Brown Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Blondies

These brown butter espresso chocolate chip blondies are fudgy, gooey, and full of decadent flavor. Bonus- they’re super easy to whip up!

Revised September 2023

It’s no secret I love brown butter. Honestly, I think it just makes everything- yes, everything- that much better. It has this warm, nutty, caramel-infused, aromatic flavor that you just can’t recreate any other way. It automatically elevates whatever it is your baking. So. So. Good.

These Brown Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Blondies are no exception to the rule. Regular blondies are already phenomenal little bites of gooey, sugary heaven, but add brown butter to the mix and you’ve got yourself a blondie that has really stepped up its game. Add espresso flavor and chocolate, too? This is the stuff of blondie dreams.

The flavor combo of brown butter, espresso, and chocolate is truly one for the books. All the flavors get real friendly with each other and make for a taste that’s rich, decadent and wonderfully complex. Think your blondie can’t be complex? Think again. Not to say we’re stepping out of blondie bounds here- these blondies are still gooey and fudgy in the best way possible. Also not complex in the fact that these are super easy to throw together.

New to the brown butter world? No problem. It’s a pretty simple process that yields really delicious results, but you have to know what you’re looking (and listening) for when browning butter. See my notes below for a step-by-step guide to browning butter.

Okay let’s step up our blondie game, people. Happy baking!

What you’ll need to bake these blondies:

Butter: Browning the butter makes these blondies extra special and delicious. Using melted butter makes these blondies especially fudgy, dense and gooey.

Brown sugar: Loads of brown sugar is what makes a blondie a blondie- it brings flavor, moisture, and chewiness, and is what gives the blondies their beautiful golden color.

Eggs: For structure and binding. The additional egg yolk adds richness, moisture, and extra chewiness.

Vanilla: For added flavor.

Flour: For structure.

Instant coffee granules: To add that beautiful coffee flavor! You can also use espresso powder here.

Ground cinnamon: A little spice to complement the brown butter, coffee, and chocolate.

Kosher salt: To balance out all that sweetness.

Cornstarch: Makes for a softer, more tender blondie.

Baking powder: For leavening.

Chocolate chips: I use dark chocolate chips in these blondies, but semisweet would also be delicious!

Optional: I like to top these with a little flakey salt after they come out of the oven!

FAQs:

Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success and delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!

How do you brown butter? Browning the butter causes it to take on a distinctive, deep, nutty, caramel-like flavor. Browning butter is a simple process, but it’s helpful to know what you’re looking for! Here’s how you do it:

• Be sure to use a stainless-steel or light-colored pan so you can see the transformation of the butter. Otherwise, you won’t know when the butter is officially browned.  
• The process goes by quickly, so keep a close watch and don’t leave the stovetop.
• Brown the butter by looking and listening:
  • Place the butter over medium heat, stirring until melted. The butter will eventually begin to boil, and you’ll hear a crackling sound- this is the water evaporating from the butter. At this point, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to stir the butter frequently.
  • The boiling and crackling will eventually subside, and a foam will form on the surface.
  • While you stir, you’ll notice the liquid butter underneath the foam change from golden yellow to tan to caramel-colored. This is when you know the butter is properly browned and it’s time to come off the heat.
  • Remove from heat and pour butter into a heatproof bowl. Don’t forget to scrape out all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan! This is where all the best flavor comes from.

What is the best pan to use for this bake? A metal 9×9” pan is the best choice for this recipe. Metal conducts heat better than glass and will give you a more even bake throughout. I don’t recommend using a ceramic dish, as this has given me poor results- usually overdone edges and an under-baked center. 

How will I know these are done baking? You want to be careful not to overbake blondies so that they stay nice and fudgy! You’ll know the blondies are ready to come out of the oven when they’re golden, and the center is set but still ha a little “jiggle” to it. The blondies will continue to set as they cool.

How do you cut them into such neat squares? To make these into neat and tidy squares, it’s important that you let the blondies cool before removing from the pan and cutting. These blondies are ultra-gooey and fudgy, so if you try and remove them from the pan while they’re still warm, they will fall apart into a gooey mess.

A few notes before you bake:

The secret to thicker blondies is all in the technique! You’ll notice that this recipe calls for whisking the eggs into the butter/ brown sugar mixture on high speed. By doing this, you’re whipping air into the batter, which gives the batter more volume. After you’ve whipped all that air into the mixture, it’s important to be gentle with the batter to avoid knocking all the air out.

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