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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 skipped the glaze because I was out of powered sugar but these are sooo good even without it. Easy. Delicious. Probably going to eat the whole pan in one night.
Yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Emily! xTieghan
Talk about a fantastic fall dessert Bingo this is it I also made my own Apple butter The family raved about it My daughter who just had her baby yesterday said mom I love this girl lol I’ve made a lot of your recipes and that’s always what she says
Haha that is so amazing! Congrats to your daughter on her baby!! So exciting! xTieghan
Made these today, so incredible! The glaze is the BOMB!! Easy to make and SO delicious!
Thank you so much Debra! xTieghan
Went apple picking solely to make this recipe and it did not disappoint! It was a great fall dessert for our Sunday family dinner. Easy to make and so flavorful!
Thank you so much Casey!! xTieghan
I didn’t have apple butter (or the ambition to make my own) so I subbed pumpkin butter, and instead of apples, I topped it with walnuts. 10/10 would recommend!
Amazing! Thank you Claire! xTieghan
the flavor of these bars is AMAZING!! but mind did not firm up. the wetness from the apples affected the cake at the bottom. did I do something wrong? I love all the flavors but this is eaten in a bowl w a spoon for me. still delish
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so sorry they did not firm up for you. I am wondering if you adjusted the recipe at all or if they needed to be baked a little longer. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
So good! Made with gluten free 1:1 flour. My whole house smelled amazing. The bars are moist and delicious!
Thank you Diza!! I am so happy these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
My husband and I both thought the bars came out dry and tasteless and with all those good ingredients you’d think it would be full if flavor. I had to bake it 40 minutes for it to get done in the center even though I swirled the pan spreading the moisture from the apples around. Maybe I baked it too long.
Hi Susan! I am really sorry these did not work for you. Is there anything you changed about the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
That glaze is the bomb!
Made these yesterday afternoon and they are simply delicious! The glaze is incredible could be used on so many different things. Even just on a piece of buttered sourdough toast! This will be a fall staple for desserts in my home!
These were DELICIOUS! My family loved them too!
Thank you so much Lisa! xTieghan
UGH! This has my name ALL OVER IT!! Even though we are coming into spring here…I MUST make this as soon as possible! XD
Thank you so much Whytney!! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
As soon as I saw these up on Instagram, I knew I needed to make them! They are delicious but, unfortunately, I have to say, they are not blondies. I followed the recipe to a T and they came out more bready, like an apple cake. I’m not sure why. Against my better judgement, I used the 9X13″ pan as written. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, maybe a smaller pan could lend to a chewier, Blondie texture…?? But it’s an apple cake. A yummy one, yes, but still, not what I was wanting. ?? Sorry Teighan, I love your work, but I just want to be honest!! 5 star for taste, 2 star for Blondie.
Hey Hannah! Hmm, not sure why your blondie is turning out cakey. Is there anything you have changed about the recipe? I don’t think a smaller pan is what you want to use. I imagine a smaller pan would give you and even cakier blondie. If there is any questions I can help you with please let me know! I’d love to help you get this recipe just the way you’d like it! If you can provide me with more details on how you baked the blondies, I think I could be of more help. Thank you!! xTieghan
So so good! Made some apple butter this morning just so I could make this recipe. The brown butter adds such a nice nuttiness to the sweetness of the apples! Mine turned out a bit fluffy and cake-like, not quite like a blondie, but still absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much Kristine! I am so happy these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These are delicious! I think they might be classified almost more of an apple cake though. Not quite as dense as a blonde usually is. The flavor is awesome though and the extra step to make homemade apple butter was the right choice!
Thank you so much Tayli!! I am really glad these blondies turned out so well for you! xTieghan