My Favorite Fall Apple Brownies (aka Blondies)!
If apple pie, a chewy blondie, and cinnamon rolls had a baby, it would be these apple brownies.
Quick blondie 101: a blondie is basically a brownie without the chocolate. Butter and brown sugar do all the heavy lifting, so you get the chewy, caramel-y bar. (You might know these as apple brownies too, and that’s totally fine!)
Let’s talk about the brown butter, because it’s the star here. It gives the batter a deep, nutty flavor that makes the apples and cinnamon taste even cozier.
My biggest lesson from testing: don’t over bake them! Pull them out when a toothpick still has a few moist crumbs on it. That’s how you keep them chewy (not dry).
Love a good bar? Try my chai white chocolate blondies and turtle cookie bars next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You probably have almost everything already!
- Unsalted butter: Most of it gets browned for the batter, and 1 extra tablespoon gets stirred in at the end. Water cooks off as the butter browns, so that tablespoon brings it back up to the amount the batter needs.
- Honeycrisp apples: Peel them and dice them finely so you get a little bite of apple in every square. Have extra apples? Use them in my apple banana bread.
- Vanilla bean paste: It goes in both the blondies and the frosting, and you get those pretty little vanilla flecks.
- Cinnamon: It’s in the batter and the frosting, for double the cozy. Cinnamon lovers, my soft and chewy snickerdoodles are calling your name.
- Full-fat cream cheese: Let it soften to room temperature along with the butter so the frosting whips up smooth with no lumps. It’s the same kind of frosting I swirl onto my pillowy soft cinnamon rolls.
How to Make Apple Blondies
Step 1. Brown the butter: Melt the cubed butter over medium heat, stirring often. It’ll foam and bubble as the water cooks off, then the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty. Pull it off the heat right away, stir in the extra tablespoon, and let it cool until warm (not hot) so it doesn’t scramble the eggs.
Step 2. Mix the batter: Whisk the sugar, eggs, yolk, and vanilla into the butter until thick and smooth, then fold it into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 3. Fold in the apples: Stir gently until the apples are spread evenly through the batter.
Step 4. Bake: Spread the batter into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan, leaving an overhang on two sides, and bake until the edges are set.
Step 5. Frost and slice: Once they’re completely cool (the hardest part, I know), spread the cinnamon cream cheese frosting on in thick swoops. Then use the parchment overhang to lift them out of the pan and cut into squares.
Tips for Chewy Apple Blondies
- Use a light-colored pan: A light metal pan bakes them the most evenly.
- Trust the moist crumbs: A toothpick with a few moist crumbs means they’re done. Don’t wait for it to come out totally clean.
- For the cleanest cuts: Slide the knife straight through and wipe it with a paper towel between each cut. That’s how you get those bakery-looking squares.
- Big or small squares: Cut 9 big ones for dessert, or 16 smaller ones for a party tray. They’d be right at home on my Thanksgiving menu.
- Keep them chilled: Since they’re topped with cream cheese frosting, store any leftovers in the fridge.
More Fall Desserts to Try
- Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Bars
- Brown butter banana bread
- Sour cream coffee cake
- Pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler
- Cranberry oatmeal bars
- Pumpkin posset
Apple Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Apple Blondies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cubed, for browning
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter to stir into the browned butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup Honeycrisp apples peeled and finely diced
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a square 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal.
- Brown the butter: Cut 1/2 cup of the butter into cubes and place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned. The butter will foam and bubble as the water cooks off, then the milk solids will turn golden brown and the butter will smell nutty. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter until melted. Let cool until warm but not hot before adding the eggs.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- Mix the dry ingredients: While the butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla bean paste to the cooled butter and whisk until thick and smooth.3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Fold in the apples until evenly distributed.3/4 cup Honeycrisp apples
- Bake: Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and no lumps remain. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and salt and beat until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.4 oz full-fat cream cheese, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, Pinch of salt
- Frost and serve: Spread the frosting over the cooled blondies in thick swoops. Lift the blondies out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
