Salted Maple Walnut Bourbon Blondies
These soft and chewy Salted Maple Walnut Bourbon Blondies have bold maple flavor underscored with spicy bourbon notes peeking out. Spicy, salty, and sweet, these salted blondies have it all!
Servings: 16 squares
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
For the maple glazed walnuts
- ½ cup (50 grams) walnuts, see Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) pure maple syrup, see Recipe Notes
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) kosher salt
For the blondies
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup (160 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) pure maple syrup, see Recipe Notes
- 1 (50 grams) large egg, at room temperature
- 1 to 2 tablespoon (14 grams) bourbon, see Recipe Notes
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- sea salt flakes, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 °F. Spray an 8- x 8-inch baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
- Make the maple glazed walnuts: In a small sauté pan, heat ½ cup walnuts, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the nuts are glazed, lightly toasted, and the bottom of the pan looks dry, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. When the nuts have cooled, coarsely chop them.
- Make the blondies: In a large bowl, combine ½ cup unsalted butter (melted), ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 large egg, 1 to 2 tablespoon bourbon, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg until everything is just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the glazed walnuts evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the bars are just starting to brown at the edges. They should seem slightly underbaked and will firm up as they cool.
- When the blondies come out of the oven, sprinkle them lightly with sea salt flakes then allow to cool in the baking pan to room temperature.
- When the blondies are completely cool, remove the slab from the pan using the parchment paper as a sling. Cut the slab into 2- x 2-inch squares.
- Chill the blondies for optimal chewiness and flavor. Serve and enjoy!
- Storage instructions: Store the blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week. These freeze well, wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a airtight plastic bag.
Recipe Notes
You can substitute another nut, like pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts, for the walnuts.
Maple syrup is a great flavor on its own, but when baking it's best to use a robust (dark) grade of syrup in order for the flavor to shine over the other ingredients. I look for the Grade A Dark Amber myself, but use what you like.
I like the spicy flavor the bourbon brings to the batter - the more you use, the more pronounced the flavor will be. Because we're not baking the brownies for a long time, not all the alcohol will bake out. This is an adults-only treat, and is not pregnancy- or kid-friendly. To make blondies safe, you can replace the bourbon with apple cider or leave it out and increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon.
Make sure to under-bake these blondies slightly by taking them out just before they’re fully baked. The blondies will firm up a bit as they cool and will have a soft and chewy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1square | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 193IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
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