I’m not really a huge ice cream person. I’d rather have the toppings.
So I skipped the ice cream and baked my two favorite ice cream toppings into bars.
They’re soft, moist, rich, and dripping with both hot fudge and salted caramel.
Make your own 10-Minute Homemade Hot Fudge (GF) and Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or use storebought. Homemade is nice because you can gift any extra and it keeps for ages in the fridge.
But we’re all so busy, and I’m all about convenience, ease, and simplicity, which is why I love these blondies.
The recipes follows the pattern of my trusty blondies go-to recipe, made in one-bowl, no mixer required, and the batter is whisked together in minutes before being baked.
Literally takes 5 minutes, and it’s a small batch recipe, only making about 9 bars in an 8-inch pan.
That’s nice if you’ve been eating your weight in Christmas cookies and holiday appetizers and don’t need a big batch of anything, but just need a little something to calm those pesky chocolate cravings.
Simply melt one stick of butter in a bowl in the micro, stir in an egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and flour, before swirling in the hot fudge and salted caramel.
Don’t get too carried away when you’re swirling because the hot fudge in particular spreads while baking. It’s okay to leave some fairly bare and unswirled patches because if you over-do it, the swirls will all bake together and the top will look muddy and messy. It’ll still taste great, but just won’t be quite as pretty.
Because ovens, climates, and brands of hot fudge and salted caramel vary, bake until your blondies are done. Watch your blondies, not the number on the clock, when determining doneness.
The hot fudge and caramel will be glistening, shiny, and stay wet-looking, so make sure you’re evaluating the blondies, not the toppings, if you’re doing a toothpick test.
The blondies are soft, dense, moist, and the butter and brown sugar caramelize while baking.
Between the inherent caramelization and the salted caramel swirls, there’s plenty of bold caramel flavor.
The slight saltiness in the caramel sauce cuts some of the sweetness from the hot fudge, and caramel and chocolate are such a great flavor pairing.
The chocolate rivers than run through them make me want to go river-rafting through a couple blondies.
Who needs ice cream when you’ve got the toppings.
The best part.
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Hot Fudge and Salted Caramel Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- about 1/3 cup 10-Minute Homemade Hot Fudge
- about 1/3 cup Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly drizzle the hot fudge over the top.
- Evenly drizzle the salted caramel over the top.
- With the tip of a table knife, lightly swirl the hot fudge and caramel into the batter. Don’t overdo the swirling because the hot fudge spreads and widens as it bakes, and if you overdo the swirling, the surface will look blackened and messy post-baking. It’s okay to leave some fairly bare and unswirled patches.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center (if you can find a bare patch to test) comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. The hot fudge and caramel will be glistening, shiny, and stay wet-looking, so make sure you’re evaluating the blondie base, not the toppings, if you do a toothpick test. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you prefer hot fudge or salted caramel? Or both!
Averie, these look so decadent and delicious!! I love the caramel and hot fudge swirls, so yummy! Pinned :)
Thanks for pinning and I seriously want the rosemary brittle of yours!
Wow these blondies look insane! Hot fudge and salted caramel, how irresistible :)
You can never go wrong with blondes! Salted blondies probably rock!
These blondies look killer, love the fudge and caramel combo!
You always come up with the best blondie ideas! Another amazing looking treat. I’m not much of an ice cream person either, except when I make it or break in to my Jeni’s stash in the freezer. Her ice cream sandwiches will turn you into an ice cream believer. Merry Christmas, Averie!
I’ve heard amazing things about Jeni’s recipes and seen photos of things on blogs that look to die for! Good to know you’re a fan and Merry Christmas, too!
Hot fudge + salted caramel! You are satisfying multiple cravings all at once here! Beautiful dessert! Averie, I wish you very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Girl I’ve been pinning your cookies all month and YOU have some beautiful desserts! Merry Xmas to you, too! :)
These bars look amazing! The swirl of hot fudge or salty caramel on their own (or both, in this case!!) is my idea of perfection.
Happy Holidays Averie!! :)
Thanks Laura & happy holidays to you, too! :)
I am a ice cream person. I am thinking how amazing a sundae would be if this brownie was the base. Yummy!
Nom nom nom nom nom! Can you ship these to me?? Those look delicious :) Thanks for sharing Averie :)
Would love to ship them – all the way from Aruba :)
HA!
I’d rather have the toppings too.
Everywhere I go I always get the ice cream with the most stuff in it.
Or as you’ve seen in my Instagram account, when I go to Dairy Queen I pretty much just ask for a cup of of peanut butter sauce.
Merry Christmas to you Av, in case I don’t comment again–I wish you a wonderful Christmas.
Thank you, oh so much for ALWAYS leaving the sweetest, most endearing comments on my blog–you are a wonderful friend!
xoxo
A cup of PB sauce sounds excellent right now :) And Merry Xmas to you, too! Thanks for always being a great friend, too! xoxoxo
I am the same – I could care less about the ice cream, it is ALL about the toppings! Can’t wait to try this recipe out. Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks, Meredith, and for a toppings lover, these are perfect I think!
Hot fudge and caramel!!?? LOVE!
ohmygaaaawwwwd these look INSAAANE. lovelovelooove yummy yummmmyyyyy!!!
Thanks girl :)
Totally with you on not needing ice-cream..it just melts. I’d like my sugar in the form of moist, dense chocolate fudge and salted caramel blondies please! One week until jumping back on the healthy train and these look like the best way ever to finish my sugar ingestion! Pinned! Merry Christmas Averie!
I’d like my sugar in the form of moist, dense chocolate fudge and salted caramel <-- Amen, me too! Thanks for pinning & enjoy your next week :)
Hot fudge or salted caramel….I’ll take both any time I can (with a shameless admission that I’d love a scoop of ice cream on top of that blondie too). This is exactly what I love about your desserts–satisfying multiple cravings in every bite! It’s so easy to see why your basic blondie recipe is such a keeper–that “just set” inside gets me every time. These look wonderful! I had to chuckle at my stepdaughter’s assessment of a neighbor’s cookie over the weekend…”I think they’re over-baked”.
satisfying multiple cravings in every bite = that’s a great compliment and thank you! :) I try because one-dimensional desserts are just not satisfying or enjoyable for me!
I totally love your stepdaughter’s assessment. That is classic :) Have a wonderful Christmas, Paula!
Merry Christmas to you and your family Averie! Soak up some warmth and sunshine for me in Aruba–we’re a bit bundled up here in the Midwest !
Thanks, Paula! I plan to do very little work today and make it a beach day :)
Drool. How could I not have thought to combine hot fudge and salted caramel before? The best of both worlds. I have one week before my eating (a little) less dessert New Year’s resolution comes into play, so I guess I better get around to these!
Enjoy the next week and take full advantage of it :)