1 ½cupslightly crushed mini pretzels, measure loosely
16mini pretzel twists, (not crushed)
⅔cupcaramel sauce, separated
Sea salt or Kosher salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt butter until light brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.1
Transfer the melted butter to a large bowl. Add the egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk vigorously by hand to combine until light in color, about 5 minutes.2
Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated (avoid over-mixing or the blondies will be tough). Use a rubber spatula to fold in the crushed pretzels.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top lightly with the spatula. Place 16 mini pretzel twists on top (4 across and 4 down). Drizzle about 1/3 cup caramel sauce over the pan in a zig-zag pattern.
Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until center is just set. Watch the actual blondie dough (not the caramel sauce because it will stay gooey). The blondies are done when a toothpick inserted a spot without caramel comes out mostly clean. The blondies will firm up as they cool so avoid over baking. My blondies baked for exactly 30 minutes.
Immediately after removing pan from the oven, drizzle about 1/3 cup caramel sauce over the top in a zig-zag pattern. Try to follow the original zig-zag pattern if possible. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow blondies to cool in the pan for 1 hour.
Notes
The browned butter adds some extra flavor, but if you are nervous about burning the butter, just melt the butter in the microwave for about a minute. It won't brown, but works just as well in the recipe.
Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.