Maple Walnut Blondies with Candied Pecans

From the roundup: 24 Easy Fall Desserts Recipes to Bake This Season

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These maple walnut blondies come together in one bowl, and the hardest part is browning the butter without walking away from the stove. That step takes about five or six minutes of actual attention, and it is worth every second. The nutty, amber butter is what separates these from every other blondie recipe you have made.

Fresh apple goes in at the end, folded into a thick batter that smells like fall the second it hits the oven. Honeycrisp holds its shape and adds a little bite. Granny Smith keeps things tart. Either way, the apple pieces stay distinct in the finished bar rather than disappearing into the crumb, which my kids actually prefer over plain blondies.

Active time is around 20 minutes. The oven does the rest. Total time from pulling out the butter to cutting the first square is just under an hour, including the cooling time you actually need if you want clean slices.

Why you will love this

• Brown butter is the whole flavor foundation here. It takes six minutes and makes the bars taste like something you ordered at a bakery.
• Fresh apple adds moisture without making the bars wet or gummy. The lemon juice toss keeps the pieces from browning while you finish the batter.
• One bowl, one pan, 32 minutes in the oven. No mixer needed.
• They slice cleanly after a short fridge rest, which means you can actually cut 16 even squares instead of a crumbled mess.
• Better cold from the fridge the next day than they are warm. That is rare for a baked bar.

Tips for success

• Use a light-colored saucepan to brown the butter so you can actually see the milk solids turning amber. A dark pan makes it easy to burn the butter without noticing until it smells bitter.
• Pull the pan at 28 minutes and do the fingertip test before committing to more time. The center should have a slight give, not feel wet. I have overbaked these waiting for the toothpick to come out completely clean, and the bars ended up dry at the edges.
• Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping directly from the bag. Too much flour makes these dense in the wrong way, more cakey than chewy.
• Let the bars cool completely in the pan before lifting them out. If you rush it, the center folds in on itself when you try to cut. A 30-minute fridge rest after cooling gives you the cleanest edge.

Apple variety and texture questions

• Honeycrisp and Granny Smith both work well. Honeycrisp stays slightly sweet and firm. Granny Smith gives you a tart contrast against the brown sugar batter.
• Avoid McIntosh or Fuji. They release too much water during baking and make the center of the bars wet even when the edges are done.
• Cut the apple into true half-inch pieces. Smaller than that and they dissolve into the batter. Larger and they can make the bars hard to slice cleanly.
• The lemon juice toss is not optional if you are prepping the apple more than five minutes ahead. It keeps the pieces from oxidizing while you finish the batter.

Substitutions

If someone in your house has a tree nut allergy, skip any added walnuts or pecans entirely. The bars are complete without them. For a nuttier crumb, fold in a half cup of chopped walnuts or pecans with the apple at the end. You can also swap a quarter teaspoon of cardamom in for some of the cinnamon if you want a slightly more complex spice note.

The all-purpose flour can be partially swapped: up to half of it can be replaced with almond flour for a fudgier, slightly denser bar. Go beyond half and the structure gets unreliable. Gluten-free one-to-one flour blends work reasonably well here since the bars are already dense and the bake time stays the same.

Make-ahead and storage

You can brown the butter and mix the batter up to an hour before you plan to bake. Hold it at room temperature, covered, and fold in the apple right before spreading into the pan. Fully baked bars can be made the day before you need them. Once completely cool, wrap the whole uncut slab tightly and leave it at room temperature overnight. Slice the next day.

Store cut bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 6 days. Cold bars firm up a bit but come back to a good texture after 20 minutes on the counter. To freeze, layer cooled cut bars between parchment in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

Brittany Stage

Maple Walnut Blondies with Candied Pecans

Chewy, dense blondies built on a base of nutty brown butter and brown sugar, with chunks of crisp apple folded through for moisture and fall flavor. Simple to make and better than most apple desserts you can bake in the same amount of time.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 32 minutes mins

Total Time 52 minutes mins

Servings: 16 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 210

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, from about 1 large apple
• 1 tsp lemon juice to toss with the apple pieces

Equipment

• 8×8 baking pan
• light-colored medium saucepan
• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• rubber spatula
• parchment paper

Method

 

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out easily. Lightly grease the parchment.
2. Brown the butter: Place the butter in a light-colored medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as it melts, foams, and then begins to smell nutty. You will see golden brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan. Pull it off the heat the moment it smells like toasted hazelnuts and turns a deep amber color. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour it immediately into your large mixing bowl so it stops cooking.
3. While the butter cools for about 3 minutes, toss your diced apple pieces with the lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk the brown sugar into the warm brown butter until fully combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Add the vanilla and whisk again. The batter should look glossy and smooth.
5. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt directly to the bowl. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold until just combined, stopping as soon as you no longer see dry streaks. Do not overmix.
6. Fold the apple pieces into the batter gently. The batter will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with your spatula.
7. Bake on the center rack for 28 to 32 minutes. The top should look crackled, dry, and golden. When you press the center lightly with your fingertip, it should have just a slight give but not feel wet or jiggly. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not raw batter.
8. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack before lifting the bars out by the parchment. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate the whole slab for 30 minutes, then slice into 16 squares with a sharp knife.

Notes

Using a light-colored saucepan when browning butter is important. Dark pans make it hard to see the color change, and you risk burning the butter before you realize it has gone too far.

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