Pioneer Woman Brown Butter Apple Spice Blondies

Pioneer Woman brown butter apple spice blondies turn browned butter, brown sugar and applesauce into a soft, chewy dessert bar in 2 hours 25 minutes. Try this easy fall dessert bar for Thanksgiving or tailgate days, since it's make-ahead friendly and stirs together by hand in one bowl.

Let the brown butter cool for a full 30 minutes before you stir anything into it, because hot butter melts the sugar and scrambles the eggs. Skip the wait and the blondies bake up greasy and dense instead of chewy.

Applesauce stands in for extra butter here, so the bars stay moist while the brown butter still gives you that deep caramel flavor. Holding back a little of the white chocolate and nuts to scatter on top also gives you a bakery-style finish with no extra work.

Pioneer Woman Brown Butter Apple Spice Blondies

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

332

kcal

Brown butter and brown sugar make a chewy, caramel-rich base, and applesauce keeps every bar tender. A scatter of white chocolate and walnuts on top bakes into a golden, crunchy crown.

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. (12 tablespoons) salted butter
  

• Cooking spray, for the pan
  

• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  

• 2 tsp. apple pie spice
  

• 1 tsp. kosher salt
  

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  

• 1 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
  

• 1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
  

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  

• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  

• 3/4 c. white chocolate chips (optional)
  

• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
  

Directions

• Brown the butter: Melt 3/4 cup salted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Then pour it right away into a large heatproof bowl and swirl to stop the browning, and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F, then coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides, and spray the parchment too.
• Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl. Set it aside while you make the batter.
• Make the batter: Stir 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar into the cooled brown butter, then add 1/3 cup applesauce, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk. Stir until smooth, then mix in the flour mixture without overmixing.
• Add the mix-ins: Fold 1/2 cup of the white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts into the batter, if you're using them. Then scoop the batter into the pan, smooth the top and scatter the remaining 1/4 cup chips and 1/4 cup nuts over it.
• Bake the blondies: Bake for 32 to 35 minutes, until the blondies are set and lightly golden brown on top. Then cool them in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Lift and cut: Use the parchment overhang to lift the whole slab out onto a cutting board. Cut it into 20 bars.

Tools for this recipe

• Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 3-quart saucepan, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Checkered Chef cooling racks, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make these blondies without nuts or white chocolate?

Yes, both are optional, so just leave them out and the blondies still turn out soft and chewy. If you want something extra, butterscotch chips or semisweet chocolate chips swap in easily for the white chocolate.

How should I store leftover apple spice blondies?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, where they stay soft for a few days. If your kitchen runs warm, the fridge is fine too, though I like to let them come back to room temperature before serving.

Can I bake these ahead for a party?

Yes, they cool completely before cutting anyway, so they fit a make-ahead plan well. Bake them the day before, lift them out of the pan and cut them just before serving.

What can I use if I don't have apple pie spice?

Stir together cinnamon with a little nutmeg and allspice, since those are the usual flavors in apple pie spice. Use the same 2 teaspoons total and taste the batter before baking.

What's the most common mistake with these blondies?

Overmixing the batter once the flour goes in is the big one, because it makes the bars tough instead of chewy. Stir only until you no longer see dry flour, then fold in the mix-ins gently.