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Bake up some delicious and easy homemade caramel cookie bars
Caramel blondies are a delicious, classic recipe that you'll want to make over and over again! If you love gooey, chewy cookies, these blondie cookie bars are for you. The brown butter, vanilla, and cinnamon give these bars a rich, nutty taste. The caramel bakes into the cookies while leaving a nice gooey top. Optionally, add a dash of coarse salt on top for a salted caramel taste.
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Looking for a super easy cookie recipe that everyone will love? I've got just the recipe for you! Whether you need a game day dessert, something to bring to a potluck, or just want to kick off fall with some caramel cookies, these chewy caramel blondies will fulfill your needs!
Blondies are a unique type of cookie that are extra gooey and chewy. Some people even like to describe them as fudgy. Trust me, you're going to love this indulgent treat!
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
This caramel blondie recipe will teach you some new baking techniques including:
- What makes blondies unique - are they more like a cookie or a brownie?
- How to brown butter. Hint: it's easier than you think and the flavor is incredible!
- How a high ratio of brown sugar effects the cookie's texture.
If you're interested in learning more baking secrets, download my free guide with 10 of my favorite tips and tricks for becoming a better baker!
What are Blondies?
What exactly are blondies? If you look up recipes around the internet some people say blondies are close to brownies, while others argue they are more like a cookie. After lots of research, the consensus is that blondies are unique in the following ways:
- They should resemble a thick, chewy cookie. Oftentimes the center is still a bit gooey.
- Blondies have a high amount of brown sugar. This helps provide the chewy texture.
- Many blondies have a rich nutty taste. This recipe uses brown butter and lots of vanilla to help contribute to that.
If you're still not convinced why blondies are so delicious, check out this Delish article about why blondies deserve more credit.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: To amp up the flavor of these caramel blondies, we are going to brown the butter. Brown butter has a deep, nutty flavor since it is cooked just long enough to 'brown' or toast the milk solids found in butter.
- All purpose flour: Blondies usually have a bit more flour than the average cookie. Make sure you're correctly measuring the flour by fluffing up the flour, scooping it into the measuring cup, and leveling with a knife. Or, measure with a digital scale and the weight ingredients listed below.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is our leveaner of choice and it provides a little lift to the cookies.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps make the cookies extra soft! It's a little baking secret.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: These spices add a nice punch of flavor to the cookies. They would be great to make in the fall!
- Salt: Make sure to use a fine salt! It's more easily distributed in the blondie batter.
- Brown sugar: The large amount of brown sugar helps make the cookies chewy. You'll notice there's more brown sugar than granulated sugar which is unique to blondies.
- Granulated sugar: We still need a little granulated sugar to balance things out!
- Egg (and an extra yolk): Make sure your eggs are room temperature. You'll also notice we're adding in an extra egg yolk. This is another trick to making chewy cookies.
- Vanilla extract: We are adding quite a bit of vanilla to add lots of flavor to the dish! I suggest investing in a high quality vanilla like this!
- Caramel topping: Of course we need some caramel to spread on top of the blondie dough. If you'd prefer to use homemade caramel, see FAQ below!
Tools & Equipment
The great thing about these cookie bars is that you don't need a mixer! This is a great beginner baker recipe for just that reason! Here are a few tools you will need:
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
No! It's actually easier than you may think to make brown butter. It only takes about 5 minutes and adds a huge amount of flavor to baked dishes. Just make sure you stand next to the stove the whole time you're making brown butter to ensure it doesn't burn.
I'd suggest watching this video to see how the whole process works!
No. Unfortunately, if the butter is burned you will need to throw it out and start over. Watch this video for some help so it doesn't burn again.
If you're having trouble lining your baking pan with parchment paper, check out this video!
Yes, I love the taste of homemade caramel in these blondies. You can make a batch of homemade caramel using this recipe. I found that the blondies took fewer minutes to cook (about 30 minutes) when using homemade caramel. So, just keep an eye on them in the oven!
Yes! I love the idea of garnishing with salt on top. Just sprinkle some coarse salt on top after the cookies are done baking.
Caramel Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ cup (270 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (160 grams) brown sugar
- ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (160 grams) caramel topping chilled
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add butter to a heavy bottom saucepan. Cook over medium heat while stirring continually. As the butter melts down, foam will begin to form. As soon as you can see golden brown flecks at the bottom of your saucepan and smell a nutty, aromatic aroma, remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat-proof bowl. The whole process should take about 5 minutes. Set aside and allow the brown butter to cool.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a separate large bowl. Once combined, add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk together. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula just until the flour is fully incorporated. The dough will be very thick.
- Transfer dough to the parchment lined baking pan and spread out evenly. Add caramel on top and smooth.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the dough has set and caramel has been baked into the cookies (no caramel is pooling on top). Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely to touch.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Other Recipes To Try
If you need some more cookie baking inspiration, check out these recipes:
- White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
- Double butter chocolate chip cookies
- Gluten free snickerdoodles
- Salted caramel thumbprint cookies
- Chocolate rugelach
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