Brown Butter Blondies

These are dangerous little things.

By dangerous, I mean, very rich and delicious, and I fear I could eat many.
Please get them out of my house.

Blondies are nothing like a brownie, except for their shape.
They really are a chocolate cookie bar.
End of story.

Here, the recipe from Sweeter Off the Vine takes blondies to a new level.
The author has added dates and brown butter, which gives these a crazy delicious nutty flavor.

I highly recommend you make these.
These were fantastic.

Brown Butter Blondies w/ Dried Cherries & Dates: (adapted loosely from Sweeter off the Vine)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 sticks butter (1/2 lb)
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (150g) dates, pitted and chopped (about a handful)
1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped (about a handful)
1/2 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line the bottom of a 9x9" pan for thick blondies (or 9x13" pan for thinner blondies) with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until melted. As it melts, the butter will foam. Keep cooking the butter after the foam subsides for another 7-10 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally.
It is done once the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter takes on a nutty fragrance.
Remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl to cool slightly.

Pit and dice the dates and dried cherries into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cream together sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, and salt. Mix until combined.
Whisk in the browned butter.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
Be sure the batter is no warmer than room temperature, then gently fold in dates, walnuts, dried cherries, and chocolate chunks.
The batter will resemble chocolate chip cookie dough.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-35 minutes (9x13 pan) or 35-45 minutes (9x9 pan), until shiny golden brown and slightly cracked on top and a toothpick comes out with crumbs attached.

Allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a metal cooling rack until completely cool.

Pairing: a nice cold glass of milk.