Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies

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Bars are my favorite dessert to make because they’re so fast and easy. No dough to chill or individual cookies to form.

For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery blondies that are topped with the most amazing vanilla bean-infused caramel glaze, I called upon my trusty blondie base.

Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies - Soft, chewy, buttery blondies topped with the most amazing vanilla bean caramel glaze!! So good that you'll want to put it on everything!! Easy, no mixer recipe!

When I want an easy, fuss-free, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that I know everyone will love, it’s my go-to . With 25+ versions and counting, it never lets me down.

It’s an easy recipe to memorize because everything is ‘one’. In the 1 bowl used, melt 1 stick of butter, stir in 1 egg, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and 1 cup flour.

Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies - Soft, chewy, buttery blondies topped with the most amazing vanilla bean caramel glaze!! So good that you'll want to put it on everything!! Easy, no mixer recipe!

The blondies are glazed with one of my favorite glazes of all time. It’s adapted from the Spiced Apple and Banana Bundt Cake I made back in 2012, and I’ve never forgotten that glaze.

The glaze is caramely from the brown sugar, buttery, creamy, slightly salty that’s reminiscent of salted caramel, and flavored with vanilla bean paste. I recommend the paste because it’s more intensely flavored than vanilla extract, but extract will still work.

The glaze is rich, decadent, and I want it on everything. It’s especially good on the blondies and really makes the dessert pop.

Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies - Soft, chewy, buttery blondies topped with the most amazing vanilla bean caramel glaze!! So good that you'll want to put it on everything!! Easy, no mixer recipe!

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5 from 5 votes

Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies

By Averie Sunshine
Bars are my favorite dessert to make because they’re so fast and easy. For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery blondies that are topped with the most amazing vanilla-spiked caramel glaze, I called upon my trusty blondie base. It’s an easy, fuss-free, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe everyone loves. The glaze is caramely from the brown sugar, buttery, creamy, slightly salty and reminiscent of salted caramel, and flavored with vanilla bean paste. It’s rich, decadent, especially good on the blondies, and really makes the dessert pop. Use caution when making it because the mixture will bubble up as noted in the directions.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
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Ingredients  

Blondies

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Glaze

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (half of 1 stick)
  • cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 4 tablespoons half-and-half or cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (must be sifted)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, optional

Instructions 

  • Blondies – Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power.
  • Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until top is set in center and done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Blondies firm up as they cool. While blondies are cooling, make the glaze.
  • Glaze – This is a fast moving recipe; have everything in place before you begin. To a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
  • To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and bring to a boil, whisking nearly continuously. Allow the mixture to boil quite rapidly for 1 minute, whisking nearly continuously.
  • Remove pan from the heat, allow it to cool for about 1 minute, and add the cream, taking caution because the mixture will bubble up vigorously. Whisk aggressively to incorporate the cream and calm the bubbling.
  • After the bubbling has subsided, add the vanilla bean paste and whisk to combine, using caution because the alcohol in it could cause the mixture to bubble up again.
  • Add the confectioners’ sugar (I absolutely recommend using sifted sugar so the glaze whisks up smooth, silky, and free from lumps), optional salt, and whisk to combine. Glaze should be easily pourable but not too thin. If it’s too thin, add a touch more confectioners’ sugar and if it’s too thick, add a splash of cream and whisk until desired consistency is reached.
  • Pour glaze over blondies and allow it to set up for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Blondies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 313kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 150mg, Sugar: 38g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made these several times, they’re always a hit! I love that they are made with pantry staples and come together quickly. The glaze is to die for! There is never a need to store these – they are gone instantly😊. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made these several times, they’re always a hit! I love that they are made with pantry staples and come together quickly. The glaze is to die for! There is never a need to store these – they are gone instantly😊. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad these are a hit and yes like you said come together quickly and are made with pantry staples!

  3. 5 stars
    I’ve made these close to a dozen times. They really are the best blondie recipe. My only tip is to not pour on all of the frosting on an 8×8 blondie tray. It ended up being too much. But somewhere between 60-70% of the icing recipe was enough

    1. It’s a little tricky because there are many variables, but I would say no; but if in doubt I would add more rather than less than you think you need to. Enjoy!

  4. Yum! Can’t wait to try these! Have you ever doubled the recipe? I’m thinking I’d need to use a 9×13? Thanks.

    1. Thanks again for your quick reply….and another amazing recipe! I doubled the recipe and used the 9×13 pan, and they came out perfectly. I had several people tell me these were the best dessert they’ve ever had. :) Thanks!

      1. Such a big compliment for people to say these were the best dessert they’ve ever had! Thanks for sharing and glad it was a hit!

  5. These are anything but difficult to make and are SOO good–my most loved mix! 

    I utilized vanilla concentrate rather than glue, and the bars still ended up being tasty

  6. Me again – just wanted to say to everyone that it’s a good day to revisit this recipe as today is NATIONAL BLONDIE DAY!! :-) 

  7. These are easy to make and are SOOO good–my favorite combination!

    I used vanilla extract instead of paste, and the bars still turned out to be delicious. The caramel glaze is heavenly. My husband compared these bars to maple frosted donuts, and the comparison works somehow. But they mainly taste like deliciousness wrapped in caramel. Whenever I make dessert it usually involves some form of chocolate, but these are so good that I’ll forgive the lack of chocolate!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!

      The maple frosted donuts comparison is a great one, totally agree!

  8. @Averie Sunshine

    Your formula was the best! Was the blondie great, as well as the genuine coating was executioner. The vanilla bean inside was virtuoso!

    regards
    rakhi

  9. These. are. unbelievable!  Made them, ate them, dreamt about them, and wanted to do it all over again!  Truly a new favorite of mine!!!  The only “issue” I had, was I had no cream, but used whole milk instead and as I added, it caused some of my caramel to clump up. I was able to finish the caramel sauce off with vanilla bean, as I had no vanilla paste, and just fished out the clumps and ate those like chewy toffee!  Thank you for sharing!!!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Sometimes different fat percentages in milk can cause caramel (or frosting or sauces really) to do different things but sounds like it all worked out for you :)

  10. ohhh these blondies are so gorgeous and I can imagine how magical it must smell! ahhh I love vanilla beans and caramelllll

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Here’s to simple pantry ingredient recipes!

  11. Your recipe was the best! Not only was the blondie good, but the actual glaze was killer. The vanilla bean inside was genius!