Easy apple blondies with peanut butter chips are a chewy, decadent dessert bar made with fresh apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and little flecks of peanut butter chips! The entire batch is baked and ready to serve in under 1 hour making these the perfect treat to serve for any occasion!
Apple and peanut butter pair perfectly into a soft and chewy blondie! The combination is one of my favorite snacks so I figured putting them into a baked good would be a good idea and I was right.
I’m still loving all things apple (see Apple Donut Mini Muffins and Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread) but my love of peanut butter crept back in.
I made these twice. the first time I used all butter but the second time I tried it with half butter and half applesauce. Both were good but the applesauce version was more cake-like. Super moist and required eating with a fork.
Since I was going for more of a handheld blondie, the all-butter version fit the bill. However, if you ask me, you really can’t go wrong with either option!
Shown here is the butter version, but let me know which one you try!
Why you’ll love Apple Blondies 🍎
Ready in Under 1 Hour – Make an entire batch of chewy apple blondies that will make 9 bars in no time! It’s perfect for a quick dessert to serve guests or to bring to a potluck.
Simple Ingredients – Nothing is surprising in this apple bars recipe. It’s made with baking staples that you probably have on hand right now, plus apples!
Crazy Good – If you love a rich, chewy blondie combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and peanut butter, you’re going to love these! They’re indulgent yet simple and the perfect fall treat.
Keeps Fresh for Days – Can’t eat them all in one day? Don’t fret, they will keep fresh for up to a week!
Perfect Fall Dessert – Apple season is really all year long but these blondie bars are especially good when the air is crisp and you’re craving an apple dessert.
Equipment you’ll need
- 8×8 Baking Dish
- Hand Mixer – An electric mixer (whether hand or a stand mixer) help bring the batter together smoothly.
- Veggie Chopper – perfect for dicing apples, too!
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Unsalted Butter – Bring it to room temperature ahead of time so it has time to soften. It needs to be able to cream easily without leaving chunks of butter behind. Use unsalted so that way we can control the amount of salt we add to the batter.
- Granulated White Sugar – Used to sweeten the apple blondies and balance the tartness of the apples.
- Large Egg – This will help bind the blondies together and hold their structure.
- Vanilla Extract – When possible, use pure vanilla extract. It is a bit pricier but worth it for that unmistakable vanilla flavoring. The faux stuff can sometimes taste like alcohol.
- All-Purpose Flour – Measure your flour correctly so your apple blondies don’t come out dense or dry.
- Salt – A little salt to bring out flavors.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Leavening agents that help to create a rise in the batter so the blondies don’t fall flat.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg – Both are warm spices used frequently with apples and brown cinnamon, especially in the cooler months.
- Diced Apples – I use gala apples which aren’t as tart as other kinds (I’m looking at you, Granny Smith apples). Peel them and dice them up small so each bar has plenty of apple chunks in it.
- Peanut Butter Chips – The flecks of peanut butter throughout that get all melty and gooey are just the best.
- Light Brown Sugar – Optional topping for those that want a little extra decadence.
How to make Apple Blondies
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Step One: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until fluffy.
- Step Two: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Step Three: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a spatula to mix until just blended. Then, gently fold in the chopped apples and peanut butter chips.
- Step Four: Spread the blondie batter into a prepared 8×8 baking dish making sure it’s level and evenly spread out. Sprinkle with the brown sugar on top if you’re using it.
- Step Five: Bake the apple blondies for 35 minutes and allow them to cool on a rack before slicing. Enjoy!
What to serve with Apple Blondies
You have to try one with a scoop of ice cream and/or a caramel drizzle on top!
Tips & Suggestions 🍎🍏
- Use whatever apples you have on hand. You can even use a combination of sweet apples with tart apples. Ambrosia, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, you name it!
- You can swap the peanut butter chips for chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips if preferred.
- Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you prefer.
- For clean slices, wipe the knife in between each cut, or use a plastic knife.
- This recipe yields 9 generous-sized bars, but if you cut them smaller you can get more out of the batch.
- Or, make an extra batch!
How to reheat and store Apple Blondies with Peanut Butter Chips
How to store leftovers
Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container at room temperature or wrapped with plastic wrap. No need to keep them in the fridge!
Can I freeze homemade blondies?
I don’t think I’ve ever had any leftovers to freeze! But yes, you certainly can. I do recommend making a second batch to freeze for later because trust me, these will be gone in no time.
Keep them frozen for up to 1 month when stored in a freezer-safe container. Separate layers with parchment paper so they don’t freeze lumped together. You can even flash freeze the bars solid first and then transfer them to the container.
Thaw them at room temperature before serving.
FAQs
The best way to tell is by using a toothpick and inserting it into the middle of the batch. If the toothpick comes out clean, they’re ready!
Technically no. These will be just fine (and rustic) if you keep the skin on. However, if you are going to be sharing them with people who don’t appreciate the texture of apple skin, I’d say peel the apples first.
I haven’t tried it, but I think swapping out fat for fat (peanut butter in place of butter) should work fine in this case. Crunchy peanut butter sounds delicious. Let me know how they turn out!
Apple and Peanut Butter Blondies
Need more Blondies and Brownies recipes? Try these:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Blondies
Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Brownies
Click here for my entire collection of dessert recipes.
Easy Apple Blondies with Peanut Butter Chips
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup peeled & diced small apples this was 2 Gala apples for me
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ¼ cup light brown sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), add the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
- In another medium bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk together.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir with a spatula until just blended.
- Fold in the diced apples and peanut butter chips.
- Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the light brown sugar over the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a rack before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published November 4, 2014
Hi Melissa! New to your blog, but loving it. For this recipe I wonder if I could sub crunchy peanut butter for the PB chips and/or the butter? I’m not a very advanced baker, so while I feel like this MIGHT work, I’m unsure and also unsure about the amounts if such a substitution were possible. Do you have any ideas about this? Thanks so much and keep up the deliciousness.
Hey Kristen,
I haven’t tried it, but I think swapping out a fat for a fat (peanut butter in place of butter) should work fine in this case. & crunchy peanut butter sounds delicious. Let me know how they turn out!
Yummy! This recipe was a hit with everyone! Fun way to use our apples from the orchard (we used firm, tart apples, but I think any apple might work) Peanut butter and apples are great together. I sprinkled top with golden brown sugar because that’s what I had. Easy recipe,, baked 35 minutes.
Happy to hear that! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