Brown Butter Toffee Blondies

It's graduation season! People are getting their caps and gowns and getting ready to bit high school adieu. I have 4 family members graduating this year-3 of my cousins and my precious little sister-in-law. Tomorrow is Shannan's graduation and I couldn't be more excited for her! It also makes me realize how ridiculously far removed from that I am. Like...I think that I'm not that much older than an 18 year old buuut I AM. I can barely even remember my graduation-I remember being mad because my hair wouldn't curl the way I wanted it to (typical) and I remember feeling sort of...underwhelmed during the whole thing. Everyone around me was crying and I was just sitting there willing myself to feel...something. But, that's fairly typical for me when it comes to big events-I sort of have a hard time wrapping my head around the situation. Also high school wasn't exactly the most fun time for me, so I wasn't too sad to be ending it. It's funny to look back and think how I had absolutely no idea where my life was headed. Especially considering I have an adorable photo at graduation with my mother-in-law, long before I had any inkling that is what she would eventually be for me :D

Anyway. With graduations, come graduation parties. Which are such a fun celebration of the graduate-I'm so excited for Shannan's and my cousins' and I know that, if asked, I would 1000% make these blondies to bring to a grad party. Because they're totally impressive and delicious and if you've graduated high school you deserve something epic to mark the occasion. And...I mean...on the practical side--bars/blondies are awesome for parties because you just grab one and go. Not messy and super addictive. Everyone will rave about them!

Technically I already gave some of these to Shannan after her last choir concery buuut I mean...I'd make them again for her party! Or just for me to horde and eat by myself while I watch Orphan Black. Because they're gooey and chewy and brown-sugary brown-buttery delish. And the toffee adds a bit of delightful crunch. And chocolate gives us life. And salted caramel on top is probably just a necessity, yeah? Yeah I think so too.

Brown Butter Toffee Blondies

From Back for Seconds

One 9"x13" pan.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (or 2 sticks or 1/2 lb.) unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 and 1/2 cups toffee bits
• Optional-caramel sauce (for topping)
                 -sea salt, for sprinkling

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 325F degrees and grease a 9"x13" baking dish.
• To brown the butter: In a small-medium (preferably light colored) saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter and whisk continuously as it foams and bubbles, until little brown bits start form and it turns amber. Immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Beat the brown sugar with the cooled browned butter.
• Beat in eggs and salt until fully combined.
• Mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits.
• Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt.
• Bake 25-35 minutes, until the edges are golden and starting to pull away from the pan, and the middle doesn't look doughy.
• Let cool completely.
• If desired, drizzle with salted caramel sauce and then cut into squares.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days (they're best within the first few days of baking, however)---you can also freeze the blondies for up to 3 months.

YumyumyumYUMMMM