Soft and chewy brown butter blondies stuffed with a generous layer of creamy cookie butter!
A few months ago, I made the most ridiculously delicious Nutella Stuffed Brownies. With two extra fudgy brownie layers surrounding a thick and lusciously smooth layer of Nutella, it was probably one of the most orgasmic food experiences I’ve had in a while.
After that exquisite encounter, I had been absolutely dying to create a blonde version.
THIS is what I came up with…
I’ll give you a moment to wipe the drool off of your keyboard…
Honestly, desserts like this should probably be illegal. NOTHING should ever look this scrumptiously divine. And if you can believe me, it tastes ten times better than it looks. The blondie itself is infused with the caramelized nuttiness of browned butter and it has the perfect soft and chewy bite. Not to mention, it’s loaded with crunchy walnuts.
And then you have the smooth, silky, and sinful layer of cookie butter sandwiched between the buttery blondie dough. How can you NOT be utterly OBSESSED with this blondie??
Now, the good news is that this blondie is incredibly easy to make! However, the bad news is that your patience will definitely be tested as you wait for the blondies to set up fully after they bake. Since the cookie butter layer is super duper soft, the blondie has to cool to AT LEAST room temperature before it’s even ready to be sliced into. But I promise you, the wait is SO TOTALLY WORTH IT.
So to kick things off, we’ll start with the cookie butter layer. Take an 8-inch square baking dish and line it with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides for easy removal–no need to spray it with cooking spray. Take your cookie butter (Biscoff or Speculoos spread), and evenly spread it into the bottom of the pan. This goes straight into the freezer for about an hour, so that it can harden.
Oh, and for those of you who haven’t had the ultimate pleasure of trying this spectacular spread, its flavor is rich and slightly spiced with cinnamon. It also has a deep caramel flavor and the consistency is very similar to peanut butter. You should be able to find it in your grocery store near the peanut butter. If you can’t find it in your store, Trader Joe’s always has it in stock!
Once completely frozen, remove the cookie butter “slab” from the pan by using a knife to loosen the edges, then pulling the parchment paper sides up to lift the slab out of the pan. Simply peel the parchment paper off of the cookie butter slab, place the parchment paper back into the pan (to use for the blondies), and return the cookie butter slab to the freezer.
Now it’s time to make the dough! You’ll start by browning two sticks of butter in a medium saucepan. Yes, you read that correctly. TWO sticks of butter. We ain’t playin’ around here! This browned butter not only gives the blondies that blissfully caramelized nuttiness, but it also creates that nice crackly top as it’s baking in the oven.
Although most baking recipes opt for unsalted butter to allow for salt control, I prefer to use salted butter when it involves browning the butter. I’ve found that the caramelized flavor comes through a lot better in salted butter as opposed to unsalted.
Once your butter is browned and beautiful, all you have to do is add the rest of the ingredients. Start by whisking in the brown sugar, then stir in the eggs and vanilla. Switch to a wooden spoon, and stir in the all-purpose flour and baking powder. To prevent over-mixing, I like to add the chopped walnuts when I’m about halfway through incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Now it’s time to layer everything into the baking dish. Pour half of the blondie dough into the baking dish, smoothing it out evenly. Then take your frozen cookie butter slab and place it right on top. Take the rest of your blondie dough and spread it evenly over the cookie butter slab. Pop the pan in the oven, and bake until nice and golden brown–about 30-35 minutes.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s definitely a waiting game involved when it comes to these blondies. You don’t want to slice into them too soon, or you’ll end up with a waterfall of cookie butter. Which doesn’t sound THAT bad when you think about it…
For these blondies, I allowed them to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing them into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. For extra assurance, I transferred them from the refrigerator to the freezer for about 30 more minutes. When I took them out, the edges were pretty set, yet still nice and creamy. However, the center was still a little runny, so I stuck them back in the freezer for another 30 minutes. After I took them out of the freezer, they sliced perfectly.
My sincerest apologies to your keyboard which is most likely covered in drool at this point…
Cookie Butter Stuffed Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup cookie butter (Biscoff or Speculoos Spread)
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on both sides for easy removal. Scoop the cookie butter into the pan and spread evenly into the pan. Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until solid.
- Using paper overhang, remove cookie butter slab onto a plate, peeling the parchment paper off of the slab. Return cookie butter slab to the freezer and place the parchment paper back into the pan. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned and nutty, turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Switch to a wooden spoon, add the flour and baking powder and stir until just combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into an even layer. Carefully place the frozen cookie butter slab on top of the batter. Pour remaining batter on top, covering cookie butter slab completely.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and there's no jiggle in the center when you gently wiggle the pan. Allow to cool in the pan for 1 hour* before slicing and serving.
- Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.