add a delicious texture.
- Sea Salt: Sprinkle the blondies with coarse sea salt before baking for an added crunch and burst of flavor.
No Mixer Required
Since we’re not creaming butter and sugar together (we use melted butter instead of softened butter), there’s no need to break out the mixer or any fancy kitchen equipment.
This is a quick and easy recipe. You only need 2 bowls– 1 for dry ingredients and 1 for wet ingredients, a simple whisk, and rubber spatula.
Will you just look at this golden perfection? With brown butter, sea salt, butterscotch, and brown sugar, I can’t think of a more perfect square.
Print
Salted Butterscotch Blondies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 16 blondies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Dense and chewy, made with brown butter, sea salt, and butterscotch morsels, these sweet and salty bars hit the spot when you need a simple yet satisfying dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter (browned or melted, see note)
- 1 and 3/4 cup (350g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) butterscotch morsels
- optional: 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts
- coarse/flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square pan or line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished blondies out (makes cutting easier). Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the browned or melted butter and brown sugar together. Once completely combined, whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk or stir until combined. Batter is pretty heavy and thick, so I usually use a rubber spatula. Fold in the butterscotch morsels and nuts, if using.
- Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean. A couple moist crumbs are ok, as long as it’s not wet. Remove from the oven and cool blondies completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Cover and store leftover blondies at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze, cool blondies completely. Cut into squares and layer between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Butter: Butter should either be melted or browned before using in this recipe. Melt on the stove or in the microwave. For enhanced butterscotch and nutty flavors, I prefer using browned butter in these blondies. To brown the butter: slice the butter into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring occasionally. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning– you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, and pour into a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before using in step 3.
- What Pan to Use: A 9-inch square pan is best. An 8-inch square pan is a little too small. Blondies may not cook evenly. You can spread the batter into a 9×13 inch pan for thinner blondies. Do your best to spread the batter to each edge of the pan. Bake time will be around 30 minutes.
Keywords: butterscotch blondies
I almost feel silly asking this question however all your recipes typically specify and I am going to make these shortly. Do the butter and eggs need to be room temperature for the blondes
Hi Felicia! Since we’re melting the butter (or browning it, see recipe notes), the butter temp isn’t important. Eggs would be best at room temperature.
Refrigerated. Blondies are hard. Heat an individual portion up for a few seconds. Warm & Chewy.
Hi! . I like the muffin cups for portioned servings. Kept the recipe the same except used Kosher salt. Made 24, filled the liners halfway, cooked for 22 minutes. When they are starting to brown should be it, 20 minutes. As they are cooling off, crispy bottom & chewy inside. Excellent.
Can I make these into cupcakes? Going to give it a try!
Hi Jennifer! You could bake these blondies in a cupcake pan for individual servings – we’re unsure of the bake time or yield.
I 1.5x this recipe. Have you tried this? It was great
I followed the recipe to the letter and after 30 minutes in the oven, they came out looking perfect. However, after cooling they were hard and dry. I guess it must be my oven. I’ll have to adjust the baking time. They taste amazing if you can bite into them 🙂
★★★★★
Heat an individual serving up for a few seconds . Warm and chewy.
I so wanted to like these but found the recipe far too rich (also a tad greasy). I baked them for nearly 40 minutes and the toothpick came out clean, yet after they were cooled and cut, some of the blondies still looked under-cooked in the middle of the pan.
★★
My family and I loved this recipe. We added a scoop of homemade cinnamon and brown sugar ice cream on top, drizzled caramel, and turned it into a blondie sundae for family dinner last night. Thanks for the recipe. I enjoy making your recipes and following your blog so much.
★★★★★
Hello! I was reading the tutorial for browning butter, and I was wondering, do I need a cup of butter (2 sticks) prior to browning or after some has evaporated from the cooking process? Also, if I leave out the morsels for a plain blondie, do you think that reduction in volume would make an 8×8 pan okay, or would it be pretty negligible?
Thanks!
