Super chewy Salted Toffee Espresso Blondies made with homemade toffee bits, espresso powder, dark chocolate chunks and flaky sea salt!
These super chewy espresso blondies are an irresistble treat for coffee lovers! They're chocolatey, buttery, caramel-y, salty and the kick of espresso makes for the perfect pick-me-up treat for any time of day!
For more espresso desserts, be sure to check out my Chocolate Espresso Tiramisu Tart, Banana Espresso Muffins, or Chocolate Brioche Donuts with Espresso Sugar.
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♡ Why You Will Love These Salted Toffee Espresso Blondies
- Homemade toffee bits. Homemade toffee is a lot easier to make than you think. You only need 3 ingredients and 10 minutes. And it tastes so much better than store-bought.
- The best texture. The moment you sink your teeth into these blondies, you'll be delighted by the super chewy texture, gooey center and crisp caramelized toffee bits. For more blondie recipes, be sure to check out my Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies, Toffee Salted Cookie Butter Blondies and Brown Butter Oreo Blondies!
- SO easy to make! No electric mixer needed. You'll only need a bowl and a whisk to make the blondies.
- Perfect for the holidays! Cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares and serve at holiday parties, social gatherings and family functions. Not only are they great for gifting, they're also perfect for any Christmas cookie list or cookie swapping party!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used to make these super chewy blondies. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
Salted Toffee Espresso Blondies
- Flour - We'll be using all-purpose flour for these espresso blondies.
- Fine Instant Espresso Powder - Intensifies the chocolate and compliments the flavor of the toffee bits.
- Salt - Enhances all the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter - We'll be using melted butter.
- Brown Sugar - I'm using light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar.
- Egg + Yolk - Will help the batter emulsify and the extra yolk will make these blondies extra chewy.
- Vanilla - For flavor. You can use vanilla paste or vanilla extract.
- Bittersweet Chocolate - For melty pools of chocolate, I'm using chopped chocolate. You can also use chocolate chunks or chips.
- Salted Toffee Bits - Toffee adds so much flavor. We're making homemade toffee bits, but you can use store-bought toffee.
Homemade Salted Toffee Bits
- Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Brown Sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness. Omit, if you're using salted butter.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these Salted Toffee Espresso Blondies ! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Make Toffee Bits - Over medium heat, add butter, brown sugar and salt to a small saucepan.
Step 2. Cook - Whisking often, cook the toffee until a thermometer reads 300°F (149°C), which is the hard-crack stage. It should take about 8-10 minutes. If you don't have a thermometer, check out instructions in the FAQ section below.
💡 Tip
If you're using butter that has a high fat percentage (over 82%), the butter and brown sugar will have a tendency to separate as it cooks. If this happens, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until it comes back together.
Step 3. Cool - Immediately pour the toffee mixture onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread it as thin as you can with an offset spatula or rubber spatula. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Step 4. Break - Using the back of a large spoon, rolling pin or mallet, break into small pieces.
Step 5. Make Blondies - Combine Dry Ingredients - In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, fine espresso powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 6. Combine Butter & Sugar - In a large mixing bowl, add melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk well until combined. Then allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
Step 7. Add 1 whole egg, 1 yolk and vanilla and whisk until emulsified.
Step 8. Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients - Sift flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix until there are very few flour streaks left. Do not overmix.
Step 9. Gently fold in chopped chocolate and salted toffee bits.
Step 10. Transfer & Bake - Pour blondie batter into a prepared square pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Top with extra chocolate and toffee bits and bake at 350º (176ºC) for 20 to 24 minutes. Cool completely, slice and enjoy!
💡 Tip
To get clean slices, make sure your espresso blondies are completely cooled! Slice into the blondies and wipe down your knife after each cut.
Substitutions
- Toffee Bits - You can easily substitute for store-bought toffee bits. If you're not a huge fan of toffee, you can try soft caramel candy pieces instead.
- Brown Sugar - I'm using light brown sugar, but you can substitute for dark brown sugar or a combination of the two.
- Chocolate - I recommend a dark or semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate or white chocolate if you'd like. Chocolate bars, chocolate chips and chocolate chunks all work here.
