Caramelized Apple Blondies

These amazing apple blondies are made with cooked, caramelized apples for the perfect fall treat. They’re chewy, decadent, and full of autumn flavors. Best enjoyed with a cup of hot apple cider or tea!

Fall is right around the corner, and personally, I am so excited. Fall is probably my favorite season, despite the fact that we don’t get the same beautiful leaves changing colors and pumpkin spice flavored everything here. But I have been posting lots of new fall recipes on the blog since I absolutely adore all things fall-spiced, like these pumpkin muffins and my absolute favorite apple cider donuts.

Blondies are such a great dessert because you can customize them in so many ways by putting just about anything into them. These apple blondies are my version of a perfect fall blondie: chewy blondies with sweet and cinnamony caramelized apples.

How to make apple blondies

Unlike apple pie, these apple blondies don’t bake long enough for the apples to become as soft as I’d like. So the first step is to make a caramelized cinnamon apple filling that gets folded into the blondie batter.

To make the cinnamon apple filling:

1. Peel and core the apples and cut them into ¼ inch squares.
   
2. Toss the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and heavy cream, if using. While the cream isn’t required, it adds extra richness to the blondies.
   
3. Melt butter and sauté the apples over medium-low heat . Cook until the apples are slightly tender and have released enough juice to create a caramel-like sauce (about 10 minutes).
   
4. Remove from the heat and let them cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the caramel apple blondie recipe.

To make the apple blondie batter:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. I like to use a long enough piece of paper so that there is some hanging over the sides. This helps lift the blondies out onto the cooling rack after baking.
   
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set this aside. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
   
3. Fold the flour mixture into the sugar-egg mixture using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overmix the batter as this will result in dense blondies.
   
4. Finally, fold in the cooked, caramelized apple mixture. It’s important not to include the extra juice they are sitting in, which will change the blondie recipe. You can either strain the apples with a fine mesh sieve or pour off the extra liquid using the back of a spoon into another bowl. These caramel apple blondies are already super moist, so you want to be careful to not add any extra liquid.
   
5. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth down the top, pushing down any apple lumps. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean (there will be a few crumbs attached). I prefer my blondies on the chewier side, but if you like them cakier just bake them for a few more minutes. Don’t go any longer, since overbaked blondies become dry.
   
6. Let the caramel apple blondies cool in the pan to room temperature, giving them time to firm up before lifting out of the pan. I like to place my blondies in the refrigerator for a couple hours before cutting, as this helps get clean edges.

These apple blondies are best enjoyed at room temperature along with a nice cup of hot apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte. Even if it doesn’t feel like fall, at least my kitchen is starting to smell like it!

What kind of apples should I use for apple blondies?

You can use any apples you like for these apple blondies, but my preference is a combination of sweet and tart apples, like Granny Smith and Pink Ladies together.

More delicious blondie recipes:

1. Cinnamon Blondies: This is another perfect fall blondie recipe that’s packed with cinnamon, dark chocolate chunks, and toasted pecans.
   
2. Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies: White chocolate pairs perfectly with blondies, and this recipe combines the delicious flavor with juicy strawberry jam.
   
3. Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies: Raspberry and white chocolate is one of my all time favorite flavor combos. These blondies are gooey, rich, and decadent!
   
4. Peanut Butter Blondies: Creamy peanut butter is combined into my scrumptious blondie recipe. Try drizzling these with melted chocolate!
5. White Chocolate Brown Butter Blondies: Indulgent white chocolate and brown butter are combined in these fudgy, dreamy blondies.

4 from 3 votes

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Caramelized Apple Blondies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 46 minutes

YIELD 24 blondies

Ingredients

Apples

• 2 ½ tablespoons (30g) light or dark brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium/large apples , peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch squares
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream , optional
• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

Blondies

• 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 ¼ cups (250g) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the apple filling:

1. In a medium bowl mix together sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and toss to combine. Add heavy cream, if using, and mix to combine.

2. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and apples are slightly tender and coated with a caramel-like sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool to room temperature. Drain the apples to remove the excess liquid.

Make the blondies:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the blondies out of the pan after baking.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, place the melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until well combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and fold, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the drained apples.

4. Transfer to prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes (I like it more on the raw side. The longer you bake it, the more cakey it would be), until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Over baking will make the blondies dry. Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then lift out of the pan and cut into bars (or, for perfectly cut bars, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting). Serve at room temperature.
5. Keep bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.