apple cinnamon blondies with maple cream cheese frosting
The change of seasons brings out the best in me, especially creatively. By the end of summer, I find myself feeling ready for something new! The change of seasons brings about a new energy and sparks my inspiration and brings in so many new recipes ideas. These apple cinnamon blondies with maple cream cheese frosting are just the beginning of my fall-focused recipes.
This recipe has 3 of my all time favorite autumn flavors – apple, cinnamon, and maple. They are for sure the starter pack for fall-inspired desserts. I wish I could bottle this recipe up and turn it into a candle because the SMELL that was permeating through my apartment during this process was so magical. I never used to consider myself a baker, but lately I’ve been getting into it more and that’s DEFINITELY the best part of baking – the way it makes the space around you smell. The worst part? Letting shit cool before enjoying. My patience, especially when waiting to try food is MINIMAL.
WHAT IS A BLONDIE?
It’s the opposite of a brownie – which I don’t know why, but I find that to be the cutest thing ever. It’s essentially everything that goes into a brownie, minus the cocoa, so it’s a white brownie – AKA a blondie! They have the same chewy, dense, and moist texture minus the chocolatey flavor. They are equally as good, in my opinion. Especially when lathered in maple cream cheese frosting.
TIPS FOR STORING OR MAKING AHEAD
If you are making these ahead of time for an event or gathering, my suggestion would be to make the blondies, and make the frosting, but keep them separate. Leave the bars out at room temp and keep the frosting in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, frost the blondies and cut up!
If you’ve already frosted your blondies and you’re looking to store leftovers, keep them in the fridge. Because there is cream cheese in the frosting, you’ll want to keep them cold to avoid them spoiling.
TIPS FOR MAKING THESE BARS PERFECT
- WEIGH YOUR FLOUR (in grams)- baking is PRECISE. That is why I’ve always felt resistance when baking. It is scientific and if one component is being measured improperly, the dish can be thrown off. When measuring flour, using a scale will be your best chance for accuracy. If you don’t have a scale and have to use measuring cups, DO NOT PACK YOUR FLOUR. This will add more flour than the recipe calls for. Instead, try using a spoon to spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off, keeping it fluffy and airy. Too much flour will make your dough thick and dense.
- LET THEM COOL FULLY – I knowwww, this is the worst part of baking. Allowing them to cool will let them set, be easier to frost, and then be easier to cut. There is butter in the frosting, so if your bars are hot, or even warm, the frosting will get a little melty. They will still taste great, they just won’t be as aesthetically pleasing.
- CHOOSE YOUR APPLE – I used Honey Crisp apples for these, and really any apple will do! I think Honey Crisp are nice and sweet, but choose your adventure here. If you have an apple allergy or do not like apples, you can omit them entirely – your bars will just have a different flavor and no chunks of apples throughout!
- THE BAKING PAN – Depending on which pan you use (metal or ceramic) this will change your bake time. I used a ceramic pan for these which is why I recommend a little longer baking time. A metal pan will cook quicker than the recipe calls for, more like 30 minutes. So keep an eye on these depending on the pan you’re using!
As always, let me know if you make these!
Apple Cinnamon Blondies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
Ingredients
FOR THE BLONDIES
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly browned (2 sticks)
- 290 grams all-purpose flour (2 1/3c) spoon into a measuring cup and level off, DO NOT PACK. This will change the consistency of your dough.
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 2/3 cup brown sugar (330g)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
FOR THE APPLES
- 2 cup peeled and chopped apples I used Honey Crisp
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter
FOR THE MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 6 oz cream cheese (the block of cream cheese is 8oz) softened and room temp (take out of the fridge a few hours before using)
- 1/2 stick butter, unsalted softened – take out of the fridge a few hours before using
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan on LOW heat, melt 1 cup of butter (2 sticks).
- In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together until combined and set aside.
- Once your butter is melted, turn the heat up slightly (low – medium) and get the butter slightly browned. This should just be a few minutes – stir frequently to avoid burning.