- Fine Espresso Powder - If you're in a pinch, you can grind up your own espresso or coffee beans. Grind it as fine as you can.
Variations
- Add Nuts - You can add pecans, almonds, walnuts, macadamias, or pistachios.
- Other Add-Ins - You can add butterscotch chips or crushed cookies such as Oreos, Golden Oreos, Biscoff cookies or honey graham crackers. You can also add sprinkles, m&ms, peanut butter cups, rolos, twix or snickers.
- Without Espresso - If you don't have any espresso powder (not an affiliate link), you can omit it.
- Make it Gluten-Free - Those with gluten sensitivities can use a 1-to-1 cup gluten-free flour blend.
Key Equipment
- 8x8 Inch Square or Round Pan
- Small Saucepan or Pot - For making the toffee bits.
- Thermometer - Super helpful to have when making the toffee. If you don't have a thermometer, check out instructions in the FAQ section below.
- Bowls
- Whisk + Spatula
- Cooling Rack
Storage
- Room Temperature - Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3 to 4 days!
- Refrigerator - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1 week. Allow to come to room temperature before serving or eat it straight out of the fridge.
- Freezer - Store the cooled pieces in a freezer tight bag for up to 2 months. Set on the counter and let it come to room temperature before serving. It should take about 45 minutes, depending on how large the pieces are.
💡 Expert Tips
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Do not overmix. When combining your flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mix until there are very few flour streaks left. Overmixing will cause the gluten in the dough to overdevelop.
Do not overbake. Your baking time can vary depending on your oven. We want these blondies to be soft and gooey so err on the side of underbaking them slightly. It's ready when the edges are slightly golden and the middle is shiny and slightly puffy. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
Bake in a metal pan. For best results, use a metal pan. Glass or ceramic pans won't bake as evenly and takes longer.
Line your pan with parchment paper. For easy removal, lightly butter your pan, then line it with a parchment paper sling with a 1-inch overhang. The butter will help the paper adhere as you press it to the bottom and sides of the pan.
Cool completely before serving. For clean squares, allow blondies to cool completely before slicing and wipe down the blade of the knife after each cut.
FAQ
Blondies are occasionally referred to as "blonde brownies". In place of cocoa powder, vanilla and brown sugar are the main flavor profile for blondies.
You sure can!
The toffee bits add a wonderful caramel flavor, but you can omit them for a more classic blondie.
Absolutely! Increase the butter to 10 tablespoons (141 grams). The reason why you should increase the butter quantity is because butter contains some water. When it cooks, the water evaporates leaving you with less volume. You can see how to brown butter as featured in my Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies.
Yes, you can! After about 8 minutes, add a drop of the hot toffee mixture into a cup of cold tap water. It will harden as it hits the water. If the toffee snaps, then it's ready. If it doesn't snap and has a soft consistency, then cook it for an extra minute or two.
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📖 Recipe
Salted Toffee Espresso Blondies
INGREDIENTS
Homemade Toffee Bits
- ¼ Cup (56g | 4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
- ½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Fine Salt
Toffee Espresso Blondies
- ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter melted
- 1 ¼ Cup (150g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Fine Espresso Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Fine Salt
- 1 Cup 200g Light or Dark Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 Whole Large Egg + 1 Large Yolk room temp
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- 4 Ounces (113g) Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Bar roughly chopped
- ½ Cup (78g) Homemade Toffee Bits, or store-bought
- Flaky Sea Salt as garnish
Instructions
Homemade Toffee Bits
- Cook - Add butter, brown sugar and salt to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat, and whisking often, cook until the thermometer reads 300°F (149°C). About 8-10 minutes. If at any point the mixture separates, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until it comes back together.¼ Cup (56g | 4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar¼ Teaspoon Fine Salt
- Cool & Break - Immediately pour the toffee mixture onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Quickly spread it as thin as you can and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Using the back of a large spoon, rolling pin or mallet, break into small pieces. Set aside.
Toffee Espresso Blondies
- Prep Oven & Baking Pan - Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF (176ºC). Then prepare an 8x8 inch (20x20cm) square pan by buttering and lining with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Set aside.
