2 sticks (8 oz.) butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons plain yogurt/sour cream
2 1/4 cups flour, well packed
3/4 teaspoon salt
– Flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Salted Caramel:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (2 oz.) chopped butter, room temp.
1/2 cup heavy cream (do not substitute milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (depending on preference)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhanging paper so you can lift the blondies out later.
In a light-colored (so you can observe the browning) skillet, brown the butter: chop up butter and place into skillet over a medium flame. First, the butter will melt. Once butter melts, it will foam and bubble. Make sure to stir the butter every few seconds with a rubber spatula. After a few minutes, the bubbling and noise will subside, golden specks will appear on the bottom of the pan, and the butter will start smelling nutty. This means your butter is browned!
Remove skillet from flame right away and pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl to stop the cooking. Make sure to scrape in all the browned specks from the bottom of the pan. Warning: Butter should have golden/amber specks, not completely brown ones. If the butter is too browned, your blondies may have a burnt/bitter taste.
Let butter cool five minutes in the bowl. (I like to prepare my caramel while butter is cooling). Stir in brown sugar.
Add in egg and vanilla extract and stir vigorously until smooth. Mix in yogurt/sour cream.
Mix in flour and salt till just combined. Spread half the dough into prepared pan evenly. Pour slightly cooled caramel on top and spread evenly, trying to avoid edges. Drop dollops of remaining dough over caramel and spread evenly on top, covering the caramel. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired.
Bake blondies for 20-24 minutes, or until just set and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few gooey crumbs. Don’t over bake – the blondies should be very soft and gooey.
Let blondies cool before lifting them out of the pan by the parchment paper and slicing into bars.
Salted Caramel: Pour sugar into a medium saucepan and place over a medium flame. Stir frequently with a high-heat rubber spatula. Sugar will start clumping and then melt into an amber liquid.
Once sugar is completely melted, add in chopped butter right away. Take care, because the caramel will bubble a lot when you pour butter in. Stir till butter is melted.
Once butter is melted, pour in the heavy cream carefully and slowly while stirring caramel. Caramel will bubble a lot again. Allow to cook for about 60 seconds and then remove from flame.
Stir in vanilla extract and salt and then let cool slightly before using. You can transfer caramel to a bowl and place in fridge to speed up cooling process.
*Note: caramel can be made ahead and kept in fridge in air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. To liquify again, warm up for a few seconds in microwave or pot.
