Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Super rich and sweet! Almond like a cross between caramel fudge and blondies.
Texture: My favorite part. Chewy yet gooey, crunchy yet soft, everything you could want in a single bite!
Ease: Quite simple and easy. The hardest part is how long these thick bars take to bake and cool…
Pros: Fun twist on a blondie, and perfect for fall.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Many of my most popular Instagram images feature the most ooey, gooey, and sinful treats I’ve managed to create.
You know the photos. Where you can basically see what taking a bite would feel like. That’s not easy to accomplish, but I think we’ve managed to do it here with these Caramel Pecan Blondies.
Can’t you just imagine yourself taking a bite out of one of these? The chewy blondies, the gooey caramel, and the crunchy pecans?
It’s a trifecta of textures that can’t be matched. Plus I just love that there’s a small fall twist on these blondies that makes them perfect now that the weather is cooling off.
Although I cut these into big squares in these photos, these blondies are ultra rich and definitely on the sweet side. If you’re serving a crowd cutting smaller pieces will absolutely suffice.
This recipe is actually super simple, too. The caramel in the middle is “short cut” caramel using melted down caramel squares from the store. I used the Kraft brand. I would also recommend using a metal pan to bake these, at they’ll cook much quicker. Glass or ceramic will cook much slower.
If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a photo to share, tagging me and #handletheheat on Instagram!
Email This Recipe
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox.
Ingredients
For the blondies:
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (400 grams) dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon molasses, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
For the caramel pecan filling:
- 25 soft caramel candies, unwrapped (200 grams)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch pan with foil or parchment. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Don’t skip this, the caramel filling gets sticky!
Make the blondies:
- In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla and stir until combined. Stir in the salt and flour.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top begins to set. Keep oven at 350°F.
Make the filling:
- Meanwhile, combine the unwrapped candies with the cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in the pecans.
- Pour the caramel over the middle of the bottom baked blondie layer. Pour the remaining batter over the caramel layer is completely covered.
- Return to the 350°F oven and bake for another 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Let cool completely before chopping into bars with a big sharp knife. Wipe the blade with hot water for cleaner slices.
- Serve or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Photos by Lauren J. Photography.
Such a great recipe, my whole family loved it and it’s so easy and quick to make!
Thank you, Tessa, your recipes never disappoint
This is the first recipe of yours I’ve mad (I’ve been following for years but this one I knew was a MUST make!
I used a metal pan and it came out perfectly, I’m not sure why so many people are having issues with cooking as long as they read your notes! I ended up waiting a little bit when I incorporated the eggs because I had to run to the neighbors to get one and that made the butter sugar egg mixture much thicker which worked really well. If you rush to add the ingredients it may be too wet.
I subbed light brown sugar because it is what I had on hand and it was still just as good.
These were so good and I definitely could see myself making these in the future! I think tossing some flaky sea salt on top would also be SO good !
Thanks for the awesome recipe ! I cannot wait to make more!
I made these previously and the caramel layer melted into the bottom layer. I want to give them another shot. Should the first layer cool a little bit before I add the caramel layer? Thanks
the ingredients are yummy
but it did not get cooked in 45 minutes
it looked ready so i took it out to cool
a few hours later when i sliced it, only the bottom was done—top was like raw, warm batter with an outer crust
maybe it should be in a larger dish than 8 x 8…?
Made these once before with a glass pan since that’s all I had and they still came out delicious!! I ended up cooking the 2 layers separately. Then layering them that way. I’m making them again today in a metal pan. I’m excited to see how they will turn out. Thank you for the wonderful recipe
I have never tried these but surely would like to have some.
Wow! This looks awesome. This filling is a great combination of tastes but what kind of soft caramel candies to use? Thank you in advance.
Not a big fan of how this turned out. The caramel just melted into the top layer. I was hoping the taste would make up for the looks of it but it doesn’t taste that great either. Kinda just tastes like butter and sugar with pecans.
Hi Tessa. I’m going to use store bought condensed milk style caramel for this.. do i still need to mix it with the cream or just use the caramel as it is?
thanks!
Hi Fran – I’ve only tested this recipe as written so I’m not sure that’ll work well.
What if I don’t have molasses? Can I substitute or just skip it? I have cane sugar (sort of powder)
Test comment from Sarah. This recipe was perfect!
Sarah’s question is how many brownies will be made? How could a quadruple the batch?