- While your butter is browning, peel 2 apples and chop into small pieces. Saute in a large pan with 1 tbsp of butter for 10 minutes. This is to cook the apples slightly before baking. Add in 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and stir well. Remove from heat.
- Add melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix well with a hand mixer. It should be sort of a caramel consistency. Add in your dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.
- Add in your cinnamon apples and fold in. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and bake for 35-45 minutes (keep an eye on this as every oven is different). Also, if you're using a metal pan, these will cook quicker than the 35-45 minutes. I'd recommend checking at 28/30 minutes for doneness if using a metal pan. The tops should be golden brown and the center should be firm (not jiggly).
- While your blondies are baking, make your cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl add your SOFTENED cream cheese and butter. Use a hand mixer to fully combine. Add in your powdered sugar and maple syrup, mix again. Place in the fridge.
- Remove pan from oven and let cool for 1 hour before removing. After 1 hour, lift from the parchment paper and transfer to a cooling rack, let cool for another 1-2 hours. You want this fully cooled because your frosting will melt (from the butter) if placed on too warm of blondies.
- Spread your frosting on your blondies, top with cinnamon, and cut into squares and enjoy!
Leave a Reply
Just made these, and they are amazing! The perfect fall treat!
Glad you loved them!
They tasted amazing but were just a little dry, any remedy for this?
There are few things that could contribute to this. Too much flour is the most common, make sure you’re not overpacking your cups – instead, spoon flour into it lightly and level it off. A scale will be the most accurate way for this. Also, depending on what kind of pan you used, this can alter the texture / baking time. If you used metal, your blondies will cook quicker than if you used glass or ceramic. Hope this helps!
These were amazing! 35 minutes was a little long for my oven but I kept my eye on them and simply popped them out a little early. Thanks for such a tasty recipe!
Good to know! Thank you!
Hi there wondering how many ppl the larger batch would cover, if I would serve little 2 inch squares? I want to use this recipe for a catering of about 50 ppl. Thanks!
I’d probably make 2 batches!
Salted or unsalted butter? Looks great!
Unsalted! Thank you for asking – I adjusted the recipe <3
Did you forget to adjust it for the frosting too? This frosting is SALTY.
Your frosting shouldn’t be salty. There’s no salt in the recipe for the frosting.
Hey Megan,
I just made these for the family and it quickly became their new favorite! Thanks, this is a great recipe!
Christy Barnum
Hi Christy! I’m so glad that you and the family loved them.
Made these tonight after dinner and they will for sure be a fall staple in our household! DELISHHHH.
Amazing! Thank you for making them!
this is a very tasty recipe! it has great flavor in the base and the frosting. it was a great recipe to kick start fall 🍂🍁
Thank you!
Love the recipe but my daughter doesn’t like apples, what adjustments should I make if I omit the apples?
You wouldn’t need to make any adjustments, just omit the part of sautéing the apples with butter and cinnamon and leave them out!
Sounds amazing! Could I cook them in cupcake cases? If so, what adjustments (ingredients, time, etc.) would you recommend? 🙂
Yes you could! They may not rise the same way a muffin / cupcake would be definitely try it! And you would just need to adjust the amount of time that it would bake. I haven’t tried them this way but I’d assume 12-15 minutes. Give it a go and just keep an eye on them! Take them out of the oven when they’re golden brown.
Wow!! Made these today and they are delicious!!! Will definitely be making these again!!
Perfect fall flavor and love the texture combination between the blondie and the cream cheese frosting.
Glad you loved them!
Saw this on your Tiktok and I had to try it. It’s an amazing fall inspired dish. Love it. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you loved it! Thank you for making them!
YUM these were amazing. I made them last night and did not change a single thing about the recipe. They turned out nice and dense, a perfect blondie. Flavors were incredible!! I’m already planning the next time I make them 🙂
I love to hear this! Thank you for sharing <3
Can’t wait to make the blondie but as not Amerirac I have a few question 🙈 how many grams would be stick butter? And a cup of butter is 250 grams? Thank you! 😍
1 stick of butter is 113g of butter. 2 sticks of butter is 1 cup. So 1 cup of butter is 226g
These are so delish! I want to take some of these to my coworkers tomorrow and share the love, should I store this in the refrigerator overnight or would they be okay at room temp?
