Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Pecan Blondies

My Maple Pecan Blondies are all about texture. I love a chewy cookie and a moist, fudgy brownie, so I combined those two textures into these blondies, with a satisfying crunch of toasted pecans inside and on top. I love a crunchy topping! The nuttiness of the toasted pecans balances out the caramel-like sweetness from the maple syrup and brown sugar so you’re left with a chewy, flavorful, and delightfully easy dessert. With just a simple drizzle of maple glaze and sea salt on top, these Maple Pecan Blondies go from amazing to mind blowing.

Plus, they come together in just one hour and only use one bowl, so there’s really no excuse not to make them for an after-dinner weeknight treat, last-minute dessert for company, or a no-hassle holiday dessert that’s guaranteed to disappear as soon as you say, “dessert’s ready!”

Watch Me Make Maple Pecan Blondies

Table of Contents

What is a Blondie?
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make
Storing and Reheating

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What is a Blondie?

Blondies are a delicious mix between a cookie and a brownie. They are baked in a tray like a brownie, but don’t have any cocoa powder. Yet they’re not just a chocolate-free brownie. Blondies have their own special, chewy texture and a caramel-y flavor that makes them a unique creation all their own. 

Whereas many cookies use softened butter creamed with sugar, these blondies use melted butter, which gives them a more moist texture when cooked in a baking pan (I recommend this one). The sweetener in a blondie is usually brown sugar instead of granulated white sugar, which gives it a more caramel-y flavor. My blondies recipe also has maple syrup to enhance the chewiness and give it a more robust flavor. Plus, maple syrup is just the perfect fall baking ingredient. And as with most blondies,mine also uses vanilla extract or vanilla paste.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pecans

There are so many reasons to love pecans. They are a softer nut and taste and smell even better when toasted. I add them as a crunchy topping for a variety of textures and flavors in these chewy blondies. If you are allergic to nuts, you can leave them out, or if you don’t like pecans, toasted walnuts would make a good substitute.

Brown Sugar

I recommend using light brown sugar in these chewy blondies instead of dark brown sugar because light brown sugar contains less molasses and therefore doesn’t overpower the blondie. I reserve the dark stuff for more intense dishes like barbeque sauce or gingerbread. But if you only have dark brown sugar on hand, a simple 1:1 substitution will do. They just might turn out a little chewier with a deeper molasses-y flavor.

Maple Syrup

Look for “pure” or “100%” maple syrup to avoid the imitation stuff. Different maple grades range from golden to very dark depending on how long it’s been boiled. The darker the syrup, the richer the flavor. Grade A is the best for this recipe (and the most common variety you’ll find in the store).

Vanilla Extract or Paste

Make sure to buy Pure Vanilla Extract or Paste instead of Pure Vanilla Flavor. Flavors are typically cheaper imitations and don’t taste as good. There is a wide variety of qualities for vanilla extracts and pastes, which is why I always choose Nielsen-Massey. I always have a bottle of this Vanilla Paste in my baking cabinet. Paste and extract can be used in 1:1 substitutions, but paste will give the blondie a richer vanilla flavor and slightly thicker batter texture.

Egg

Baking with room temperature eggs creates a smoother batter and a lighter texture. Adding cold eggs straight from the fridge tends to curdle the batter because it makes the butter cold, too. If you want to bake, like, right now, place your eggs in a glass of hot water until they come to room temperature, about 5-10 minutes. Because this recipe uses a whole egg and a yolk, I wouldn’t recommend substituting a flax egg for this recipe if you’re vegan.

Cinnamon

There are a lot of different kinds of cinnamon out there, but my one rule of thumb is the fresher the better. 

All-Purpose Flour

I always recommend unbleached all-purpose flour, my favorite easy-to-find and affordable brand being King Arthur. But Trader Joe’s also has a great unbleached all-purpose flour and an organic version in many stores. King Arthur also makes a good “Measure for measure” gluten free flour that you can substitute if you’re gluten free.

Salted Butter

I love baking with salted butter over unsalted butter because salty-sweet is one of my favorite taste combos in the world. You could also use unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand, but just add a pinch of salt to the batter.

Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar is also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. 

Flaky Sea Salt

I love topping desserts with flaky sea salt, again, for that salty-sweet combo that I love. Maldon makes the best flaky sea salt out there. I wouldn’t recommend topping with fine-grain salt as you really want the specific kind of saltiness that large crystals provide.

Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF and lining an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Storing and Reheating

If there are any left, you can store these Maple Pecan Blondies in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. They also freeze quite well in a tightly vacuum-sealed ziploc bag (you can zip the bag most of the way and suck the air out before zipping closed.)

To reheat from the fridge, microwave for 10-15 seconds so it gets a little gooey and chewy again. From frozen, reheat in the microwave in 20-second increments until warmed through.

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