Hi Ben, We start with the one cup of butter and then brown it. There is still plenty of moisture in the blondies! If you leave out the butterscotch morsels it may fit better into an 8 inch pan but we haven’t tested it. The blondies will still be very thick so if you notice they are baking unevenly (the edges are browning before the center) you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent them from over browning before the center bakes. Enjoy!
These are fantastic! Definitely recommend using dark brown sugar, really brings out the flavor. For those saying their bars came out greasy, it might be the brand of butter you are using. I’ve been having numerous issues with a very popular name brand butter that was the “go-to” for about a year now, as have many other bakers.
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
If the blondies feel too greasy or dense, any chance they are undercooked? I baked mine for 30 min and the toothpick came out clean, so I took them out of the oven. But after they cooled and I cut them, they seemed undercooked. But what to do at that point? Just live with it? Or can you put them back in the oven? Please advise. Thank you!
Hi Kate, You can try putting them back in the oven and see if that helps since they haven’t been out long. If you try these again, you can bake them for a few more minutes.
I wish I had read the comments prior to baking these. The batter looked a little strange to me to begin with. It was so very thick I had a hard time getting it into the pan over the parchment. I kept reading and re-reading the recipe as it just didn’t feel right to me. I know I did not leave anything out. They hardly rose and I set my kitchen timer 5 minutes less than you recommended (I always do that ) and they were over-baked.
We have enjoyed all of your recipes to date. Possibly you need to take a 2nd look at this recipe.
Thank you!
★★
Hi Sally! This recipe looks amazing. I made your delicious Golden Oreo Cake Batter Blondies and was wondering if I could incorporate the Golden Oreos with this recipe? I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi Paul, that would be delicious! You can simply replace some of the butterscotch chips and / or the optional walnuts with some crushed Oreos. Let us know how it turns out for you!
I was a little worried about baking these because some of the negative reviews but they actually turned out absolutely delicious, not greasy or heavy at all. Just perfect. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
My families favorite!!
Hoping to find a brownie recipe with this texture. So happy to come across your site!
Hi Kelly, here’s our favorite fudgy brownie recipe!
These were delicious. They were slightly crispy on top and chewy in the center. I made them with just melted butter, no nuts or sea salt and they were amazing. Next time I am going to try with brown butter, nuts and salt. I bet they will be out of this world.
★★★★★
These were yummy. I am Indian so I added cardamom because I add cardamom to everything! They were a bit greasy and a little overly sweet but good and my family loved them. Thanks Sally!
★★★
I made these gluten free with 1:1 baking flour, and they were PERFECT. Wish I could post a picture of them! They are deep (almost 2″!!) and flavorful and very satisfying. I also substituted the 2 top of vanilla for 1 top butter & nut flavoring and 1 1/4 top pure Mexican vanilla – it really kicked up the richness (but not sweetness) a notch. I have an awesome 9.5″ x 6″ glass baking dish which is my brownie pan, and I can cut 18 squares in it – just right for these delectables!
★★★★★
My husband loves butterscotch and gave this recipe a try for his birthday. I went rogue and used an 8×8 pan and decreased the temp to 325 with a longer bake time (38 min). Pretty much babysat them to make sure I didn’t over-bake. They are RICH and very sweet. So a little piece goes a long way for a sweet treat. I agree with other commenters that the flour to butter ratio felt a bit off and I added more to my batch (275 vs 250g). Worked out great. Would definitely make these again and cut them into bite-sized squares for a party or cookie exchange.
★★★★
Pretty good, maybe a little greasy for my liking. Thanks for the recipe, will make again. Do you think I could take out a little butter? Also, how can I maximize crispiness?
★★★★
Hi Jim, Thank you for trying this recipe. You can try reducing the butter a little. However, I suggest that you try removing the egg yolk first. The extra egg yolk guarantees the blondies are rich, moist, and chewy but you can skip it if you find they’re simply too greasy or wet.
I love blondies and anything with browned butter. The next time I have a craving for butterscotch I’ll be sure to make these again.