Store in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting!
Taste is incredible but I did 35 mins and I think that was too long as my blondies are not moist or chewy like a brownie 🙁 I can’t imagine if I’d done 45….
What size pan did you use?
9×13. And I would say my oven is pretty standard, as I have never had to adjust the temperature or time for another recipe… So I’m not sure what happened!
Okay – the recipe *does* say 35-45 minutes because everyone’s oven is a bit different. Baking is tough like that, just keep an eye on them, remove them when they’re golden brown and when a toothpick comes out of the center clean.
Same with mine, 35 minutes was too long. I was surprised how fast they baked. I skipped the step of leaving in pan for 1 hour and let cool on rack longer. This seemed to help!
The recipe does say 35-45 minutes due to everyone’s oven being a bit different! Just keep an eye on them and take them out when they’re golden brown and when a toothpick comes out clean.
Any healthier subs you can suggest? Can I go with coconut or almond flour instead of all purpose?
You sure can give it a try! I however have not tried this recipe with flour substitutes so cannot speak to how it will turn out!
i made these tonight and they are amazing! How do you suggest storing them? Are they okay to be left out or should they be refrigerated?
I’d refrigerate them because of the cream cheese frosting!
These look absolutely delicious! I was wondering if the blondies could still be good even without the frosting?
I’m sure! I haven’t tried that – give it a go.
everything came out so good!!!
it was way too much frosting though and why is the recipe in american measurements……. my friend almost burned the house down bc we thought you meant 350 C°… thx for that
god bless america 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The recipe is in American measurements because I’m an American. Please know for future reference you should never (for any recipe) have your oven set to 350 degrees Celsius. That is 662 degrees Fahrenheit. Most recipes are written in Fahrenheit when referring to an oven temp.
Hi, this looks amazing! Can I add less sugar and use for example erythritol? Or texture would be too bad? Thanks
I’m not sure – I don’t cook or bake with erythritol so I’m unsure how that would turn out! Would love to hear if it works for you.
Hey there! Erythritol is a good alternative when baking, usually. The texture is not supposed to change, especially if you find the crystalized version of it (there is powedered as well). Honestly the blondies in this recipe (and the icing) are quite sweet so I think you won’t have a problem with it. Usually the erythritol:sugar proportion is 1:1 but I would but less erythritol in this case. Good luck!
Can you sub almond flour in to make it gluten free? 1:1 ?
I have not tried this as I have an almond allergy, but I’m interested to hear if it works for you!
My whole family LOVED these!!! So sweet & different! Definitely going to make again.
I love that! Glad everyone enjoyed them <3
Are they supposed to be very heavy? Mine did not fill a 9×13 and are very dense and spice cake like… I think covid ruined my taste buds (thanks 2020) but these were ok. I’ll see what my daughter says and update. Good recipe to play with.
They should fill a 9×13 pan, and the dough shouldn’t be dense, should spread easily in your pan.
I saw these on TikTok and I look forward to making them this week! How small should I chop the apples? Smaller or bigger than half inch cubes?
Hi there! Chop them into smaller than 1/2 inch chunks. It’s kind of a preference! You want small bite-sized pieces.
We don’t eat a lot of sweets, but I had to try these. This recipe was super easy to half and came out absolutely delicious! I’ll be making these again ❤️
Amazing!
My kids aren’t fond of maple flavoring. What could I substitute instead instead of having just plain creme cheese frosting? Cannot wait to try this recipe!
You could do a splash of vanilla to make a vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Just made this recipe. They are delicious and rich. The texture is like a brownie. Crisp on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside. The picture on insta looked a little more cake-like in texture, but mine were more like the title suggests and are a brownie-like consistency. Thanks!
