At my local Sprouts store I stumbled upon a seasonal display filled with all things pumpkin spice flavored. Hiding right in the middle of all that pumpkin was this mix for salted caramel blondies. This sounds like exactly the kind of treat that will hit the spot for me this fall despite my hesitation towards blondies. I am a die-hard brownie fan and want anything and everything chocolate so to remove the best part of a brownie feels so wrong that I tend to stay away from blondies but salted caramel might just be what convinces me otherwise.
This mix is simple, even simpler than a brownie mix. It only requires melted butter and eggs. Once mixed together I found it was more of a dough than a batter like I had expected. It tasted like homemade caramel and the butter flavor was wonderful, I’m glad this mix didn’t call for oil. I definitely recommend using real butter, not margarine, in this mix if you can.
The box recipe calls for a 9×9 pan but I rebelled and used an 8×8 pan since that is what I had handy. I flattened the batter out into my 8×8 pan and it was the right thickness in my opinion. I felt like this mix would actually make decently sized blondies once finished. Next, I sprinkled the provided sea salt on top. I used about half of what was provided since I’m not the biggest fan of loose salt on my desserts. I felt like they provided a more than fair amount so you have the option to really cover your dough or go light depending on how salty you want your salted caramel blondies to be.
I put the pan into the oven at 325° for 25 minutes. It calls for 30-35 minutes but most box mix brands lie so I tend to be cautious. At exactly 30 minutes the toothpick came out clean and the blondies were baked. A brand new brand and an exact bake time? This feels like winning the lottery. Probably.
After coming out of the oven I saw most of the salt melted in so I panicked and sprinkled more on top. Then once it had been cooling for a bit I cut this pan into 16 pieces. Unfortunately while cutting the pan each piece got torn up and they were all ugly. The smell was phenomenal though so I could let the appearance slide but it is a disappointment because I am always thinking about sharing desserts and most people decide to eat something “homemade” based on looks first.
The consistency and flavor of these were really, really good. Surprisingly, I found myself wanting even more salt so I definitely recommend using more of the packet than I did. The flavor was like a homemade caramel, a toasted sugar and browned butter flavor. I really really enjoyed these and think they’re the perfect subtle fall treat. I never thought I’d like a blondie so much but I would absolutely pick this mix up again.
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