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Apple Crisp Blondies

written by Ashley Fehr

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5 from 9 votes
Prep Time 25 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Servings 12 servings

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These Apple Crisp Blondies are an apple crisp bar with a blondie base — the perfect combo of chewy blondie, tender apples, and crispy streusel!

This may be one of my favorite apple desserts.

apple crisp blondies overhead cut into squares with one square tilted on its side

I’ll be the first to admit that I can resist apple crisp no better in the spring than I can in the fall, but I guess there are people who cook and bake seasonally.

I try really hard to be to fake being one of those people, especially now as a food blogger.

However, since it’s officially fall. I can bake up as many apple desserts as I want and no one will judge, right?

So I’d seen tons of recipes all over Pinterest for apple pie bars and apple crisp bars, and I was totally going to try some of them. But then I thought, “why not a blondie?”

I love the thick, dense, chewy texture of blondies even more than I love a traditional shortbread base!

apple crisp bars stack of 3 bars with apples in the background

Now, I’m sure those other apple crisp bars are super amazing. But, I really like blondies.

And I really wanted to see if I could bake an apple crisp on top of them.

It took me a couple tries, but I did it.

Now you know I’m all about minimal effort and dishes. I thought about cooking down the apples on the stove first, before topping the blondie, but that seemed like too much work. I tried putting the apples right on top of the blondie batter and baking together, but the blondie just didn’t set up enough.

So I compromised. I baked the blondie part way while I microwaved the apples slightly to give them a head start and made my streusel.

It was a total win.

apple crisp blondies with maple glaze and bite taken with fork

I’m kind of embarrassed that I didn’t go all out and mound these with ice cream while I was photographing them. Because what goes better with apple crisp than vanilla ice cream?

Exactly.

This time, you’ll just have to forgive me. But make sure you add a big scoop of ice cream to your own when you make these. Because you need to make these.

*Recipe and photos updated from November 2014

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Apple Crisp Blondies

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 9 votes
These Apple Crisp Blondies are an apple crisp bar with a blondie base — the perfect combo of chewy blondie, tender apples, and crispy streusel!
apple crisp bars stack
Review
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 12 servings
Calories 385cal

Ingredients

Blondies:

  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)

Apples:

  • 3-4 medium apples chopped (peel or no peel — up to you!) – about 1 lb or 3 cups chopped
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Streusel

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup large oats
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Line an 8×8" pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • For the blondies:In a large bowl, melt the butter. Stir in sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients (through flour). Spread into prepared pan.
  • Bake 15 minutes while you preparing the topping.
  • For the topping:Combine apples, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in the same bowl you used to make the blondies. Microwave for 5 minutes on high. Stir and set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon until crumbly (I use my fingers, but you could use a fork or pastry cutter).
  • When blondies have baked 15 minutes, spread with apples, and top the apples with the streusel. Press down gently. Bake another 18-20 minutes.
  • Place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before removing from the pan and slicing.

Notes

*For these photos I made a simple glaze to drizzle over. Simply combine 1 tablespoon milk with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and stir in 1 tablespoon of powdered icing sugar at a time until you reach desired consistency (I used 4 tablespoons).

Nutrition Information

Calories: 385cal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 517IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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Published on October 2, 2019 / Last updated on May 25, 2020

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Thanks Sarah! I would recommend storing in the refrigerator after a few hours or maybe up to 1 day, because the apples are moist and they will spoil more quickly at room temperature

      Reply

  3. Emily @the_bakersapprentice says

    These are fantastic!! I just love the flavor, they were gone within hours! ? I did have a problem with sticking to the aluminum foil so I think I’ll try without next time. Highly recommend these!! Thanks for the delicious recipe!

    Reply

  5. Natalie says

    Blondies are the best, but adding apples & streusel, makes them even better!! I love how thick these are!! Time to go buy more apples!

    Reply

  9. Jennifer says

    I have to say.. these were AMAZING. The hubby and I loved them & I can’t wait to make them again! Thank you so much!

    Reply

  13. Colleen says

    I followed the recipe to the T. Used Granny Smith apples. These did not hold their shape for me. I let them cool for about 30 minutes. There was still a lot of liquid and the foil ripped apart when I tried to take them out of the pan.

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I’m sorry to hear that! Most baking is still pretty warm at the 30 minute mark — I would be sure to chill them for a couple hours before removing. I apologize for not being more specific in the recipe — I will update it now!

      Reply

  14. skoch19@windwardschool.org says

    These look amazing! I want to make them for school tomorrow to cheer up my friends with the cold weather and all, but I don’t have enough butter. Which parts, if any, can be substituted with canola oil or coconut oil? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I have never actually baked with coconut oil so I can’t give you any advice on that. I would say the streusel would be the easiest to swap out because it just needs fat to crisp up and get brown. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  15. kalil says

    I can not believe in this . I baked this apple crisp today and I completely falling in love for this however I work with a health food gluten /lacfree and without sugar so I changed a few of ingredients and the results was amazing.
    Congrats

    Reply

  20. Tori says

    Are the apples tender after microwaving? I’d rather cook them in water on the stove 🙂 The recipe looks great! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      The apples are cooked probably 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through in the microwave. You could definitely cook them over the stove instead!

      Reply

  28. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says

    I can eat apple desserts all year long too! I love that you made blondies especially with that glorious streusel topping! And I am totally drooling over that gorgeous drizzle shot! This is the best way to start the weekend! I’ll take 5 squares please 🙂

    Reply

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