I’ve had this Costco sized bag of almond flour hidden in the back of my freezer for God knows how long, and when I ran out of flour but desperately needed a baked good, I couldn’t have been happier to dig out that bag from the depths of the freezer. I am by no means an alternative flour baking guru, so I turned to two of my favorite baking and cooking sites for guidance. This recipe is a mash up of the King Arthur Flour almond flour brownie recipe, and the Bon Appetit breakfast blondies, and I’m over the moon pleased with my little baking experiment.

My brown butter breakfast blondies are gluten free, but you’d never know it- chewy in the center, crispy around the edges, and filled with toasted nuts, oats, nut butter, and coconut- they taste like the dreamiest peanut butter cookie. Brown butter and brown sugar add a lovely butterscotch note, and a touch of flaky sea salt brings the perfect salty bite to balance out the sweet. These go especially well with coffee, and have just enough feel good ingredients to make them passable as a breakfast food, but honestly, I’d be surprised if the batch lasted until dinner.

Brown Butter Breakfast Blondies

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 C raw almonds, chopped

1/4 C raw peanuts, chopped

1/4 C creamy unsalted peanut butter

1 1/4 C sugar

1/2 C dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp kosher salt

3 eggs

1/3 C rolled oats

1/4 C oat flour

1 1/4 C almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 C unsweetened large coconut flakes

1 large pinch Maldon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and line a 9 x 9” baking dish with parchment paper, letting the paper overhang on two sides of the pan creating a sling.

In a frying pan melt the butter over medium low heat. Once the butter has just melted, add the chopped almonds and peanuts, and let the butter continue to cook and toast the nuts. The butter will sputter and foam, and sound mad as hell, but keep going. Make sure to keep a careful watch as it browns, as the butter and nuts will go from nutty and golden to burnt in the blink of an eye. The whole process will take about 5 minutes or so from start to finish. Strain the brown butter and nuts through a fine mesh strainer, collecting the butter in a large mixing bowl. Set the nuts aside in a small bowl.

Add the peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt to the brown butter, and whisk until everything is mixed completely together. Incorporate the eggs, one at a time, making sure it is completely mixed in before adding the next one.

Stir in the rolled oats, oat flour, almond flour and baking powder, stirring just until incorporated. Transfer batter to the baking dish, and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the toasted nuts, coconut flakes, and flaky sea salt over the top.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the blondies are golden brown and the edges have started to come away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Remove the blondies from the pan using parchment paper handles to carefully lift them out. Cut into squares.