- Combine Butter & Brown Sugar - Melt butter in the microwave or a small saucepan. Transfer melted butter into a large mixing bowl along with the brown sugar and whisk until well combined. Let cool slightly for 5 minutes.½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter
- Combine Dry Ingredients - Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, fine espresso powder and fine salt. Set aside.1 ¼ Cup (150g) All-Purpose Flour1 ½ Teaspoon Fine Espresso Powder½ Teaspoon Fine Salt
- Prep Chocolate - If you're using a chocolate bar, roughly chop it and set aside.4 Ounces (113g) Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Bar
- Combine Wet Ingredients - Once the butter/sugar mixture has cooled slightly (it should be lukewarm and not too hot), add 1 whole egg, 1 yolk and vanilla and whisk until emulsified. 1 Cup 200g Light or Dark Brown Sugar, packed1 Whole Large Egg + 1 Large Yolk1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- Add Dry Ingredients - Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until there are very few flour streaks left. Do not overmix.
- Fold in Chocolate & Toffee - Add chopped chocolate (or chocolate chunks or chips) and toffee bits and gently fold into the batter. Reserve some chocolate pieces and toffee to add on the top.
- Transfer & Bake - Transfer the blondie batter to your prepared pan, then sprinkle the reserved chocolate and toffee pieces on top. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes. It's ready when the edges are golden and the middle is slightly puffy and shiny. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake!
- Cool & Serve - Set on a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the pan, before cutting into small pieces. It should take about 2 hours. Top with flaky sea salt, cut into 16 equal pieces or 1-inch bites (2.5cm) and enjoy!!
Notes
Rob says
These look smashing! I can’t wait to make these!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Rob! I hope you enjoy them 😊
Rob says
These were smashing indeed! My partner had to help me with the toffee lol, but WOW! Happy to report that both my partner and this recipe is a keeper! (;
Lisa says
Haha, so happy to hear that your partner and these blondies are a keeper! Thank you so much for trying it and for your amazing review! 😊
Bonnie says
Completely divine. The toffee added a nice buttery crunch and the espresso was just the right amount. Will be making these again for sure!
Lisa says
Hi, Bonnie! Yay, thank you for your wonderful review!😊
Iris says
What a blondie!! These are so delicious, I love the combination of flavours. The recipe is so easy to follow, with some great instructions to avoid any hiccups. I cannot wait to make these again 🫶🏽
Lisa says
Hi Iris! Yay, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed these blondies! Thank you for trying the recipe and for your amazing review! ❤️
Rebecca says
This blondie recipe is incredible! The only changes I made was using gluten-free flour and browning an equal amount of butter. Making the toffee was simple and the espresso powder recommended really elevates these bars, it is not to be skipped! I used 70% dark chocolate to help balance the sweetness of the toffee, and sprinkled a good amount of sea salt on top of the finished bars.
I pulled the blondies out of the oven around 21 minutes and had them chill on the counter for 1 hour, then in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting. They are decadent, fudgy, salty-sweet, and super chocolatey.
Lisa says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed these blondies! It's one one of my favorite treats! Thank you so much for your feedback and for trying the recipe! 😊
Barbara says
Dare I say these are life changing?? What a combo of flavors! 4 stars because I did not have good luck with the toffee. I should have known better since any recipe I've tried that calls for constant stirring always fails. So I tossed that batch and used my normal recipe for homemade toffee bits. Other than that, I loved how subtle the espresso flavor was (I used instant coffee granuals, not espresso, since that's all I had), but you could still tell they weren't just regular blondes. Chewy, salty, sweet. I will be making these again!
Lisa Flinn says
I'm glad you enjoyed these blondies despite having issues with the toffee. Thanks for trying the recipe!
Leslie Ross says
These blondies are incredible! The combination of textures and the salty/sweet contrast was perfect.
I made about 6 items for a fundraising bake sale and these were the favourite. I used store bought toffee bits but I will try the homemade ones next time. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa Flinn says
Yay, I'm so happy to hear these blondies were the favorite! Thanks so much for making me apart of your fundraising bake sale and for your lovely review! 😊