★★★★★
Sally, your recipes are usually delicious with the perfect balance of fat, sugar and salt. But these blondies were really quite sweet and oily. I made another batch and reduced the sugar by half a cup and the butter by a quarter of a cup, but they turned out flat, dense and disappointing! My mom tried to make these and they were perfect, with the amounts said in the recipe. Do you know what happened, or is it mom’s magic touch?
★★★
Hi Ebony! Did you follow the recipe closely the first time you made them? Make sure you aren’t using too much butter. Melt or brown 1 cup of butter, which is 2 sticks or 16 Tablespoons. The extra egg yolk guarantees the blondies are rich, moist, and chewy but you can skip it if you find they’re simply too greasy or wet.
These are OUTSTANDING. I used the browned butter and dark brown sugar. A lot of recipes for Blondies are way too sweet. These definitely are not. I think I may be addicted !!!
★★★★★
Hello, Sally! I am from the Philippines, I am jut wondering if I can use salted butter? And if it’s really necessary to have butterscotch mossels?
Hi Anastasia, If you use salted butter you can simply cut the added salt in half. You can leave out the butterscotch morsels for a plain blondie, or replace them with your favorite flavor chips (chocolate, white chocolate, etc.).
Oh NO ! I used brown butter and it was impossible to mix the batter- not enough moisture-I added 1 cup of water and I don’t know how they will turn out- still in the oven after 30 minutes- center was raw. I added 7 minutes in the oven , I put walnuts in the batter and used parchment paper- I will have to wait and see .
A whole cup of water? Definitely overkill, I recommend 2 Tablepoons of milk next time.
Hi Sally! These look AMAZING! I was just wondering if it would be possible to add oats to these to make them more like oatmeal scotchies? I just wasn’t sure if it would make them a bit dry and other ingredients may have to be adjusted? Thanks!!
Hi Carsen, That would take some additional recipe testing. You can make my Oatmeal Scotchies and bake them as cookie bars though!
Hi sally,
I’ve made your blondies a million times and I’m in love with them. However, a problem that I almost always face is that they tend to get very hard (still delicious but very hard) any tips to avoid this?
Thanks
Hi Nis, I’m wondering if they’re perhaps overbaked? Any changes you’re making to the batter ingredients? Make sure that after you mix the batter together, pour/spread into the pan and bake them right away. A little less time in the oven will help too.
Hello!
Thanks for getting back to me sally!
I think I might have figured it out, it’s the butter!
I reread and watched your “browning butter” post and video and I did what you mention exactly, specially continuously whisking the butter.
Made two batches today and they were scrumptious!
Thanks!
Heat them up for a few seconds. Warm and chewy.
Hi Sally! Would it work if I used 1/2 cup of toffee chips and 1 cup of butterscotch chips? I have a little bit of both in my pantry.
Thank you!
Absolutely. Same bake time.
Amazing!!! The brown butter takes these to a whole new level of deliciousness!
★★★★★
This is great! I did make it with brown butter and my husband says “this is a keeper”! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
I love Sally’s recipes. I tried to improve this one today (I am not really a fan of butterscotch), so I added pecans and walnuts instead (no chips whatsoever), as well as some vanilla bean powder mixed in the dry ingredients. They came out delicious (little crumbly but I enjoyed the texture). I love the brown butter combo with the actual nuts, will definitely make again!
★★★★
First, I want to say, I’ve made lots of Sally’s recipes and they have all been great until this one. I’ve even made lots of her recipes multiple times. You usually cannot go wrong with her recipes, but these were just too sweet, and I love sweet things. Also, the blondies were just ridiculously greasy. I put one on a doubled up paper towel and sat it on my leg for less than a minute while I answered a text message. It soaked the paper towel and made a huge grease spot on my pants. I think this recipe needs less butter and less brown sugar. I’m not sure what that would do to the texture though. I probably will not make this one again. I’ve made some of Sally’s other blondie recipes and they were delicious.
Butterscotch is really really sweet. This is Sally’s base recipe for Blondies so if the other Blondies you’ve made of Sally’s you have liked, maybe add less butterscotch chips?