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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.
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.
Honestly don’t care if these were cake-like or blondie-like in texture, they were freaking delish. Followed the recipe to a tee except for baki g a couple minutes beyond, and will be making them again! You never disappoint!
Hey Juli,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Really great flavors but I was expecting more of a blondie texture and it ended up being cakey. Again, the flavors were amazing so I wish I could figure out how to get the desired texture!
Hey Ally,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry these did not have the texture that you were expecting. xTieghan
Hi! I live in Spain and can’t seem to find apple butter. Could I substitute it for anythyng else? Thank you!
Hey Julia,
You can use apple sauce or follow my recipe for homemade apple butter:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love these! It is really hard for me to tell if they are done. They seem cooked on the edge, but too soft in the middle. How do you know? This is my second time making them because they were so yummy, but they are int he oven right now and I still don’t know if they are done. 🙂
Hey Kerry,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I made these yesterday. The tops of my bars are delicious – the bottoms are fine – I think I might have kept them in a little too long worried about the dough towards the top getting done enough (since they were wetter). Wondering if you’ve tried it putting the apple pieces all through the batter rather than only on top and if so how that turned out?! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Hey Leah,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry I’ve not tried adding the apple to the batter. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
I made these with gluten free flour, they were great! Super yummy.
Hey Tianna,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I changed nothing while doing this recipe, followed it to a T, but… still cake-like. Since so many people are having this issue, I wonder what it could be… tasted delicious though!
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you did not enjoy the texture. Let me know how I can help! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Amazing!!
Hey Becca,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were delicious! But definitely baked up more like an apple snack cake rather than blondies. I followed the recipe exactly except tossed the apples in only 1/4 cup of brown sugar. The bake time is much longer also, I had this in the oven for 40 minutes to get the right consistency. Would make again and add walnuts for some added texture.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Jen! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
A new family favorite! I am about to make a second batch to put in boxes of Christmas goodies…so my question is “how well do these freeze?”
I had a bushel of fall apples to use up, so when I went to make these I realized I first had to make apple butter – but the apple butter recipe I used needed apple cider, so then I had to make apple cider first, then apple buttter…so at the end of the day, I managed to use up most of my apples. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hey Karen,
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe! I have never frozen these, but you can certainly give it a try! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I mentioned previously that I would try these with candied walnuts. For Thanksgiving, I made these using one honeycrisp apple and 1-1/2 cups candied walnuts on top. Deelish! The walnuts added a nice crispy crunch. Next time I will double the icing volume…can’t get enough of that awesome gooey glaze!
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made these today and they were amazing!!! The only issue I found myself having was the apples not browning and getting that dark brown sugary color which is still okay because I’m sure it tastes the same. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Angie!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The recipe wasn’t quite finished with the bake time provided. I had to bake approx 10-15 min longer for the middle to set. After cooling, the inside was semi dry. Wondering if I should have pulled them when they still looked unset in the middle vs. would a little bit of oil in the mix fix this? Otherwise, the flavoring was delicious! I just wished the dough was slightly more moist.
Hey there,
So sorry you had issues with the baking time. Next time, I would recommend sticking a knife in the middle, if it comes out clean then they are done. I hope this helps! xTieghan
While absolutely delish, I did NOT end up with anything remotely resembling a blondie. The end result was cake. Moist, flavorful, perfectly baked CAKE. I can’t imagine why, because the base of the recipe IS a blondie/cookie base, the only variation being apple butter and baking powder instead of baking soda. My pan has no density, no crumble, no crisp edges. Again, its good, but its cake, and I didn’t want cake. If I wanted cake, I’d of baked a cake 🙁 what went wrong?
Hey Debra,
PI am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? Method of baking this? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details.
Also, you cam try using baking soda instead of powder to see if that helps, but I don’t think that is the issue.
Hope I can help you! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Something was off about this recipe for me. I went back and checked several times and all the measurements were correct. The batter was very sticky and hard to spread, almost like soft chew caramel. It also took them forever to bake and then when they were baked they were overdone. It seemed like there was way too much sugar. What could have went wrong?
Hey Natalie,
So sorry you had issues with this recipe! Was there anything you could have adjusted? Used a different cooking method? I haven’t had this issue so I am not sure what could have happened. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan