Grandma's Butterscotch Brownies

These are blondies before anyone called them blondies, what your grandma probably just called “butterscotch brownies". The trick to that deep caramel flavor is dark brown sugar, which carries more molasses than light brown and gives the bars their burnt-sugar backbone.

Melted butter, not creamed, is the move here. Creamed butter introduces air and gives you a cakey texture, while melted butter creates the dense, fudgy chew that makes blondies what they are.

Don’t overbake. The center should still feel slightly soft when you press it, the edges firm and pulling away from the pan. Carry-over heat finishes the bake as the bars cool.

Let them rest 10 to 15 minutes in the pan before slicing. Cut too soon and they crumble, wait too long and they harden up and lose that just-set chew.

Pro Tips

• Line the pan with parchment leaving an overhang. Lift the slab out for clean square cuts.
• Use real butter, never margarine. The brown sugar needs that buttery fat to develop the butterscotch flavor.
• A pinch of salt in the batter sharpens the sweetness, especially if your butter is unsalted.
• Store covered at room temperature for up to four days, they only get better on day two.

Variations

• Fold in a cup of toasted pecans or walnuts for crunch.
• Stir in ½ cup butterscotch chips for an over-the-top butterscotch hit.
• Drizzle cooled bars with a thin maple glaze for a bake-sale finish.