Love this!! Glad you enjoyed them!
How much is “one stick” of butter? Canadian butter didn’t come in sticks :/
8 tbsp of butter is 1 stick.
I made these yesterday and holy crap they are sooo sweet. I think there is too much frosting. I don’t think I’ll be making these again, sorry.
You don’t have to use all of the frosting. Def can save some!
I’m planning on making these but I was curious- I do not have maple syrup and it is a little expensive and not sure I want to purchase it specifically for this recipe. Would I be able to use maple flavoring instead? Or is it the consistency and flavor of maple syrup specifically that is necessary? Thank you! 🙂
You can skip it and use a splash of vanilla instead
These are delicious! I didn’t have Unsalted butter on hand so I used salted in the batter and frosting and they weren’t too salty, but we’re so yummy! Fall in a bite! I was wondering what the nutrition facts for these bars are, though?
This turned out great! I was concerned they would bee too sweet, but it was a really balanced flavor. great fall recipe
This turned out excellent! A very fall recipe. I was worried that they would turn out too sweet, but the flavor was really balanced. I didn’t have nutmeg and did more cinnamon, and it was totally fine.
So amazing! Switched out the flour for a gluten free flour and it was still so so yummy!
Thank you for the insight!! Glad the swap worked for you <3
Just made these-they’re FANTASTIC! A fan favorite. Perfectly balanced, not overly sweet, and the perfect fall dessert. Love how it automatically made the house smell like Thanksgiving <3
Love to hear this! Thank you!
Honestly, I am a huge fan of the recipe itself. My blondies turned out to be so delicisious. However, I had a real struggle with the ingredients as you had them listed in every way possible – cups, grams, oz… Especially when you point out how important it is for the dough to have the right consistency and the flour being the specific 290 grams, I think it was quite frustrating trying to guess how much “one cup of melted butter” is supposed to be. Same with the frosting… mine turned out to be too liquid. Despite, this was a great idea for a fall dessert that is not too hard to make and tastes great!
Hi Valentin! I’m sorry this recipe was frustrating for you. I added grams because that is the most accurate way to bake anything but I know most people don’t own a food scale so using cups is the most user-friendly way to create a recipe. Also, 1 stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup. So when a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, it is 2 sticks. Cream cheese is also measured in ounces on the packaging – 8oz is equal to 1 brick of cream cheese, it says it right on the packaging. Thank you!
Delicious, love them! Can you just clarify how much apple to use as you say 2 cups in the ingredients, but 2 apples in the instructions. I went for halfway between and used 4 small apples, which seemed fine. Thanks!
When I cut up 2 apples it equaled 2 cups. I will adjust this to be consistent. Thank you!
I made this for my mom and dad but did both the frosting suggested and a simple vanilla glaze frosting, my dad doesn’t like cream cheese frostings, and both were absolutely delicious on top! The cream cheese frosting added an amazing flavor profile to the apple in the blondie and the vanilla glaze kept it simple and let the blondie shine. Absolutely amazing recipe all around!!
love to hear that!
Hey do you think coconut sugar would be good ¿?
Give it a try! I’m sure they’d be delicious!
My dough was very thick not very runny almost stiff, is that how it is supposed to be? It still turned out good!
I’m glad they were good! You may have used too much flour if you used measuring cups. It’s easy to overpack flour into cups which will alter the texture of the dough a bit.
The conversion from Cup to mg is WAY! If you use 330mg of sugar the dough is dry as desert. I then took the measure in cups to double check. And it’s not 230mg. Also for AP flour. 2 cups 1/3 is much more than 290. I would recommend 1/ fixing or 2/ do not add mg if the you’re not sure of the information.
if 2 1/3c of flour is more than 290g you are packing way too much flour into your measuring cups. You need to lightly scoop flour into your cups and then level it off. Do not pack your flour into your cups, that will alter the recipe way too much.
Absolutely amazing! I’m not the best baker and it was so easy and delicious. My whole family loved it and my grandma said it was prize worthy! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be making it often!
love that!
