These soft and chewy brown butter apple blondies combine cinnamon-spiced apples, brown sugar, and flavorful brown butter. We’ll top them with brown butter icing, a reader favorite icing that I also use for peach Bundt cake and pistachio cookies. If you love apple desserts like I do, these are a must-make!
Alternate title for this recipe: Butter
Let’s celebrate apples with immensely buttery blondies. We’re using 2 sticks of butter in these brown butter apple blondies and we definitely shouldn’t think twice about it!! The good news is that this recipe makes a large 9×13-inch pan, so there’s plenty to share.
But the bad news is… you have to share them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 4 Tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
- 12 oz. chopped apples (about 3 c.; from about 1 1/2 apples)
- Cooking spray
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g.) packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract, divided
- Kosher salt
- 2Â large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups (240 g.) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (90 g.) confectioners’ sugarÂ
- 2 Tbsp. whole milkÂ
Directions
Step 1: In a small pot over medium heat, melt 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter. Continue to cook, stirring or swirling constantly, until milk solids in bottom of pot are deeply golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. (Butter will foam, so if needed, lift solids with a spoon from bottom of pot and check.)
Step 2 :Pour browned butter into a large heatproof bowl, making sure to scrape browned solids from bottom and sides of pot. Let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Step 3 :Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add apples and cook, stirring frequently, until fork-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool.
Step 4 :Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13″ x 9″ metal baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 long opposite sides.
Step 5 : Transfer 2 tablespoons brown butter to a small bowl; set aside. To remaining brown butter, add brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs, then add baking soda and whisk just until distributed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in flour just until combined. Fold in apples. Dollop dough into prepared pan; smooth in an even layer (it will be stiff).
Step 6 : Bake blondies until just brown around the edges and deep golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Using parchment overhang, lift blondies out of pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Step 7: To bowl with reserved brown butter, add confectioners’ sugar, milk, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk until glaze is a thick, pourable consistency.
Step 8: Drizzle glaze over cooled blondies. Let set to let glaze harden, about 5 minutes, then cut into bars
These Brown Butter Apple Blondies Are:
- Cinnamon-spiced
- Soft and sweet
- Chewy, not cakey
- Flavored with brown sugar and brown butter
- Bursting with apples
How to Make Brown Butter Apple Blondies
Listen up because there’s a few steps to conquer before we take that first bite.
Here are the gently cooked apples and the blondie batter:
Success Tip: Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the apple blondies before slicing and serving. I use the same tip when making rice krispie treats and M&M cookie bars, too.
Best Apples for Brown Butter Apple Blondies
You can use your favorite variety of apples. I prefer tart Granny Smith apples because the blondies are pretty sweet. For a complete list of my favorite apple varieties, with a description of each, you can visit my post The Best Apples for Baking.
The Magic of Brown Butter
Let’s talk about brown butter.. Brown butter is a one ingredient wonder and vasty improves the flavor in any dish where it’s used, including these blondies. Brown butter by gently cooking and stirring it on the stove until its milk solids toast and it has a nutty aroma. This takes anywhere between 5-8 minutes, so it’s a pretty quick step.
And well worth every single second. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have liquid gold:
Brown Butter Icing
The blondies don’t *need* icing, just like we don’t *need* to binge watch Netflix on a Sunday night. But we want it, so we’ll do it.
This is the same brown butter icing we use for pistachio cookies, skillet cornmeal cake, pecan sugar cookies, and brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies. It’s remarkable and readers have been raving about it on my peach Bundt cake. Try it on scones and cinnamon rolls too. (You won’t regret this icing, unlike the 4 hours of Netflix binge watching.)
Brown Butter Apple Blondies Recipe
Description
These soft and chewy brown butter apple blondies combine cinnamon-spiced apples, brown sugar, and flavorful brown butter. For extra flavor, top with brown butter icing. Read recipe Notes prior to beginning.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- I recommend browning the butter for the blondies and icing first. You can brown the butter for both the blondies AND the icing together. Once it’s all browned, set 4 Tablespoons (2 liquid ounces, or 60ml) aside for the icing in step 8. The rest (8 liquid ounces, or 240ml) is for the blondie batter, used in step 6.
- Slice the butter into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. You will smell a nutty aroma.. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, return the pan to the stove. (No need to rinse out!) Add the apples, maple syrup/brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir and cook over medium heat until apples have slightly softened, about 3–5 minutes. Set apples aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished blondies out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the apples. Batter will be thick.
- Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean. Remove from the oven and allow the blondies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Heat the remaining 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) of brown butter in the microwave for a few seconds since it has likely solidified by now. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If needed, add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more milk to thin out. Drizzle over cooled blondies, then cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover iced blondies at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Equipment
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