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The best ever Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Blondies. Homemade brown sugar blondies, made with browned butter, brown sugar, sweet maple, vanilla, and my favorite baking ingredient, spiced apple butter. These blondies are glazed with my sweet, thick, and creamy brown butter maple glaze. The glaze melts along with pockets of sweet melted chocolate and sprinkles of sea salt. Perfect for autumn, on Halloween night, holidays, snacking, and any other day in between.
I have the best Friday sweet treat for you all. I love these blondies so much and I couldn’t be more excited to share them. If you could see me right now, you would see the big smile on my face over these bars.
These are without a doubt some of the best cookie bars I’ve shared in a long while. And what I love even more is just how simple and easy they are to throw together!
With September officially here, I’m definitely leaning into fall and breaking into my more cozy recipes. Summer is great, but fall will always be my favorite, it is such a magical time!
These blondie bars are the perfect treat. They feel cozy, taste delicious, and have just the right amount of brown butter and chocolate.
These are not overly sweet, but just right. Think soft in the center, with perfect edges, and just the right amount of sweetness. All thanks to a mix of maple and brown sugar.
Perfect cookie bars for this month!
On to the details
Step 1: brown the butter
Of course, brown butter comes into play, because every dessert is made better with a little brown butter. Especially a fall-focused dessert.
Simply add the butter to a skillet and let it bubble away until it smells toasted. It’s about a 5-minute process that really helps to make these bars feel and taste that much better than all others!
Step 2: make the dough
Now that the butter is browned, you can add it to your mixing bowl along with dark brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter, an egg, and vanilla extract.
Mix, mix, mix, then simply stir in the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
For the apple butter, I used my homemade maple apple butter. This is one of my favorite things to keep in the fridge all fall long. You can use my homemade apple butter or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local market, or via Amazon. I will say that the homemade recipe works a little better for the cookies, but either is great! Just make sure your apple butter is spiced for best flavor.
Step 3: bake the cookies and make the glaze
Under-baked is key here!
Now onto the glaze, which is not needed but oh so delicious. It’s what makes these blondies really melt in your mouth, it’s beyond delicious, and easy to make. Just butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and salt. Simple, yet delicious.
Once the blondies have cooled, you can drizzle over the glaze, then eat these warm and gooey. Or let them cool and store them. They’re great either way!
I keep my glaze on the drizzly side, but still thick and creamy. That way it can really sink into all the nooks and crannies throughout these buttery blondie bars.
And you all, these are SO YUMMY. Buttery flavored with hints of cinnamon, and vanilla, and topped with delicious and perfectly sweet maple glaze. Enjoy alongside a mug of steaming hot coffee, cider…or maybe even your favorite fall latte. The season is here!
Looking for more baking recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Glazed Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Blondies 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!
Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Blondies
Servings: 24 blondies
Calories Per Serving: 200 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped chocolate chunks or pecans
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2– 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. Add 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. 3. To the butter, add the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter, egg, and vanilla, Beat until creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and chunks/pecans.4. Spread the dough into the prepared dish. Bake 18-22 minutes, until the edges are just setting and the center is still doughy. Let cool.5. To make the glaze. Melt together the butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.6. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Let set for 5 minutes. Cut into bars, snack, and enjoy!
Notes
Storing:Â these bars keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.Â
To cool the bars quickly for frosting: place them in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and then glaze.
One of my new favorites! I didn’t have apple butter so I subbed pumpkin purée and added some spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg & extra syrup) to the purée. SO GOOD!!
I also made the icing with some Greek yogurt instead of butter that gave it a sweet tangy flavor!
Thanks so much Kristin! xT
I just made these and let me just say that I am not a baker – but these came out AMAZING! I followed the recipe and they were soft and gooey – really just melted in my mouth. The brown butter is a game changer! I will be making these again! So delicious and easy! 🩵🔥
Thank you so much Becky! xT
How can I make this gluten free
Perhaps some gluten free flour?
Hey Tammy! I would recommend trying out Bob’s red mill GF flour! xT
I can’t wait to try this!!!!
Hope you love this recipe! xT
I just made these with homemade apple butter I made last week. I did change out the vanilla with maple extract and for the chocolate chips I used toffee bits. Wow they are amazing!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much! So glad you loved them! xT
Just made these! While delicious, I think the glaze ingredients are incorrect. You mention in the recipe adding vanilla and salt but the ingredients don’t call for those. It does mention cinnamon which you don’t mention in the written recipe!
I thought the same thing about the glaze-nowhere in the ingredients is vanilla mentioned but it’s in the instructions. I also felt it made too much glaze. My bars came out a little crumbly; I know it says undercooked is key but I put in the refrigerator in the hope that they’ll get a little more firm. Very good otherwise!
Delicious! This recipe is so good and our house smells absolutely amazing now! Everyone in our family considered this one a winner.
Amazing!! Love to hear that!
The recipe for the glaze lists cinnamon in the ingredients but the instructions don’t mention cinnamon but instead says vanilla. Not sure that it matters so I’m going to add a half teaspoon of each!
Would this freeze well? I am watching my diet more for health reasons but also making sure I enjoy things I love (like I am positive I will love these) and I find freezing treats and eating them one at a time helps me on that front!
Hi there! Yes, that should work well! xT
I bet these would be amazing with butterscotch chips!
Ooooh yummy! Love that idea!!
Omg delicious! The house smells like a touch of fall while baking these. Happy September! Will def make these again
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
What can you use to replace apple butter
I replaced rhe apple butter with thick applesauce and all worked out splendidly.
Hi there! You could use a little bit of applesauce!
If I don’t have apple butter, can I substitute pumpkin butter?
I bet pumpkin butter would be amazing as well! I am going to try these with the little bit of apple butter have left in the fridge. I’m going to try without chocolate though!
Actually, Amy, she has many versions of this recipe on her site. There is a pumpkin butter version!
Hi Amy! Yes, that would be delish! I have a similar pumpkin butter blondie recipe on my blog if you want to check it out here!
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/pumpkin-butter-chocolate-chip-blondies/
Could you do cookie butter instead of apple butter?
Hi! I haven’t ever tried that with this recipe, but sounds like it would be yummy!
These look so amazing- going to make them today! Any altitude advice for Denver? Thanks xo
Hey Laura! I would say when in doubt, underbake! And add a little less flour so they don’t dry out! xT