Brown-butter toffee blondies: sticky, chewy, yummy!

Yesterday morning was rainy and gloomy and not too hot so I decided to turn on the oven. By the time I did, the humidity had kicked in, but I pushed ahead anyway. I made a fresh batch of granola and then got to work on these brown butter toffee blondies. They get a nice crust on top and the middle is chewy and moist. Big chunks of walnuts add even more texture. They're definitely sweet, but the brown butter gives them a much deeper flavor. They come together pretty quickly, too, although I'm always amazed how long the butter takes to get to the color I like.

Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies
adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts, broken into bite-sized chunks
• 1 1/2 cups toffee bits (with or without chocolate, your preference)

In a pan over medium heat, cook the butter until it's golden brown (see photo below). Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish; line the bottom with parchment then butter and flour the parchment. Shake off any excess flour.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine both sugars and the butter. Stir until combined. Add the eggs and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture, walnuts and toffee bits and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake about 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the blondies to cool in the pan for a little while then loosen the edges with a sharp knife. Turn them out onto a cutting board and peel off the parchment. Store in an airtight container.