Maple Glazed Apple Blondies
These chewy Maple Glazed Apple Blondies taste like sweet apple pie with a warm maple icing! This homemade apple blondie recipe is the perfect fall dessert! It’s easy, super flavorful, and always a crowd pleaser!
Do you remember that episode of Friends where Chandler and Ross are going to paaar-taaay with their old friend from college? And he can’t come so they decide to go out with Joey, but after only a couple hours on the town, they realize they’re way too old and would rather just hang out at Central Perk drinking coffee (Pumpkin Spice Lattes, preferably) and eating muffins?
That’s pretty much been me my whole life.
Remember when I said I was basically 80 years old? Yeah, I wasn’t kidding.
Catching up with friends over dinner or a cup of coffee is an evening well spent, in my opinion. And when dessert involves blondies that taste like apple pie? Life doesn’t get much better. Unless life gives me Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones or Brownie Bottom Pumpkin Cream Pie.
Now that Labor Day has passed, it is officially fall in my mind. We have crossed into the land of pumpkins, apples, and all things sugar and spice. Right? Even though the calendar doesn’t think fall is coming for a couple more weeks, I think we all know the end of Labor Day is the unofficial start to fall.
Obviously, it’s the unofficial start to baking my weight in all things pumpkin and maple.
Ohhh. It’s going to start getting good around here.
Are you excited? Because I am.
If there are two words I could say to sum up this post, it would be: make these.
And five more words: Do not skip the glaze. I repeat, DO NOT skip the glaze.
#wordstoliveby
Maple Glazed Apple Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Apple Filling
- 2 large apples (chopped finely)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Maple Glaze
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line an 11x7 pan with tin foil (or spray with pan with cooking spray).
Apple Filling
- On med-low heat, cook apple filling mixture for about 3-4 minutes. Pull off heat and allow to cool.
Blondies
- Cream butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in brown sugar and granulated sugar, and mix until well combined.
- Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in salt and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together. Add to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- In the bottom of the pan, spread half the blondie batter evenly, using a spatula (or your hands--batter is very thick, so I prefer to spread with my hands).
- Spread apple filling all over the layer.
- Top with remaining blondie batter and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
Maple Glaze
- Melt butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon over low heat. Once melted together, pull off the heat. Sift in powdered sugar, and whisk until fully combined. Allow to cool for 8-10 minutes so the glaze can thicken.
- Allow bars to cool for about 10 minutes, then pour the glaze over the bars and allow it to set.
- Slice into squares and enjoy!
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Meet Michelle
I’m a self-taught baker who truly believes it’s impossible to be upset when eating dessert. It’s my life’s goal to bake everyone happy!
If I’m not baking, I’m probably reading a good book with a cup a coffee in hand.
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
This looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Maple Glazed Apple Blondies
These apple blondies are truly the best bars I have ever had. My husband says, “They are the perfect combination of apple and sweetness, and the sweetness isn’t overbearing. They can be eaten as breakfast bars, used as a coffee cake, or as dessert. They are even delicious frozen.” . . . said as he was eating one right out of the freezer!
Michelle, this looks great, and we’re looking forward to making it. Your recipe calls for an 11×17 pan. Could this be a cookie sheet, or would it need more depth, like a sheet cake pan? Thank you!
Hi Mike, I would use something with more depth, like a cake pan. They do rise so I would be worried they might spill out over a cookie sheet.
9 x 13 works well. Also I used 6 small apples.
Definitely unsalted butter.
Looks delicious, does the butter need to be salted or unsalted?
Hi Paige, unsalted butter. 🙂
I made this tonight – super easy and delicious! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Absolutely amazing! Could not love this more – my whole family went nuts over them. Such a delicious combination of the flavors of fall – maple, apples, cinnamon and caramel-ly brown sugar. I was concerned about the batter – since as you mentioned it is very thick. I did use my hands to spread it but it did not spread easily – worked out perfectly though. All three aspects of the dish are SO, SO good!
Michelle, these were AMAZING. Sweet, satisfying, chewy, and so, so easy to make. The fam loves them, and I’m no exception. I will definitely be making these again.
Can’t wait to make these! I’m curious what kind of apples you recommend? Sorry if it was already covered!
Hi Dennise, I love to use HoneyCrisp, Jazz, Gala or Fujis. I think the sweeter apple tends to work better in this recipe. 🙂
Is it ok to use brown sugar instead of dark brown and I can’t find dark brown sugar anywhere?
Yes, you can definitely use light brown! 🙂
These are cooling right now waiting doe the glaze! Easy to make and smell amazing! I used honey crisp apples and an 11×8 glass pan that I used Crisco on. I had to have it bake about 15 minutes longer than the recipe said. I think this was because my apples ended up being juicer than anticipated! Just sharing in case others come into the same arena 🙂 looks like they turned out good though! Can’t wait to bring them to family tonight!
Just made these and my home smells like fall. Love the maple glaze, I added walnuts to my topping, just crumbled a few. So delicious!!
I made these today and they are sooo delish! I used Gala apples and an 8X11 pan. They are a little thicker but who cares!
Will absolutely make these again!
They were a big hit last tonight.
I used Granny Smith apples, just the right tartness. I used a 10×8 pan and they were pretty thick. Had to bake about an additional 10 min. Mine was more like a cake but still delicious.
We love these blondies. Even for breakfast! Happy to use sweeter apples for once and it complimented the recipe perfectly.
Just tried this recipe and it was fabulous! Can’t wait to make it again.
Peel the apples or no?
It’s up to you. 🙂 I don’t peel the apples to save on time, but you definitely can peel them if you prefer.
Made this tonight. I didn’t have an 11×7, I thought 9×13 would spread it too thin by the looks of your photos so I went with my 9×9. I also accidentally added 1 tbsp of baking powder instead of 1 tsp however, it turned out delicious. I did have to cook it for about 45 min for the center to be done. I will be making this again and next time I will add an extra apple. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
These are wonderful! Can you freeze them?
Just made this and it’s SO GOOD. I made double the glaze after seeing how little there was LOL- and everything else just as recipe calls for. Well, I did use salted butter, and I used self rising flour instead of the flour, salt baking powder mixture. Thank you!
Going to leave a comment here and on Pinterest, that’s how good this is! I prepped all the dry ingredients last night so I basically just threw it together this morning for my kids’ first snack. This was FREAKING AMAZING. I have to put my plate away before I eat the whole thing. My husband got me pure maple syrup as a part of my Christmas gift and I do not regret cracking it open for this recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing on the recipe except doubling the batch! Definitely going to give you a follow on pin.
These were awesome!!!!!! I knew that they would be good- but not this good! Will definitely make again! A wonderful- different- apple dessert.
Hello …. The recipe calls for a 11 x 7 pan. Did you mean 11 x 17 pan ??
Thank you !
No, I meant 11×7 baking pan. 🙂 11×17 is way too large. If you don’t have an 11×7, you can use an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan.
I have never commented on a recipe ever, but these are the ultimate fall dessert. My family loves them. Gooey and rich, beautiful maple and apple flavors. The glaze is killer. Thank you!
I would love to confirm what size pan is needed. I saw a comment for an 11×17 but the recipe calls for 11×7. Thanks! Can’t wait to try these!
Definitely want to use 11×7. 🙂
This was sooooo good! I had a couple of issues that I’ll tweak to next time. First, I used a cookie sheet with an 11×17 base, but the second layer of batter was impossible to spread and I would have been better off just mixing the apples into the dough, which is basically what happened anyways. Second, the baked brownie was super thin and so fell apart quite a bit when dishing out. Still, it was so, so, so good and I’ll be making it at Thanksgiving for those who don’t want pumpkin pie. I think I’ll use a smaller pan and maybe just mix the apple mixture into the batter. Oh, and probably double the glaze! Definitely wasn’t enough for 11×17. (I also cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup, and I’ll do that again next time).
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey! I think one of the issues is that you want to use an 11×7 baking pan. Not an 11×17. Those are two very different sizes. 🙂 But I’m glad you were able to make it work!
They smell incredible and look like they’re got to be a winner! I haven’t tasted them yet as they are setting with glaze on them, only advice I can give is double the recipe! I struggled to have enough batter to make the layers even using my hands to spread, also the if you want the top to look like the picture DEFINITELY double the glaze recipe!
I made these tonight and they were so good. I ended up using a 9 by 13 dish and was glad I did. Perfect dessert for fall weather. Even my 10 year old loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Oh my dear lord. These are sooooooo good. They get better and better everyday too. Talk about a perfectly mapely fall dessert. Thanks so much!
Love this! My husband loved this and he is a chocolate chip cookie guy. Took this to a party and they were loved. Thank you!
Okay, I can’t get enough of these!! Seriously so good and perfect to bring for a Friendsgiving gathering. I would like to add though, that the dough was not easy to spread. I found what helped spread it best was using my hands and making sure they were wet with water and dipping them back into water as I spread the dough. I also doubled the glaze recipe for better coverage.. and because it is absolutely DELISH! Ya’ll need to make these, you won’t regret it!!
Can I bake these ahead of time?
Yes, you can make these 1-2 days ahead of time. They taste the best the fresher they are, but you can make ahead of time. 🙂
These are absolutely delicious! I was wondering how I could adjust this for an 8×8 square pan! I’m sure halving it would be too little batter….any suggestions?
I’ve baked these in an 8×8 pan before with the recipe as is, and it’s worked out very well! The bars are a little thicker and it does take about 7-10 minutes longer in the oven. 🙂
Could you use apple pie filling you think? Just wondering if anyone ever tried that.
I haven’t tried that, but I think it would work just fine!
I made these last night BUT I put the ingredients in a loaf pan and layered it a second time I followed the recipe to a T. The entire thing came out SO good and looks and tastes like a blondie but in the form of a bread. Even the dough itself wasn’t THAT terrible to spread I used a rubber spatula and my fingers but all in all. 15/10 🙌🏻
These taste absolutely AMAZING! I only had a 9×9 pan, so I had to bake for longer than the recipe said but they still turned out so good. I immediately order a 7×11 pan so I can make this again the right way!
Hi Michelle – how do you store these? On the counter or in the fridge?
I’m sure they won’t last long but I am curious!
Thank you.
Yes, I do store on the counter for up to two-three days. But you can also store them in the fridge! 🙂
Is the dark brown sugar packed?
Yes, you can pack the brown sugar. 🙂
This is a great recipe but both times I made it my batter seemed really thick (which I know you mentioned it may be in your recipe) but was also super sticky (making it almost impossible to spread), am I doing something wrong?
You aren’t doing anything wrong! This batter is just really, really thick. I’ve tried the recipe different ways to “thin” it out a bit and I never found the flavor to be as good. I know it’s a bit of a pain. When I use a rubber spatula to spread the batter, sometimes dipping the spatula in hot water first (and not drying it off) helps. It’s actually what I do for sticky rice krispie treats as well! 🙂
Getting ready to make this for the second time, it is so so good! I love everything about it!
These are amazing. I am taking to a church potluck for a taste of fall. Because we are in the middle of remodel I had to partially melt the butter as I forgot to put it out to soften. The dough worked up beautifully. I did use a 9×13 pan and it puffed up and is going to be a perfect bar! 🥰 Thank you for the perfect fall flavors!
Has anyone subbed gluten free flour? Thoughts?