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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.
These flavors are AMAZING. I’m attempting to make a GF version of these and I made a few adjustments but ran into the same cake-y issue! Going to tackle this again because YUM and I think I can tweak it to make a version with GF flour that’s blondie-ish.
What I did this first go around is only 2c. GF flour (King Arthur) and 1/2tsp. of baking soda. I think next time I will do what another commenter suggested and add an extra egg yolk and perhaps more butter? I will report back once I do. Because these are incredible. They’re even good as is, more like a tender apple coffee cake and it’s the BOMB.
Hi Hayley! Let me know how those subs work out for you! xT
Like other commenters, mine turned out pretty cakey. I even did 1/4 tsp less of baking powder. That said, it didn’t stop me from enjoying them! The flavors were delicious! Next time I will do only 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 cup less of flour, 1 less egg and bake at 325° for a little less time and see if that helps. Seems to all be things that can help the density. 😉
Hi Katie! Thank you so much for letting me know! I appreciate it! xT
If apple butter is not available, what can be used as a substitute.
Applesauce should work great! xT
Everyone loved theses blondies. I made then to add to a recent birthday bash.
These were delicious, but they were definitely more “cakey” and less of a blondie. My husband still loved them, though! We served it warm with a side of vanilla ice-cream.
Hey Jenn,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and sharing your feedback! Thanks for making it:) xx
Gosh, were these GOOD! Mine came out slightly cakey, but I felt they were very blondie-esque, though many reviewers felt otherwise. My husband loves any sort of apple dessert, and he really, really, REALLY loved these. That glaze is delightful. Will definitely hold onto this recipe. Thanks, Tieghan! 🙂
Hey Rachel,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xx
The flavors are delicious but like others have said, it was more like a cake than a blondie. But I read the comments beforehand and used another tried and true blondie recipe I LOVE as my base and only made the special additions from this recipe (apple butter, apples, spices, & glaze). And it still came out cakey instead of chewy. So I wonder if it’s something about the apple butter…? My apple butter looks very different from her homemade recipe. I have no clue really just trying to troubleshoot. Overall great pairing of flavors. Just wish it was chewy!
Hey Amber,
Happy Sunday!🌾🌽 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! You could try reducing the baking powder to see if that helps at all! xx
These turned out to bready unfortunately. Loved the flavours but probably won’t bake again.
Hi Kali,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you! Was there anything you may have adjusted? Can I help with anything? Let me know! xx
Can these bars or apple cubes be frozen for future enjoyment? I’m trying to use up a ridiculous amount of apples and I already have pie filling and applesauce made!
Hey Stephanie,
Totally, you could definitely freeze these! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out delish! xx
Hi Tieghan,
This desert for me turned out more like an apple tea cake than a blondie and I had the expectation that it would be more like a blondie. However, since my comment on Saturday I have given these treats to all my family and friends and they All really enjoyed them, I just said they were a cake bar instead 😉 I don’t know what to change to make them more like a Blondie, but I probably will make this again with the suggestions from your other comments as everyone really enjoyed them 🙂
Hey Kali,
Thanks again for trying this recipe! I’m so glad they were enjoyed by your family! You could try reducing the baking powder next time to see if that helps at all! Let me know:) xx
These looked so good so I gave them a try today! I read through all the reviews and the changes/tips I incorporated are: halved the baking powder, used 1/4 cup less flour, added an extra egg yolk, made sure not to over-mix the batter, used a thick apple butter/sauce, and used a metal baking dish (on the larger side so that it was a thinner layer and would bake all the way through in the 30 min. I wanted to avoid the over-baking and drying it up). My blondies turned out chewy, perfect in consistency, and absolutely wonderful! My apartment smells like fall with the cinnamon and maple scent and I am obsessed. I will be making them again next weekend! 🙂 Thank you to everyone who posted their tips, it helped me tremendously.
Hi Sarah,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Made these this week–really enjoyed the fall flavors! Like others, mine came out a bit dry. I do want to try the recipe again (it’s a keeper!) with 1/2 tsp. of baking powder and an additional egg yolk. They were done at about 27 minutes, and I used a glass baking dish. I also found that using just one chopped apple on top was plenty for my tastes. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Hey Jeanna,
Happy Sunday! 🎃 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Mine are more like a cake texture than a blondie. I viewed the video & her dough is much thicker. Tastes good but probably won’t make again. I feel like there should be adjustments/suggestions for altitude differences. Looking through the comments I see several folks making adjustments. A recipe like this shouldn’t be that difficult.
Hi Leigh,
Happy Friday! So sorry to hear that this recipe was not enjoyed, trust me, I have gone back to look at the measurements and ingredients several times and have tested the recipe several times. I do not no why some are having a different texture result than what it should be. It’s hard to say without being in the kitchen with everyone. Some factors would be expired ingredients, over mixing, oven differences, material of pan that they were baked in. I hope this makes sense!! xT
These are amazing! The glaze is truly the best. Mine turned out more bread-y than I was expecting, not sure what I did wrong there. Any tips for when I make them again to turn out more “blondie” in texture?
Hey Maddie,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! Try reducing the baking powder next time and be sure to use a metal pan for baking, I hope this helps! xT👻
Just made these and that are fantastic. Just curious, can I freeze the leftovers??
Hey Sheila,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Sure, you could totally freeze the leftovers! xx
Can these be made with gluten free flour?
Hey Kayla,
Sure, that should work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Wow. We loved these! The apples cooked down and added a gooey fruity layer on top. The brown butter maple glaze was beyond delicious—do NOT skip the glaze! It may be the best glaze I’ve ever tasted! They are softer than some bars I’ve eaten but not dry.
Hey Lucy,
Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try!🍁 xxT