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If there was ever a recipe that screams fall, it’s these soft and gooey Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze. Made with nutty browned butter, salted apple butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy cinnamon maple glaze. There’s really nothing not to love about these autumn spiced apple blondies. The true secret? Brown butter and sweet apple butter. They keep these blondies incredibly flavorful, soft, gooey, and so delicious. The added bonus is that these bars require almost no effort to make. They’re sweet, salty, heavy on the apple butter, extra cinnamony, and every last bite is truly delicious.
We’re going on a three-week roll of Friday apple desserts and I’m not seeing an end in the near future. Well, ok. I’ll probably switch it up next Friday, but my point is that I have so many fall apple recipes written on my “to make” list. I plan to make as many as I can.
I was worried you guys would be sick of apples, but after a quick poll on Instagram earlier this week, you all assured me that the more apple recipes the better. YES. I am so with you guys. I think I said this last week, but September is apple month, save the pumpkins for October and November, you know?
These blondies are easy. Here are the steps.
These are not your average blondie. They are so much better.
For starters, there’s browned butter, apple butter, and fresh apples too. So much apple happening, and it’s SO GOOD!
Second, these are truly the easiest to make, they don’t even require a mixer, just a bowl and skillet. We all have those.
Start out by browning salted butter on the stove. Browning the butter really adds a rich nutty flavor to these bars and makes them just a touch cozier. Perfect as we slowly head into the cooler days of autumn. Once the butter is browned, remove it from the stove, and dump in all the remaining ingredients.
You’ll first add the apple butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and spices (lots of cinnamon). This makes up the dough. Simple. Simple. But trust me, it’s going to be good.
Spread the dough out into a pan. Now, take the chopped apples and toss them with brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the apples over the dough, then bake. As the bars bake away, you’ll have incredible wafts of cinnamon, sweet apples, and butter in the air. It’s the coziest.
The key to these bars?
The key lies within the browned butter and the butter.
Butter keeps the bars rich and flavorful, but the apple butter adds a concentrated sweet apple flavor while also adding moisture. Combined together they make the best blondie bar.
For the apple butter, I used my homemade apple butter, but of course, you can use a store-bought apple butter too. That said, if you’ve never made homemade apple butter, this is the fall to do so. This sounds dramatic, but if you LOVE apples and jammy type spreads, then this apple butter will be life-changing. It’s my favorite to use in both sweet and savory autumn recipes.
While the bars cool, make the glaze.
Most blondie recipes are not glazed, but I wanted these to be extra special and a little over the top.
I took inspiration from my Cinnamon Spiced Sugar Cookies and my Apple Scones, and decided on a buttery maple glazed with cinnamon throughout. It’s just some browned butter, maple, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Simple, but delicious.
I keep mine drizzly but still thick and creamy. That way it can really sink into all the nooks and crannies throughout these buttery blondie bars.
Buttery, apple filled, flavored with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, and topped with delicious and perfectly sweet maple glaze. Not much beats that, it’s autumn in a bar. Enjoy alongside a mug of steaming hot coffee, cider…or maybe even your favorite pumpkin spiced latte?!?
Total and complete perfection. Also…if you bake these up this weekend, your house is going to smell like fall, and trust me, it’s going to be amazing. Better than a fall candle. SO GOOD!
Looking for other sweet apple recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Spiced Pecan Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Mulled Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts
Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 218 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled (if desired), and chopped (about 2 cups chopped apples)
Cinnamon Maple Butter Glaze
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a medium pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown, until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and stir in the apple butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, mixing until just combined. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish. 3. In a bowl, toss the apples with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Evenly sprinkle the apples over the dough. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, just until set in the center. If there is liquid in the center, swirl it around the pan, then bake another 5 minutes. Let cool. 4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Add the butter to a small pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Let set for 5 minutes. Cut into bars…snack and enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
Storing: these bars keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
To cool the bars quickly for frosting: place in freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and glaze.
This post was originally published on September 18, 2020
I loved these ! I will add a little extra spice to my batter maybe even a touch of clove. The key is not over big I definitely over baked a little because I thought they were not done at 28 minutes and put in for another 5 . And icing don’t skip it. The icing is everything which I already knew because I use her ginger espresso cookies with this icing at least three times every holiday season always a hit.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
Absolutely delicious! Turned out perfect!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad it was a winner!
These blondie bars look amazing delicious. My question is. If I only have unsalted butter. How much salt would i add to the recipe? TIA
Thanks so much, LuAnn! I would just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope you love this recipe!
Super dry and crumbly and I even reduced the flour amount. Not at all what I expected sadly.
Sorry to hear this, Taylor. Thanks for trying the recipe and your comment.
The Blondies didn’t work for me. They had the consistency of cake and the drizzle just melted in. Disappointing. Maybe my oven rack wasn’t in the right third in the oven?
Hi Sebastiane,
So sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed. Did you let the blondies cool before adding the drizzle? Thanks for sharing your feedback!
I followed the recipe to a T but they came out with a cake like texture instead of a blondie. Pretty disappointed even though it still tastes good! Now that I’ve read some reviews I’m seeing it’s recommended to use a pan not a glass dish. Can you update in the instructions to say so? “Line a baking dish” implies glass, not a metal pan 🙂
Hi Cari,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry for any confusion regarding the baking pan.
This is one of my family’s favorite baked goods I make! I’ve been using a glass dish for forever and didn’t even realize it was supposed to be metal. I just bake longer until completely cooked! They are a hit at any party.
Thanks so much, Catherine!! I am so glad to hear this recipe is always enjoyed, I appreciate you making it so often! Have a great Tuesday! xx
Very yummy. I added another tablespoon of cinnamon
merely because I didn’t read it correctly and they were very yummy. and took it out at 28 and 5 minutes. Huge hit
Hi Lindsay,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
I usually love the recipes from Half Baked Harvest but I’ve tried two different “bar” recipes in the last 48 hours and neither worked. I even went out and bought a metal pan based on the comments. Its too much flour ( I should have trusted my get when I added it) and mine turned into a cake like consistency – super disappointed and such a waste of ingredients.
Had the same issue as others because of using a glass baking pan. Bars did not set up. If it’s that important to use a certain kind of pan, would be great if you noted that in the recipe next time!
Hi Mackenzie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you had some issues with the baking. I would definitely do a metal pan next time! xx
Love this recipe so much and it always comes out so well! Thank you x
Hi Laura,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and your feedback, so glad to hear it is always enjoyed! XxT
made these with a friend tonight! could not find apple butter (tried two stores) and didnt have time to make my own, so we used applesauce instead (worked great, maybe just less flavor). SO yummy. we also had the same “issue” of it turning out a bit cakier, especially around the edges, but i did not mind because they tasted so great. if that bothers you, maybe use less flour, but also the parts that had the most glaze turned more gooey, so maybe just put more glaze on and let it soak in a bit!!
Hey Serena,
Love to hear this! Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Have a great weekend!
I halved this recipe and made it in an 9 x 9 pan. I was out of parchment, so I greased the pan with butter and it came out beautifully. I omitted the glaze and it was delicious! Teenagers approved!
Hey Angela,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! XxT
These bars simply would not cook through despite following the instructions religiously and baking them for an extra 20 minutes.
What a shame! I planned to serve these for Thanksgiving. They looked delicious on the site but just didn’t work.
Hi Sully,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had issues with the bake time. Any chance you use a glass dish? I would try a metal pan next time:) I hope this helps! xT
Has anyone tried freezing these? Do they do well?
Hi Cate,
These should freeze nicely for you, I would just wait to add the glaze:) I hope this helps! xx
Hi! I had a lot of issues with baking time and excess liquid from the apples. They came out more cake-y then blondie. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe I had too much apple? I had to keep putting them back in because they weren’t baking through.
Hi Isabel,
Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues! How many apples did you use? Did you use a glass baking dish by chance? Sometimes that can result it different baking times. Let me know if this helps! xT
Same.
easy and so delicious
Hey there,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great Thursday! x
I have two teenage boys, and they both agreed. This is the best dessert I’ve ever made. I bake a lot so that’s saying something!
Hey Marcy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great week:)