Soft, moist and chewy high altitude apple blondies, made with dried apple slices scattered throughout the cookie bars, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. These apple cookie bars are easy to make, and perfect for a fall weekend after apple picking and pumpkin carving!
You might also love these cinnamon apple oatmeal crumble bars, mini apple hand pies, and brown butter crumble apple pie bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Moist and Buttery. I based today’s recipe on my favorite chocolate chip blondies recipe, but with dried apples instead of chocolate chips. These apple cookie bars are soft, moist, chewy and buttery, with the simple cinnamon sugar topping adding a crunchy finish..
No Mixer Needed. The batter is quick and easy to mix up with just a bowl and spoon.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. Keeps the apple blondies moist, and adds a rich, buttery flavor.
- Sugar. Both granulated sugar and light brown sugar add sweetness and moisture.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Eggs. Add moisture, richness and strength.
- Flour. All purpose flour adds structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Dried Apples. You’ll need unsweetened dried apples, not fresh apples, so that you don’t add too much extra moisture to the dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar. A simple mixture of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon is all these blondies need on top.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs, about 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
- Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and the chopped dried apples to the batter, and stir together with a spatula until combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar.
- Bake the apple blondies for 35 minutes. As the blondies cool, the center may sink slightly lower than the puffed edges. Set the pan on a cooling rack, and let cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting. Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon-sugar and cut into squares.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store leftover blondies?
Store leftover blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can I use fresh apples instead of dried apples?
No, you need to make these apple blondies with dried apples. Fresh apples contain too much moisture, and would completely alter the recipe.
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High Altitude Apple Blondies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 oz unsweetened dried apples, roughly chopped (see note)
- ¼ cup cinnamon-sugar (1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1 tsp ground cinnamon)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs, about 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
- Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and the chopped dried apples to the batter, and stir together with a spatula until combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar.
- Bake the apple blondies for 35 minutes. As the blondies cool, the center may sink slightly lower than the puffed edges. Set the pan on a cooling rack, and let cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting. Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon-sugar and cut into squares.
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