I have several obsessions in the kitchen that I am wary to break free from since that would mean less of them and more of things like kale or squash or allthethingsIloathe. So today, it should not be surprising that I am bringing to you perhaps one of my favorite obsessions: brown butter. Obsession, as in, would use a brown butter scented bath soap if I could find one–and yes, I have looked. I have prattled on and on about it all over these pages, fawning, yearning, drooling, even shunning you away so I could hoard it all to myself. But I’ve had a revelation. Probably after tearing up over the insane adorableness of my little Oliver Twist-ish child (thanks to a grandparent of course), but none the less a revelation: that I need to share, so that my son will learn to share, because I am positive he will not want to share anything resembling these blondies.

It’s taken me over a week of contemplation to finally come to terms with the fact that you should add these to your indulgences (indulgences? Or, missing element in the basic food groups?) but I reserve the right to keep the peanut butter brownies to myself, for now at least. A few more days of sending my 3 month son off to work and I’m sure I will be wallowing in them as well and needing someone (read: you) to sit down and help me eat them as I sob that he is already grown up and it happened way too quickly.

These blondies are soft, dense, moist and fudgy like a brownie, yet prefer to swap out their chocolate for the better route of sopping with brown butter (read: it is the only liquid used, save 2 tablespoons of lemon juice) and laced with just enough sour lemon to slice through any rich qualms you might have. But folks, this may sound a bit weird, but what makes you, begs you, and implores you to go back for another one, and another one, and another one until your hand hits metal on every side is not the first bite, but the last. The last bite, after the first bite wowed you, the second excited you, that third and final bite makes you sink into your chair pondering how something could be possibly, well, possible. And it then uses it super addictive brown butter powers over you as you get up to get just one more until, like us, the pan is gone in less than 24-hours.

That’s it. I’ve done it. I officially added a brown butter section to the recipe index, as I believe it deserves a place of it’s own. And yes, that may be me being slightly dramatic.

One Year Ago: Broccoli Rabe and Goat Cheese Pizza

Two Years Ago: Skirt Steak with Caramelized Shallots and Red Wine Jus, Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats — surprise! more brown butter over here too — and Nutella Ice Cream

Brown Butter Blondies
Adpated from Essentials of Baking

Makes 40 1-inch blondies

Notes: I’m sure most of you avid bakers will probably give me very dirty side eyes about this, but I have streamlined a two bowl/one pot recipe down to just one pot. In the three times I’ve made these in the last week — oops, I wasn’t suppose to mention that — I’ve done it the “correct way” and just dumped everything together, and for me, the results were the same. So, if you are interested in streamlining: brown your butter in a large sauce pan, I would say at least 3 – 4qt. Add your sugars and wet ingredients, stir together, then add the dry and combine. Bake as listed below.

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
21 tablespoons (2 sticks + 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter an 9 x 13-inch pan. Line with parchment, letting the edges overhang making a parchment sling. Butter lining and set aside.

In a large bowl add flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.

In a small saute or sauce pan, over low heat, cook the butter until light brown and gives off a nutty aroma, about 6 minutes.  Remove pan from the heat, and let cool.

In a second bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and cooled butter.  Stir to combine with a wooden spoon.  Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and stir until smooth.  Add dry ingredients in 2 batches and stir until just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish.  Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out either clean or with crumbs…not batter.  If using parchment paper, gently lift blondies out of baking dish or pan and let cool on a wire rack, or you could just cut them in the pan and eat immediately. It’s brown butter, people. Who are we kidding?