APPLE PIE BLONDIES WITH MAPLE SYRUP GLAZE

YIELD & TASTE

These bars are a perfect treat for fall!  The base of the Blondie is a soft cakey texture, topped with slightly crunchy and moist apples and a sweet maple syrup cinnamon glaze.   

This delicious fall themed recipe is baked in a 13" x 9" pan and can easily yield about 28 bars (cut into 4 x 7 squares) or even more if you cut them smaller.  

BLONDIE 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)

MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons Salted Butter
• 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 pinch flaky Sea Salt

PREPARATION

MAKE THE BLONDIE

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line your 13 x 9 baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. 
2. In a larger mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, mixing until just combined. 
3. Add the butter to a medium pot on medium heat. The butter will begin to foam and to bubble, so make sure you stir often to prevent the butter from frothing over the pot edge.  After about 2-3 minutes the butter will start to brown, and smell nice and toasted.  *Note:  It may be hard to see if the butter has browned, so just make sure to keep an eye on the timer  
4. Remove the browned butter from the heat and stir in the apple butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Let cool 5 minutes (You let it cool so that when you add the eggs in the next step, they don't cool!)
5. Once the brown butter has cooled a bit, whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
6. Add the brown butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together.  A baking spatula will be helpful to do this 
7. Once you have mixed thigs together, evenly spread the dough out into the prepared dish.

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MAKE THE CINNAMON APPLE TOPPING & BAKE

1. Peel and dice the apples into approximately 1/2 inch cubes.  Discard the core and the seeds.  
2. In a bowl, toss the apples with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until they are evenly coated.  
3. Evenly sprinkle the apples over the dough.
4. 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. 

MAKE THE MAPLE SYRUP CINNAMON DRIZZLE TOPPING
After the base of the Blondies has been removed from the oven, let them cool for a while before you make the topping.  

1. Add the butter to a small pot set over medium heat. Follow the same process as before and allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes.
   
2. Remove the butter from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.  I would suggest that you would likely only need about 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar so the drizzle is more liquid and less solid.  
   
3. While it is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the bars.
   
4. Let set for 5 - 10 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy!  These are especially delicious while still warm.  

NOTES
Overall, I was very satisfied with how the bar turned out!  That being said, I wish the base was more of like an ooey-gooey brownie rather than a cake like texture;  I'll have to see if I can make that happen next time I make these.  

Additionally, I think these bars would benefit from some chopped pecans or walnuts to add a little bit more crunch.  I bet some candied pecans or walnuts on top would be delicious.  

SOURCE
I found this recipe on The Half Baked Harvest Blog.  
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/brown-butter-apple-blondies/