Caramel Pecan Blondie Recipe (2024)

When it comes to dessert, it’s hard to beat this homemade Caramel Pecan Blondie Recipe! Their crispy edges and chewy centers will keep you coming back for “just one more!”

You guys, let’s talk blondies. They’re the unsung hero of the dessert world and they totally need more attention. Sure brownies get all the glory – because chocolate – but blondies are a canvas for all your dessert fantasies! Add nuts, bourbon, or even white chocolate chips – one bite and you’ll be hooked!

So how did we get on the blondie train, Julie?

Last week, I was shopping and spotted a bag of soft caramels at the store in one of those holiday baking hubs they have. My mouth watered at the thought of those rich, creamy, buttery, vanilla-flavored squares of happiness and it was game on!

I wanted to make something amazing with the caramels (and not just eat them straight from the bag for once). I had just made cookies over the weekend and a cake was way more than I wanted to dive into at the moment. Blondies however sounded like the perfect option!

I grabbed some pecans too, because nuts and caramel are besties, and ran home to start baking. Mike said these were just about the best blondie recipe he’s ever had. I second that emotion.

What’s the difference between a brownie and a blondie?

Blondies are a vanilla dessert bar. They’re sometimes called “blonde brownies” since they lack any type of chocolate in the recipe. It’s common for there to be nuts in a blondie recipe too.

What’s the difference between a blondie and a cookie?

Blondies only use brown sugar which makes them soft and chewy with a crispy crust. While some people may classify them as a “cookie bar”, they are softer than cookies. So really, blondies belong more in the brownie family than the cookie family.

Caramel Pecan Blondie Ingredients

• Soft caramels – not the hard candies!
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
• Eggs
• Milk
• Vanilla
• Chopped pecans

I used pecans for my blondies, but you can swap them out for chopped walnuts or even macadamia nuts if you like.

The big thing to remember for this easy blondie recipe if that you need soft caramels. They get all melty and gooey while the blondies bake. It’s so freaking good!

If you can’t find soft caramels, you can use the caramel baking bits instead. You’ll need 7.5 ounces of the baking bits, which is about 2/3 of an 11-ounce bag.

How to Make Blondies

1. Start off by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. After that, line a 9-inch x 9-inch baking dish/pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges. You could also use foil, whichever of the two you have on hand.
2. Next, prep the caramels. Unwrap all of the caramels and then cut them in half. Then place them in a small bowl.
3. Then you want to sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the caramels and then toss to coat them in the flour. Then just set them aside for now.
4. Let’s make some blondie dough! Start by beating together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl for 2 minutes until it’s nice and fluffy.
5. Then, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat all of that together until it’s smooth.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until everything is just combined. You don’t want to over mix!
7. Go ahead and grab a rubber spatula and grease it with non-stick cooking spray. This dough is thick and a bit sticky. Take half of the dough and use your spatula to spread it into the bottom of your prepared pan. The dough should be a nice even layer.
8. Grab the caramels and sprinkle them all over the blondie dough. You can leave any excess flour in the bowl. Then sprinkle the pecans all over the caramels.
9. Now you want to add big dollops of the remaining blondie dough all over the caramel layer. Re-grease your spatula and press the dough out so it covers the caramels and nuts.
10. Then all you need to do is pop the baking pan into the oven and bake for 25 to 30minutes. The blondies are done when the edges are crispy and golden and the top is set, but still soft.
11. Take the blondies out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment to lift the blondies out of the pan. Peel the paper off the sides and bottom of the blondies before discarding it. Cut the blondies into 16 bars and dig in!

You can serve this blondie bar recipe warm with the caramel all gooey, or at room temperature. They’re especially delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

If you’re making these craveable chewy blondies around the holidays, you can use a stencil on top and then sprinkle some powdered sugar over the bars. I usually go with snowflakes. It adds a little something-something to our cookie plates.

If you’re craving dessert now, as you should be, here are some of my other favorites!

• Irish Cream Pistachio Fudge
• Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie
• Buckeyes
• Hazelnut & Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
• Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
• More desserts