Made these last night and they came out very good. The frosting was a bit sweet but I just ate it with a cup of coffee to cut the sweet 😉
You are correct, waiting for them to cool was the worst part 😂
Next time you make them, feel free to add less maple syrup to the frosting to make them less sweet!
I made these last night and my roommate just texted me “ This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted how dare you”.
They are SO GOOD!
haha I love that!
My daughter is celiac – other than using a gf flour blend, would I need to change anything (add more or less of something) to make these turn out ok? They look delicious!!
I don’t believe so. If you use a 1:1 gluten free flour (I believe Bob’s Red Mill has one), you should just be able to swap that in and they should turn out! I, however, have not tried to make these gluten-free so no guarantees!
Can’t wait to make these! What size pan did you use?
9×13
I’m extremely disappointed; I wasted so many ingredients because I trusted that the measurements in this recipe were accurate. I was really looking forward to making this, but using the incorrect amount of flour (in cups) completely ruined it. I hope you can correct this for future users because I’m incredibly frustrated.
Hi Jasmin! I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you. I recommended in the recipe to weigh flour with a scale because sometimes using measuring cups can alter the amount of flour that goes into the recipe. It’s important to scoop your flour into your measuring cup and not pack it in too tight. I have that written in the blog but maybe you missed that part. I’m sorry again these didn’t turn out!
I made these. I should start by saying that I cook but I don’t bake – I’m a pretty good chef but bread and cakes always mess up for me.
Also, I’m in Europe, so had to convert all the measurements. This was a nightmare, not due to the recipe but merely because of my baking anxiety. Oh, and also I had to half it, as we’re only two people eating.
These came out amazing. I gave the cake 35 mins (had to cover with alu foil for the last 15 mins due to my oven being a temperamental jerk). It came out golden brown on top. Baked all the way throughout. Dense like a brownie but still fluffy – none of that raw-in-the-middle bs that I’m used to.
For the first time in my life, I made a successful cake, and it tastes divine too! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Just made these and I’m so happy with the results! I rarely bake from scratch and they turned out absolutely delicious!!
I’m so happy you loved them!
I went through all the reviews before making this recipe, mine turned out divine. I think it’s ironic when so many don’t read all your notes on weighing/grams and tips, then post a negative review . Thank you for this recipe, it is super delicious.
Thank you! I find it very ironic as well 🙂
Just made this yesterday, its absolutely delicious! I made them into muffins so they would be easier to store, with my oven it took around 25 minutes to bake and made 16 muffins. The browned butter adds so much more flavour to it, I think i will attempt that trick with different loaves and muffins!
I am in LOVE with the icing recipe, super light and fluffy, almost like a whipped cream with the perfect level of sweetness. I added a bit of vanilla to my icing and it was a great addition. Will definitely be making this again!
Amazing! Love your creativity – glad you loved them.
Love this! Thank you for sharing!
Really, really good – thank you for this recipe! I topped the frosting with some roasted pecans – can highly recommend for some extra crunch and works perfectly with the other flavours!
Love the addition! Thanks for sharing <3
The ingredients say 1 2/3 c brown sugar but 330g? Which is it? Sorry I’m so confused! These look so delicious!
1 2/3c is 330g
Just made these last night with my fiancé and these bars were TO DIE FOR. We quickened the cooling step by putting them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. We took them out when they were still slightly warm and the perfect temperature to put frosting on. Will definitely be making these every fall!
Amazing! Love that
Could I freeze these somehow to keep for the next week? Any suggestions? Thank you!
My suggestion with freezing would be to keep your blondies and icing separate. Wrap and freeze your blondies and then make the icing and frost when you’re ready to eat!
HUGE hit at work! I made these Gluten Free and they came out perfectly! I use Jule’s All Purpose GF flour 1:1 ratio. No one could tell at all they were gluten free. So tasty.
Good to know! Love that.
