Okay, so I’ve been seeing these salty honey brown butter bars all over my feed, and I finally caved. Gotta try them, right? Let me tell you, the process was a bit of a rollercoaster, but the end result? Totally worth it.
First, I gathered all my ingredients. I’m talking butter, obviously, brown sugar, honey, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt. Oh, and the flaky sea salt for the top – that’s the key!
Browning the Butter
This was the part I was most nervous about. I’ve messed up brown butter before, and it’s not pretty. So, I melted the butter in a light-colored pan (so I could actually see what was happening) over medium heat. I kept swirling it around, watching it like a hawk. It went from melted to foamy to this gorgeous amber color with these little brown bits at the bottom. The smell? Amazing. Nutty, toasty…I could’ve just eaten it like that!
Mixing Everything Up
Once the butter cooled down a bit (important!), I whisked in the brown sugar and honey. Then I added the eggs, one at a time, and a good splash of vanilla. In a separate bowl, I mixed together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually, I added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Don’t overmix!
- Don’t burn the butter.
- Use good honey.
- sprinkle with sea salt.
Baking and the Agony of Waiting
I poured the batter into a greased baking pan and sprinkled it generously with flaky sea salt. Then, into the oven it went. The waiting was the hardest part. My kitchen smelled incredible. I had to resist opening the oven door every five minutes to peek.
Finally, the edges were golden brown, and the center was set. I took them out and let them cool completely. I maybe, possibly, snuck a tiny taste while they were still warm. Couldn’t resist.
Salty, Sweet, Perfection
After what felt like an eternity, I cut them into squares. And oh my goodness. They were everything I hoped for. Chewy, gooey, with that perfect balance of salty and sweet. The brown butter added this depth of flavor that was just incredible.
My family was crazy for it. I’ll be making these again, for sure!
