If you like recipe contests, Bass Pecans is holding a good one. Send them your favorite pecan recipe and if their judges like it best, you’ll win $1,000. I entered the contest last week and am excited about sending in more recipes, especially since Bass was nice enough to send over a bag of their “Mammoth” pecans. As expected, they were very fresh and tasted so much better than store-bought.
This is a more traditional blondie than the dense and rich ones previously posted. The base is lighter and is a good contrast to the big chunks of pecans which in my opinion, are absolutely necessary. In fact, I wish I’d added butterscotch chips as well because the sweet chips would have been good with the slightly salty (recipe uses salted butter) dough.
And one last note, don’t bother tasting these until they are completely cooled. They were terrible when I pulled them out of the oven — light, almost cakey and slightly egg. But when they cooled, they’d settled into a more dense and non-cakey bar.
Basic Blonde Brownies with Roasted Pecans
1 cup whole pecans plus 1 T. butter
1 ½ sticks (180 grams) butter
1 pound light brown sugar (440 grams) – 2 ¼ cups
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (360 grams) – spoon and sweep
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch pan with foil and spray bottom with cooking sp ray.
Lay the pecans flat in a rimmed pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with the 1 T. butter. Let pecans cool, then chop.
Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl for about a minute. Add the brown sugar and heat for another 30 -60 seconds; stir well. Let cool for 5 minutes, then with a spoon or whisk, beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder and add to sugar mixture, stirring until almost blended. Stir in the nuts and chips (if using) and stir until all flour has disappeared
Pour into pan and spread flat. Bake for 25 minutes or until brownies appear set. Let cool, then lift from pan and cut into squares. Makes 32.
They look delicious. Pecans just might be my favorite nut. I love them all, so it’s hard to decide.
You wouldn’t believe I just pulled something out of the oven that I completely made up and has pecans. Hmmm. 😉 Will have to check out the contest.
Blondies are a fave of mine! Your pics are glorious, i don’t know how you do it each day, coming up with new and wonderful recipes!!
Good luck with the contest! I hope you let us know the results.
These blondies look good! I still haven’t had the chance to make any! We’re moving our college kid out of the dorms, home briefly and then into an apartment. What a lot of work!
Mmm, you’re totally making my mouth water, Anna. These blondies look fabulous! I love pecans; and the smell of toasting pecans goes unrivaled by any other. I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
I’ve really appreciated this comparison thing you’ve had going on lately w/ the blondies to come up w/ your top 5 list. I’m all the time comparing my own recipes in my head–crumb, chewy/crunchy factors, salty/sweet ratio. I really like the run of recipes and then the comparisons you’ve done for us. Thanks.
Elyse, I’d like to get a second opinion on this recipe. This one is old, yet popular. It’s definitely not as flashy as the other blondies, but I liked these and would make them again for myself.
Shanna, I put the Top Blondies and Butterscotch Brownies in the Top 5 list. I’m still missing 2 from each category.
I needed to take blondie break, though. I get bored easily.
I love this old recipe. You are right it is not as flashy as some other blondies recipes but still yummy.
I found the version of the recipe I use in a fun regional cookbook called Sylvia’s Cakes & Breads: Famous Recipes from a Small Maine Kitchen.
For more than 30 years Sylvia ran a small bakeshop and mail order business from her coastal Maine kitchen and had lots of famous fans. (Julie Andrews wrote the cookbook’s foreward.)
Thanks for all the great blondies research. Your passion for baking is inspiring.