There is a reason this delicious butterscotch brownie recipe is one of our favorite desserts, it’s super decadent! Serve it with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream and you will be in heaven. If you are a butterscotch lover then you have to this Butterscotch Fudge. Or make these No Bake Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookies.
Homemade Butterscotch Brownies Recipe
Before diving too deeply into this brownie recipe, I think you should know that this is a Blue Ribbon winning recipe. That means it has to be good, right!
Move over Betty Crocker box mix, today we are making brownies from scratch!
This old-fashioned butterscotch brownie recipe is everything you want it to be. Chewy, sweet, and full of butterscotch flavor. It isn’t a traditional brownie made with cocoa powder, but instead it has a brown sugar base that gives it its signature flavor (and color).
This recipe is proof that brownies don’t have to taste like chocolate to be delicious.
As if they weren’t amazing enough just living their lives as plain butterscotch brownies…these dessert bars had to bump it up a notch by having THREE whole layers!
The base of this extravagant recipe is a soft chewy brownie that bakes up golden brown and is filled with crunchy nuts.
Of course, that gets smothered with a sweet brown butter frosting as you can see.
And it doesn’t stop there. The final coating, a rich, drippy chocolate glaze, goes on top of the frosting. That is three layers of amazingness.
This may not be a classic brownie recipe, but if you have a sweet tooth, you have to make these chewy blondies!
What are Butterscotch Brownies?
I think a better way to explain these brownies is to talk about the difference between butterscotch brownies and regular brownies. That is simple to answer! The difference is the chocolate.
These butterscotch brownies, also known as blondies or blonde brownies, are missing chocolate. Although, missing seems like the wrong word with how delicious they are.
What do Butterscotch Brownies taste like?
This blondie recipe is more of a molasses, vanilla flavor and not chocolatey like traditional chocolate brownies. These are buttery and sweetened with brown sugar and a layer of browned butter frosting. There is some chocolate flavor added back in with the chocolate layer. Butterscotch lovers unite with this butterscotch blondies recipe!
Butterscotch Brownies Ingredients
This chewy butterscotch brownies recipe is made with all of these yummy ingredients, most of which are pantry staples. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for full amounts.
- Butter: Unsalted butter will be used in the brownies, frosting, and chocolate layer.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar can be used or half and half of both. Using dark brown sugar will yield a darker and sweeter brownie.
- Egg: One large egg.
- Vanilla: You will want to use vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla flavoring. Vanilla is needed for the brownie base as well as the frosting.
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: Make sure that it isn’t expired.
- Salt: I like to use kosher or fine sea salt.
- Nuts: We use chopped walnuts.
- Powdered Sugar: If it’s super lumpy you can run it through a sifter.
- Half and Half: Is used for the frosting. Milk can also be substituted.
- Chocolate Squares: Baking chocolate squares are typically found in the baking aisle. I use semi-sweet chocolate.
How to Make Butterscotch Brownies
Here are the basic instructions to make this easy recipe. For full directions check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment paper sling. Then butter or spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
STEP 2: In a medium bowl mix together the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
STEP 3: In a large bowl, combine together the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla.
STEP 4: Combine flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing between additions. Mix in chopped walnuts.
STEP 5: Pour the brownie batter in the prepared pan. Place on the center rack of the oven and cook. Leave in pan and cool on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
STEP 6: Make the frosting by heating butter in a small saucepan until a light golden brown, then remove from heat. Pour into a bowl of a stand mixer and mix in the powdered sugar. Next, mix in the half and half and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Frost blondies once they are completely cooled.
STEP 7: Make the chocolate layer by melting the chocolate squares in a small saucepan with the butter over low heat. Stir constantly. Once slightly cooled, pour over the frosting layer of the blondies.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Even richer brownies. Add candy chips to the brownie batter. You could use white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. The addition of butterscotch chips will make these really butterscotchy.
- Larger baking pan. If you bake these in a 9-inch baking pan, you will need to reduce the baking time and they will be thinner bars. Cook for 18-20 minutes, then check on blondies for doneness. Continue cooking until cooked through.
- Add-ins. Some delicious add ins are 1 tablespoon of orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, or 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder.
Butterscotch Brownies Storage & Freezer Instructions
How to keep blondies at room temperature? Once the blondies have cooled completely, store in an airtight container. They will last up to 5 days at room temp.
How to freeze butterscotch brownies? Let the blondies cool completely (do not frost or add chocolate layer) and wrap in plastic wrap. Then put into an air tight, freezer safe container. They can be frozen for 3 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.
How to thaw blondies? Thaw frozen blondies at room temperature.
Try these other dessert recipes!
- Snickerdoodle Bars with Cinnamon Frosting
- Apple Crisp with Gala Apples
- Strawberry Gooey Butter Cookies
- Watergate Cake
- Brownies from Scratch
If you’ve tried this easy butterscotch brownie recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!
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Butterscotch Brownies
Ingredients
Butterscotch Brownies
- 1/4 cup butter, melted, unsalted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Brown Butter Frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Layer
- 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, 1 oz
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
Instructions
To Make Butterscotch Brownie Layer
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment paper sling. Then butter or spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
-
In a medium bowl mix together the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
-
In a large mixing bowl, combine together the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla.
-
Combine flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing between additions. Mix in chopped walnuts. The batter will be very thick.
-
Pour the brownie batter in the prepared pan. Place on the center rack of the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the blondies in the pan to cool on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
To Make Brown Butter Frosting
-
Make the frosting by heating butter in a light colored small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously for about 6-8 minutes until a light golden brown, then remove from heat. Immediately pour into a heat safe container like a liquid measuring cup. If left in the pan the butter will burn.
-
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the powdered sugar and brown butter. Next, mix in the half and half and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Frost blondies once they are completely cooled.
To Make Chocolate Layer
-
Make the chocolate layer by melting the chocolate squares in a small saucepan with the butter over low heat. Stir constantly. Once slightly cooled, pour over the frosting layer of the blondies. Tip the pan around to fully cover the top.
Recipe Notes
- Even richer brownies. Add candy chips to the brownie batter. You could use white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. The addition of butterscotch chips will make these really butterscotchy.
- Larger baking pan. If you bake these in a 9-inch baking pan, you will need to reduce the baking time and they will be thinner bars. Cook for 18-20 minutes, then check on blondies for doneness. Continue cooking until cooked through.
- Add-ins. Some delicious add ins are 1 tablespoon of orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, or 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder.
- Butterscotch brownies will last up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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