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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 made these for my mom’s birthday. They were so delicious!!
Love that! Thank you so much Lisa! Happy Birthday to your mom! xTieghan
Please fix the link to the homemade apple butter recipe in this article…it linked to a blank/null page w/ no content. I’d really like to try making the apple butter and use it in this recipe! Thanks!
Hi Janet! The link work for me when I tried it.. what is is linking to for you? I will leave the link below for you as well! xTieghan
https://fett-weg.today/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’m so excited to try these! I only have dark brown sugar on hand — should I use less of it or make any adjustments?
Hey Selena,
I would leave the measurements the same. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I unfortunately have to agree with the other comments in which it was reviewed as “cakey”. I was a high school cooking teacher and can tell you I followed recipe this to the letter. The bars aren’t terrible, they’re just not that good. Im actually pitching the whole batch and making brownies. Sad about the wasted ingredients.
Hi Ashley! I am really sorry about that! I hope you enjoy some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
I made these tonight, and did really enjoy them!
But they did come out a lot more bready / cakey than a blondie. Perhaps too much flour? I feel most blondie recipes have a closer qty of flour and sugar.
Hey Dominique,
Thanks for trying the recipe, I am sorry you had issues with the texture and they did not come out at expected. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can these be frozen?
Hey Teri,
Sure you could freeze these! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I was so excited to make these, because blondies are one of my favorite flavors and “textures” for desserts, but after making these, I had the same result as several others…followed the recipe to a T (I used to have my own bakery, so I’m not a novice), and these came out more like a shorter cake (“pan cake” lol). Was disappointed, because I was really looking forward to a brownie-like consistency (a delicate crisp or crunch on top, with a mildly underbaked gooey middle). These were not that. I also wished the recipe instructed to bake longer, because by the time I had already put the drizzle on top and let it set and cut into bars, the middle was very underbaked. I can only assume the high moisture content from the apples sprinkled on top would contribute to this, so it would definitely need more time to bake through. The recipe overall has a good deal of moisture in it from the brown sugar and the apples together, and usually alot of moisture contributes to “cakey” brownies, so that would help explain some of the cakey-ness here. Appreciated trying it though!
Hi Heather! I am sorry these did not turn out as expected! I will look into the recipe again! Thank you for trying these! xTieghan
The texture was really off on these for me. It was very dry and cakey.
Hi Kelly! I am sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Aaaah, these look so goooood! Gutted I have to wait until I’ve made apple butter before I can make these, ha ha!
Hi Sarah! I am really glad you like these! You can also find apple butter usually at farmers markets if you do not want to wait to make it! I hope you love these blondies! xTieghan
Hi Tiegen,
These look amazing! I’m planning on making either these or the double the streusel apple bars for dessert this evening, hard to pick between the two! I made the amazing apple butter on your site yesterday. I’m wondering if I could make either of the bars ahead and then keep in the fridge before baking? Thank you so much!
I bet if I add pecans on the top and then add the glaze it would be even more amazing
Yum! If you try that, let me know how it turns out for you! Thank you Paula! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try these! They look amazing. If I’m halving the recipe to make 12 bars, what size pan do you suggest using?
Hey Emily,
I would do an 8 inch baking dish. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These were wonderful! So delicious – the browned butter adds a depth of flavor that is just lovely with the cinnamon and tart apples. I even messed it up – I put all of the brown sugar and cinnamon in the dough, and then just added less on the apples, and it was still excellent! Rave reviews from family members. Will make again!
Hi Lauren! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
these were SO delicious, my kitchen smells like candied apples in the best way! mine turned out really well but I had to bake them for 35-38 minutes (and still are really soft and gooey after cooking for a few hours). They’re set, like the bottom is firm but probably could have done 42-45 minutes and still had them be undone in that yummy way I like blondies to be. maybe my apples were chopped too small and it affected the baking time? either way, SO good!! xx
Hey Molly,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Unfortunately all oven are slightly different so that could have affected your baking time! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I agree with a few other commenters- these were good but not anything like a blondie. It’s much more like a cake texture. I also found it to be a bit overly sweet. Good flavors from the browned butter.
Hi Allison! I am sorry these did not turn out as expected! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan