I like to spend my autumns holed up in the kitchen, tapping my foot to the rhythm of my KitchenAid, warming the kitchen to a comfortable 350 degrees, and burying myself in baked goods. Fall weather is baking weather. Technically, all weather is baking weather in my house, but I don’t know if I ever enjoy it as much as I do during the Fall.
During the summertime, I feel mostly limited to no-bake recipes and fruity desserts, but right now I don’t feel so bad about warming up the kitchen with the oven (especially since Zach doesn’t believe the heat should be turned on until January!), and fall flavors are so much fun to bake with. I’ve captured some of the best flavors of fall here: browned butter, brown sugar & walnut crumbles, and a hint of maple, all topped off with vanilla bean ice cream and homemade salted caramel sauce.
Let’s talk about browned butter for a second. Have you ever made it before? I’ve used it both here and here, but haven’t ever used it in blondies (…or anything else, for that matter) before. Browned butter is made by heating butter in a saucepan until most of the water cooks out of it (in a snappy little orchestra of pops and sizzles) and it begins to brown. It takes only five minutes or so, and fills your whole kitchen with a buttery, nutty aroma that I have no idea why Yankee Candle hasn’t yet incorporated into their collection (I would buy so many brown butter scented candles!).
The browned butter helps make these blondies nice, soft, and chewy (and, of course, rich with a next-level depth of buttery flavor), but that’s not the only factor at play. Brown sugar and maple syrup also are key factors in keeping things nice and soft. The maple syrup is subtle (and you can definitely use maple-flavored pancake syrup, if you don’t want to spring for the pure stuff), but it helps with the chewiness and adds to the flavor. I topped everything off with a walnut crumble (the same one I used in my sour cream apple pie, in case you were trying to remember why it looked so familiar) which adds a nice crunch in contrast to the soft chewiness of the blondie. Then, if you’re feeling extra indulgent, warm your blondie before enjoying (these taste good at room temperature, sure, but please do yourself a favor and try them warm!), top it off with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle with some homemade salted caramel sauce.
Enjoy! CLICK TO PIN IT:
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