Macadamia and Brown Butter Blondies

By Roxana Jullapat, Bon Appétit

At her L.A. bakery Friends and Family, Roxana Jullapat bakes these blondies in a round cake pan, which ensures that each slice has a chewy, toasted edge and a soft center. “This caramel-flavored treat demonstrates the powerful pairing of brown butter and barley,” Roxana writes in her cookbook Mother Grains (out April 2021). Barley flour gives baked goods a silky, chewy texture, dense crumb, and butterscotch-y flavor. Want to experiment? Make these with 3⁄4 cup (80 g) einkorn flour in place of the barley flour for an even chewier blondie.


Yield: Makes 12

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray


• ½ cup (65 g) whole raw or toasted macadamia nuts


• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise


• 18 Tbsp. unsalted butter


• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (105 g) all-purpose flour


• ¾ cup (85 g) barley flour


• 1¾ tsp. baking powder


• 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt


• 1 cup plus 7 Tbsp. (packed; 285 g) dark brown sugar


• 2 large eggs


• 1 tsp. vanilla extract


• 2 pints ice cream of choice (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9"-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray and line bottom with a parchment paper round. If using raw macadamia nuts, toast on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Step 2

Scrape vanilla seeds into a small saucepan; add pod and butter. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter foams, then browns, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, scraping in all of the browned bits. Using tongs, remove and discard vanilla pod.

Step 3

Whisk all-purpose and barley flours, baking powder, and salt in another medium bowl. Add brown sugar to brown butter and stir to combine. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in dry ingredients, then vanilla extract and nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

Step 4

Bake blondies, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Let cool.

Step 5

Turn out blondies, remove parchment, and cut into 12 wedges. Serve each with a scoop of ice cream if desired.

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