You may have noticed I’m on a bit of a hazelnut kick in my recent baking creations. That’s probably a consequence of moving to Oregon (they grow exceptionally well here), but I also just really like hazelnut as a flavor. And these malted hazelnut blondies are definitely a new favorite for me – all the brown sugar buttery magic of a blondie plus the nutty goodness of hazelnuts! Yes, ma’am!

These were also inspired by a friend who is allergic to pecans. Those are typically the go-to nut for blondie recipes, but I assumed correctly that swapping them out for hazelnuts would be even better. Adding a little bit of malted milk powder just deepened the flavor in really pleasing ways.

Since apparently malted milk powder is no longer the grocery store staple it once was, I ordered a giant can of it last month. Seriously – I’ve hunted for it at probably six Portland supermarkets to no avail. Now I have quite the supply, so you can probably expect more malted recipes in the coming months. However, if you don’t love malted milk enough to order a bunch or aren’t able to lay hands on it easily, you can leave it out of the recipe. The hazelnut blondies will still be super tasty without it.

Sidenote: apologies for the scattered posting of late, friends. There’s been a mix of travel and house hunting and a lot of recipe testing. There are several fun things queued up, and I’m going to try and get back into more consistent updates!

Ingredients are listed in the order they appear in the recipe and anything that requires prep is in bold. Ingredients are bolded in the directions when you first encounter them and the quantity required is included. Time estimates are bolded and italicized. I also include notes about any special equipment you’ll need.

Malted Hazelnut Blondies

(adapted from the basic blondies recipe in 100 Cookies, which I definitely recommend)

Required equipment: 9×13 baking pan. I recommend using a metal baking pan if you have it.

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) dark brown sugar (light brown is okay, too)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2  cups (215 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (22 g) malted milk powder (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 large egg, *room temperature (see note below)
• 1 1/2 cups (175 g) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 cup (85 g) white chocolate chips

Prep work: *set out an egg an hour or so in advance to bring it to room temperature. Or, to accelerate the process, fill a bowl/measuring cup with warm water and place the egg in the water. This will bring it up to room temperature pretty quickly. Also, if you didn’t purchase pre-toasted hazelnuts (highly recommend Trader Joe’s for these), then toast your hazelnuts and roughly chop them into small-medium chunks. 

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a 9×13 baking pan (preferably metal) with foil or parchment  to make it easier to remove the blondies after baking, and grease with cooking spray. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together the 12 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until homogenous and remove from heat. Stir in the 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla and set aside to cool to approximately room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2  cups flour, 2 tablespoons malted milk powder (optional), and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.

Add the 1 egg to the butter and sugar mixture, and stir to thoroughly combine. Once the mixture is homogeneous, add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Then, add the 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and gently mix until evenly distributed.

Transfer the mixture to the greased pan and spread into an even layer (the mixture will be quite thick). Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, until the edges are browned and the top is an even golden color, just starting to form cracks. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer – it should come out with just a couple of crumbs. If there’s still wet dough on the tester, put back in for a few more minutes.

Allow blondies to cool completely in the pan before pulling the foil or parchment out to transfer them to a cutting board.

_{Disclaimer: in the hopes of some (far off) day being able to quit my day job, this post contains affiliate links. Unless otherwise noted, I only link to things I actually recommend, and I might earn a commission if you end up buying something. That would be cool, but no worries if it’s not your thing.}