These soft, extremely flavorful spiced apple pecan blondies are such a treat. The apples are roasted with brown sugar and spices to intensify their flavor, then mixed into a brown butter pecan batter, and baked into bars. They’re topped with an apple syrup glaze and a little flaky sea salt for a sweet & salty touch. You can serve them as a holiday dessert or even as a special Thanksgiving breakfast.
spiced apple pecan blondies – the details
These blondies took a few tests to get just right. I wanted them thick, soft, and chewy, with the perfect amount of apples and spice, and an overall irresistible quality.
From a batch that was a little too cakey, to one that was too dry, to one with a few too many apples to allow the blondies to hold together…I finally landed on a recipe that is juuuust right.
These spiced apple pecan blondies are rich in flavor with a strong cinnamon note and subtle hints of nutmeg and cloves. They’re dense and chewy like a brownie, yet the texture has a slight lightness to it. There’s browned butter and a hefty glug of vanilla, plus plenty of chopped pecans for added texture.
You’ll start by roasting the apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until they’re caramelized. The apple flavor becomes more intense, richer, and sweeter. You’ll also be left with a brown sugar apple syrup that turns into the perfect glaze when mixed with powdered sugar.
The batter comes together easily in one bowl with the addition of nutty brown butter and lots of vanilla. More cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and cloves add so much warmth and give these blondies an undeniable fall aroma.
Once the batter is combined, you’ll spread it into the same baking dish that you used to roast the apples. The batter bakes up into a golden sheet of goodness. You’ll want to let it cool a bit before glazing so that the glaze is able to set.
After the glaze sets, just cut the sheet into bars and they’re ready to serve! A little flaky sea salt brings out all of the flavors and gives the blondies quite an addicting quality.
They’ll have a rustic, imperfect look which I just love…really gives them that homemade feel!
PrintSpiced Apple Pecan Blondies
spiced apple pecan blondies topped with a sweet apple syrup glaze and flaky sea salt
yield: 12 blondies
Ingredients
Apples
- 1 lb honeycrisp apples, core + diced (see photos for sizing)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- kosher salt
Batter
- 2 sticks (½ lb) unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- For the apples, preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a 9×13” baking dish. Toss to combine and spread the apples into an even layer. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the apples are caramelized. Strain the mixture, reserving the apples for the batter and the syrup for the glaze.
- For the batter, add the butter to a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the butter is browned, swirling often, about 6 minutes. Once deeply golden brown (with dark brown speckles running throughout), turn off the heat and let the butter cool for a couple of minutes.
- Meanwhile, wipe out the baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl. Pour in the browned butter, whisking to combine. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together. In two batches, fold the dry ingredients into the wet using a rubber spatula. Lastly, fold in the strained apples and pecans.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden and set. Cool the blondies in the pan for about 20 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Cool for another 30 minutes before glazing.
- For the glaze, combine the reserved syrup and powdered sugar. Whisk to combine. Add a tablespoon or two of water if needed to create a silky, spoonable glaze.
- Pour the glaze over the blondies and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the flaky sea salt over top and let set for about 20 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the blondies into 12 bars.
Notes
If you’re making these blondies for a holiday party with lots of people, you can easily cut them into 24 smaller blondies so everyone can have a bite!
I made this for my dad when he visited last weekend. BIG HIT! Mine came out with more of a moist cake texture rather than a blondie, but we all still loved it!
How big should the pan be?
Hi Philippa! These should go in a 9×13″ baking dish. I hope you enjoy. -Kayla
When do you add the pecans?
Hi Alyssa! In step 5, you’ll fold them in when you add the apples. I hope you enjoy! -Kayla