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Brown butter apple pie blondies stacked with cinnamon apple filling and crumble topping on parchment paper
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Brown Butter Apple Pie Blondies (Soft Apple Crumble Blondie Bars)

These Brown Butter Apple Pie Blondies are soft, chewy dessert bars layered with cinnamon-spiced apples, rich caramelized brown butter flavor, and a buttery crumble topping. This easy apple blondie recipe combines everything you love about classic apple pie with the simplicity of sliceable blondie bars — perfect for fall baking, holidays, and cozy dessert cravings.
Course Baking, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Fall Baking
Keyword apple crumble bars, apple crumble blondies, apple dessert bars, apple pie bar recipe, apple pie blondie bars, bakery style blondies, brown butter apple blondies, brown butter dessert bars, cinnamon apple bars, cozy fall desserts, easy apple blondies, fall blondies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 9 large blondies
Calories 400kcal
Cost $8 for entire recipe

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan (for browning butter)
  • Skillet or small saucepan (for apple filling)
  • Mixing bowls
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • 8×8 baking pan
  • Parchment paper (for easy removal)
  • Cooling rack
  • Knife for slicing

Ingredients

Brown Butter Blondie Base

  • 1 cup 226g unsalted butter
  • 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Apple Pie Filling

  • 2 medium apples peeled and diced (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water

Crumble Topping

  • ½ cup flour
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Brown the Butter

  • Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until golden brown and nutty, about 5–7 minutes. Cool slightly.

Make Apple Filling

  • Cook apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a skillet for 5–6 minutes.
  • Stir in cornstarch + water slurry and cook until thick. Cool.

Make Blondie Batter

  • Whisk browned butter and sugars.
  • Add eggs and vanilla.
  • Fold in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until thick.

Assemble

  • Line an 8×8 pan.
  • Press ¾ of batter into pan.
  • Spread apple filling.
  • Drop remaining batter in spoonfuls.
  • Mix crumble topping and sprinkle over.

Bake

  • Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–45 minutes until golden.
  • Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• Browning the butter is key for deep caramel flavor — don’t skip this step for authentic brown butter apple blondies.
• Use firm apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady so the apple filling stays tender but not mushy while baking.
• Allow the blondies to cool completely before slicing. This helps the apple pie blondie bars set and gives clean bakery-style squares.
• If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
• For extra apple pie flavor, add a pinch of allspice or cloves to the apple filling.
• These apple crumble blondies taste even better the next day as the flavors deepen and the texture becomes more fudgy.
• Chill for 30 minutes before cutting if you want sharp edges for photos and Pinterest pins.
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of salted caramel for a bakery-style fall dessert presentation.