KABOCHA SAGE BROWN BUTTER BLONDIES
The classic butterscotch and vanilla blondie notes get a dose of Fall vibes (even though I know it’s officially winter at this point) with this recipe! Kabocha is a mild squash, similar to acorn or delicata, that sings beautifully with sage. And of course, BROWNED BUTTER, because if there is any opportunity to include it, I 100% will. No other preamble here, let’s get to it!
Kabocha Sage Brown Butter Blondies
Adapted from Cookies & Cups
Makes 24 bars
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 cups kabocha puree (see Notes)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sage, finely diced
To make: In a medium sauce pan, cook butter over medium heat and brown butter. The butter will come to a boil, foam, then begin to change in color to a light brown. You will smell nutty aromas just before the butter browns, and make sure to swirl the pan frequently. The moment you see a few brown specks, take off heat and continue swirling — the residual heat will continue to brown the butter without overdoing it. The final color should be a caramel/amber color. Let brown butter cool for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add kabocha and sage and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients: cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and flour, and mix to incorporate. Pour batter into pan and smooth the surface evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and the middle is set. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing bars into squares.
Notes: If making kabocha puree from scratch, take a small kabocha squash and scrub and wash to clean. Cut the squash in half — kabocha squash is quite hard and thick, so it’s easier to cut if you microwave the squash for ~2 minutes to soften the skin a bit. Once cut in half, scoop out seeds then cover skin and flesh with olive oil. Place kabocha skin down onto baking sheet aand bake in an over at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Scoop out flesh and puree in food processor. Candidly, I didn’t want to bother with a food processor so I mashed the squash with a fork, which definitely made the batter lumpier than it should have been, but hey, saved effort and desired taste result. Fine with me.