Apple Blondies with Brown Butter Glaze

Apple blondies have been my favourite new discovery this autumn. These delectable squares have the shape and texture of brownies, but all the delightful flavours of a freshly baked apple pie! Cinnamon-tossed apples and brown butter really enhance this treat.

I really love the texture. They're so tender and flavourful. And I love how easy they are to make, too!

How to make them

How to brown butter

All three parts of this recipe require brown butter - the apples, the blondies, and the glaze. So to save time, I brown all of the butter at once, then separate it. If you are making the blondies with the glaze, you will need a total of one cup and one tablespoon of unsalted butter (240 grams). If you are omitting the glaze, you will need three-quarters cup and one tablespoon (184 grams).

In a medium-sized frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Stir frequently for a few minutes. The butter will melt and then reach a point when it begins to foam (pictured below). It is at this point that the butter begins to brown. You will see tiny brown specks and it should smell of toasted nuts.

Be careful not to overdo it. The brown butter can quickly burn and turn the specks black. As soon as you see a little browning and notice the nutty smell remove the pan from the heat.

Now that the butter has browned, it's time to separate it. We're going to leave a tablespoon of butter in the pan for cooking the apples. The rest of the butter will be divided, ¾ into a large bowl for the blondies and ¼ into a small bowl for the glaze. I ladle out three spoons into one bowl, one spoon into the other bowl, and repeat until I just have a tablespoon left for the apples.

Cooking the apples

Prepare your honeycrisp apples by peeling and chopping them. Toss the apples with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Stir them into the pan, coating them with the tablespoon of brown butter. Cook for about three minutes or so, until they have softened. Set the apples aside for now.

Making apple blondies

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with parchment paper. It's helpful to have a little bit of parchment paper on the sides to assist with lifting the blondies out of the dish later.

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients until blended - all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Next you're going to need the large mixing bowl with the ¾ cup (170 g) of melted, brown butter. Stir in brown sugar, eggs, and pure vanilla extract.

Mix in the dry ingredients until just fully incorporated. Be careful to not overmix. The dough will be quite thick.

Gently fold the cooked apples into the dough.

Spread out the dough in an even layer in the parchment paper-lined baking dish. Bake for around twenty to twenty-five minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out almost clean. Be careful not to overbake the blondies or they will lose their wonderful brownie texture and have more of a dense cake feel.

Cool the blondies in their pan set on top of a cooling rack. If you attempt to move them too soon, there is a risk of breaking them.

When cooled it is safe to lift the blondies out of the pan. Cut them into twenty-four pieces.

Adding the glaze

I decided to dip my blondies in the glaze, however, you could just pour the glaze on top of the uncut blondies while they're still in the pan. Or, you could choose to omit the glaze all together.

The brown butter set aside for the glaze has likely begun to solidify by this point. Melt it again if necessary. Mix in sifted confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and milk, whisking until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk in ⅛ teaspoon increments until you achieve the desired thickness.

If dipping the blondies like I have, once you have dipped them, set them on a parchment paper lined tray and wait for the glaze to set before storing them. The thicker your glaze is, the longer it will take to set.

Store your apple blondies in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for a couple days or stored in the refrigerator for about a week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, stack them in layers separated by parchment paper in an airtight, freezer-safe container. You can freeze them with the glaze, or add fresh glaze after they have completely thawed to room temperature.

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