Brown Butter Apple Blondies

I wanted to bake a bar recipe with apples, and I tried out this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

Apples:

• 2 cups peeled chopped apples (about 2 medium apples)
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup (or brown sugar)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

Blondie base:

• 1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces*
• 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 and 2/3 cups (330g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  

Icing:

• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

 

Instructions:

1. (As a pre-step, bring the eggs out of the refrigeraator and place in bowl of lukewarm water to come to room temperature.)
   Brown the butter: Brown the butter for both the blondies and icing together.
   Slice the butter into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet.
   Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. 
2. 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.
3. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside until ready to use.
   
   
4. Prepare the apples: Meanwhile, return the pan to the stove. Add the apples, maple syrup/brown sugar, and cinnamon. 
5. Stir and cook over medium heat until apples have slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Set apples aside.
6. 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. Set aside.
   
   
7. Make the blondies: 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.
   
   
8. Brown butter icing: Heat the remaining 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) of brown butter in the microwave to make it liquid again. 
9. 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.
10. Cover and store leftover iced blondies at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week
    
    

 

Carole's Notes:

We liked these! They quite sweet and fluffy. (The blondie part is more like a firmi-sh cake slice.)

The recipe is from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/brown-butter-apple-blondies/