I made these for my school’s fall bake sale and they came out so well!! I don’t bake too often so I wasn’t sure how they’d come out but they taste incredible, will definitely be making these again.
Amazing, I love to hear that!
I ran out of white flour so I ended up doing 190g white flour and 100g whole wheat flour and the texture turned out amazing!!! This will definitely be a repeat Recipe. The maple cream cheese frosting was a perfect topping.
Amazing! Love to hear that.
Frosting=delish!
35-45 mins seemed a bit long when I read it, so it’s on me to have checked em regularly , but 35 mins left mine super done (I was hoping a little softer).
I’m excited to try them again next time!
Hi Mike! Thanks for sharing – unfortunately with baking there are so many factors that go into it. If you use a metal pan, they will bake quicker. I will add this to the recipe for future reference. Thank you!
I just ate one 2 seconds ago, they are DELICIOUS! The frosting came out very liquid-y for me. I have it in the fridge now before frosting all of the blondies, but for future reference, is there a way you recommend to thicken it up a bit?
Hi Johanna, I’m unsure what would have made it liquidy. Can you tell me the ingredients you used in the frosting?
Easily one of the best desserts I’ve ever made! They were delicious, soft, and had so much flavor! I’m already making more to give to family!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear you loved them.
I only put mine for 30 minutes which worked well on my oven.
Added toasted pecans to the top for some extra texture. Amazing recipe!
Yum!!
These turned out insanely good. Followed the recipe exact except the maple cream cheese, I swapped for caramel cream cheese! Turned into like a caramel apple taste. So good Megan thank you!
wow I love that swap what a great idea! Glad you enjoyed them!
How long could I store these in the fridge. And can I freeze them?
They can be stored in the fridge for 5-7 days. You can freeze them however I’d recommend keeping the blondie and frosting separate and make the frosting and frost once you’re ready to serve!
Just made these, you are a genius!!! So delicious. I will be bringing these to work tomorrow to make all my coworkers like me <3
Amazing!! I’m glad you loved them.
I followed the recipe as is and ended up with blondies that were very dry, almost a scone like texture. But the flavor is delicious, so I’m going to try again. Do you think the reason for this consistency is I baked for too long or perhaps used too much flower? I used 2 & 1/3 cups, and did not pack it. It was a very dense consistency when I was pouring into my pan. I used a 9×13 glass pan. I’m open to suggestions!
Hi Devon, since you do not have a scale, it sounds like 2 1/3c may have been too much. Try less flour next time. Maybe 2 cups?
These were so yummy & I added some chopped pecans and walnuts & used granny smith apples to balance the sweetness. So delish!
Yum!
Do you know if I could substitute gluten-free flour for regular flour to make these? They sound delicious, but I need them to be gluten-free.
People have said they used gluten free flour and they turned out great! I personally have no tried it. Let me know how it goes!
WOW! My family devoured these at Thanksgiving. Such a delicious recipe and not hard to make. I followed the recipe using my kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients as I find that the easiest way to bake. I used honeycrisp apples and the blondies came out moist and flavorful. The frosting was a bit runny so I added extra sugar and then ended up not using all the frosting. Anyway, this was fabulous and I will make it in the future for sure!
Hi Chris! I am so glad you and your family loved these. I’m happy to hear you use a scale also – this is definitely the most accurate way to bake! I’m interested as to why your frosting came out runny? Any ideas?
Hi! Thank you so much for the recipe! I need your help though, I think I’m doing something wrong, I’ve made these three times and they’ve come out SO flat! In your video, yours looks more cake-like, just wondering what I might be doing wrong? (They still taste amazing)
Hi Bryan – a few things can contribute to this.
1. are you using a scale to measure your flour?
2. what kind of pan are you using for these? Things will bake differently depending on metal, ceramic, or glass!
These were absolutely delicious. I subbed gluten free flour and knew that might change the outcome; however – they were perfection. Will be making these regularly for the family. The texture, flavor, icing, yum. And very easy to make with your directions. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing, I’m so happy they turned out and that the whole family loved them!