Brown sugar adds a deeply caramelized flavor to these chewy, rich bars. At first glance they might seem less enticing than a classic chocolate brownie, but they’re just as memorable ... and just as difficult to stop eating!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan.
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the butter with the brown sugar and salt.
Heat in the microwave at high power for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or heat over medium on the stovetop, until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the microwave/heat and stir until evenly combined; the mixture will look like wet sand.
Beat in the cold eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is absorbed before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.
Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the sugar mixture. Stir until the batter is smooth; scrape the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain.
Stir in 1 cup (113g) of the nuts.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula dipped in cold water or your wet fingers. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.
Bake the blondies for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top crust is shiny but the middle is still gooey (though not liquid). A toothpick or paring knife inserted into the center should come out with a few wet crumbs attached, but no raw batter showing.
Remove the blondies from the oven; cool completely before slicing and serving.
Storage information: Store any leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
To make chewy chocolate chip cookie bars: Add 1 1/2 cups (255g) semisweet chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
This recipe originally comes from The Baker’s Companion Cookbook and had a different method for mixing. Subsequent testing and development lead us to revise that method to this one, which is easier to do by hand and yields a consistently shiny top. By melting the butter with the sugar and salt in the recipe, the sugar gets a head start on dissolving. Mixing in the eggs one at a time adds more liquid and agitation to dissolve the sugar. During baking, the sugar migrates to the top surface and turns into the coveted shiny top when it recrystallizes.
