Brown Butter Blondies with Fleur de Sel

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The following is adapted from the Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch recipe.

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If you love a chocolate chip cookie but you want to take it up a notch and maybe make it a little fancy, try these brown butter blondies topped with fleur de sel!

Fleur de sel is a very flaky, fine finishing salt that is used in many desserts and other dishes as a garnish when the dish could benefit from just a little bit more salt to bring out its flavors.

The key to this dish is without a doubt, brown butter, which I provide directions for in the recipe below!

Cooking Level

Foundational | Beginner | INTERMEDIATE | Advanced

Special Tools

A stand mixer is suggested for this recipe but a hand mixer will do!

Yield: about 24 blondies

Author: Karyn Shalda, Cooking to the Point; Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch

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Brown Butter Blondies with Fleur de Sel

This recipe kicks the traditional chocolate chip cookie up a notch with the addition of browned butter and fleur de sel finishing salt. A treat everyone is sure to love!

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

• 1  1/4 C (2 and a half sticks) of unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 C white sugar
• 1  1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 3/4 t salt
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 2  3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 2  C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1-2 T fleur de sel finishing salt (optional)

Instructions

Brown the Butter

1. Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat and add 1 C (2 sticks) of unsalted butter. Allow to melt.
2. Once the butter has melted, continuously and gently swirl the pan in small circles over the burner, stirring from time to time with a silicone whisk or spatula.
3. The butter will produce a whitish foam; you may skim some of this foam off with a spoon if you like, but it is not necessary.
4. After maybe 3-5 minutes, the butter will begin to take on a darker, honey-colored hue. It bubble and foam again, but the bubbles will be more clear than white this time.
5. Within a minute of foaming this second time, the brown butter will start have a nutty, rich aroma, and brown flecks will start to appear in the bottom of the pan. When they do, take your pan off the heat - it's ready!
6. If you leave the pan on too long or if the pan is too hot, the butter may burn. If this happens, you'll want to throw away the burnt mixture, wipe out the pan, and start the process over again with some fresh butter.

Make the Blondies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a 9" x 13" with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. 
3. Place the brown butter in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the 3/4 white sugar, and 1  1/4 C brown sugar, along with the 1 T vanilla extract. Using the whisk attachment or a hand beater, mix until everything is well blended.
4. In a small bowl, place 2 of the eggs, whole. 
5. With the other 2 eggs, separate the yolks from the whites. To do this, crack the egg very carefully in half over a plate or bowl, keeping the yolk as intact as possible. With the egg still in the shell, carefully transfer the yolk of the egg back and forth between the two pieces of shell, allowing the white part of the egg drip into the bowl or plate until just the yolk remains in the shell. 
6. Add the 2 yolks to the bowl with the 2 whole eggs and beat together.
7. Put your mixer on high speed and slowly add the egg mixture to the bowl, beating on high for 30 seconds.
8. Allow mixture to rest for 3 minutes, then beat again on high for 30 seconds. Repeat this process 3-5 times, alternating with resting for 3 minutes and beating for 30 seconds, until the mixture becomes light-colored and thick.
9. Add the 3/4 t baking soda and mix on high for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, and let rest for 3 minutes.
10. Add the 2  3/4 C all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until just combined (there are no streaks of flour visible).
11. Add the 2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix to combine.
12. Spread as evenly as you can in the 9"x13" parchment-lined pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If using the fleur de sel finishing salt, bake the blondies for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle the 1-2 T of fleur de sel on top of the partially-baked brownies, then put back in the oven to continue cooking.
13. Allow blondies to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing into about 24 bars. Once room temperature, store in an airtight container for about a week.
14. Enjoy!