Insanely buttery Butterscotch Blondies loaded with toasted pecans and topped with a thick layer of Brown Sugar Frosting. These blondies are sinful! So sweet and buttery. They are beyond indulgent. But they are so worth every last calorie.
This Butterscotch Brownie recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style
by Rebecca Rather. I love all three of her cookbooks, especially her first one The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe
.
Not only are her recipes incredibly delicious, but her cookbooks have beautiful photographs that show off not only the food, but provide a glimpse of life in Texas Hill Country. Turning the pages of her cookbooks makes me want to jump in the car and drive to Fredericksburg, Texas.
Could that frosting look any more perfect? Butter and brown sugar make such a marvelous combination.
This recipe makes a big batch of blondies and the thick layer of frosting helps keep them from drying out so they stay moist for days. If they last that long!
Butterscotch Blondies Recipe Tips:
You will need a half-sheet pan (13×18-inches) for this recipe.
Instead of using an electric stand mixer, you can use a hand-held mixer.
Try These Other Amazing Bar Recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Blondies with Caramel-Bourbon Sauce
- M&M Blondies
- Peppermint Blondies with Buttercream
- Raspberry Pecan Blondies
Butterscotch Blondies
Equipment
- Half-Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans,, toasted
Icing
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a half-sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan with foil and grease with butter or cooking spray.
- Beat the 1 cup butter and 3 cups brown sugar using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time while beating on medium-low speed and then add vanilla extract. Beat for 1 more minute and scrape down sides of bowl to make sure everything is even in consistency.
- Combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat flour mixture into butter mixture at low-speed.
- Stir in pecans and pour into prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Bars should be set and slightly puffed. Cool completely.
- For icing, melt 1 cup butter and 2 cups brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Once mixture starts to bubble, decrease heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place powdered sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and using a paddle attachment beat on medium speed until creamy.
- Add melted butter mixture and beat to combine.
- Pool over cooled bars and let icing set for 30 minutes before cutting
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published August 24, 2014.
Sharing with The Weekend Potluck.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I halved the recipe and baked for 16 minutes in a 9” x 13” pan. Turned out firm but not dry. Made the icing recipe in full and got a nice thick layer of very sweet icing. Love them! I like the “grainy” texture of the icing
I made these Blondies and they are delicious. They need some adjustment with the frosting however because it does come out very grainy. I would definitely make these again, but I would probably leave out the brown sugar in the frosting, and just use powdered sugar and maybe add a hint of maple extract. Overall very delicious, but the frosting should be changed unless you like it grainy. Also, if you don’t have a 12×18 pan you can cut the recipe in half and use a 9×13. It’s the same amount of square inches for the 9×13 as the 12×18 divided by two. 😉
Oh my these look over the top delicious. I’m salivating :-))). I Looooove icing /frosting of any kind, can eat it by the spoonfuls. Can’t wait to make these.
Christin I am wondering if this recipe would fit in a 1-9×13? I don’t mind a thick square at all Perhaps I will need 2-9×13 pans?
Thank you kindly,
Darlene
Best bar cookies I’ve ever made. Rather than icing, I sprinkle fleur de sel on top. Other alterations, add 1 T butter, 1 T veg oil, 1 T bourbon, and reduce brown sugar to 2 ¾ C.
So you basically made a different recipe.
These are so very yummy—especially frosting, but I halved recipe and used9x13 pan for 20 mins. They were a little dry. Did I bake too long? Can I add anything to moisten?
Do they freeze well?
The cookie/brownie was perfection! The fudgy topping/icing was grainy, great flavor but crunchy. Followed the directions to the letter, set timer for cook time & no. I just think it needs longer to cook. Will try again with a longer timer
I don’t begin to have a pan that large….What are my options? Want to make these for this Thurs. night football
You can try using 2 9×13-inch pans Gaye
Not unless you want Butterscotch Biscotti, which I got. Not bad, but I wanted brownies and I work too hard to try try again.
OH.MY.STARS! The brownie sounds amazing but I’m all about frosting, and you sure can’t beat that lovely layer of YUM. ;-} Thanks so very much for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. I shared this at my Facebook page….hope your holiday weekend is terrific!
Thank you for sharing! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!
I thought it was weird that the brown sugar isn’t actually dissolved in anything to make a syrup, just cooked in butter. This caused the sugar to form hard lumps that wouldn’t beat out in the mixer and the icing was gritty with sugar. Why does it look so nice and smooth in your picture? Are your instructions correct?