I have to admit, I haven’t been baking quite as much lately. I’ve been changing up my eating a bit which has taken more time than I anticipated. When I do bake, I’ve been going to my regular, tried and true recipes. But the other day I decided to try something new. I had this recipe bookmarked on my computer for months and I finally made it. The bars were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and then scrolled to the bottom to find different instructions if you live under 3500 feet in elevation. What?! Too late for me. The recipe turned out fine without the adjustments, but the bars took a bit longer to cook than listed on the recipe. I went ahead and made adjustments to the recipe here to make it as simple as possible.

I love baking with apples. We have several apple recipes that we bake on a regular basis. One of my all time favorite is this apple cake recipe but I think these apple blondies could end up being a favorite too. I followed the instructions to spray the pan and then line it with parchment paper. I’m not sure why you would spray it and then line it – so do whatever you think is best. It was nice to remove the whole pan at once and the bars cut really well. This is a great recipe and is a little unique. Enjoy!

Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Almond Streusel

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

¾ cup salted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup diced apples, peeled

¼ cup chopped almonds

For the strudel:

6 tablespoons salted butter, chilled and cut into small dice

⅔ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

¼ cup chopped almonds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray an 8 X 8 inch pan (or 9 X 9 inch) with non-stick spray then layer with parchment paper so it hangs over at least two edges of the pan and fits tightly into the corners.
3. Whisk the flour baking powder, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt in a medium size bowl and set aside.
4. Beat the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add the apple and nuts and mix on low for 2-3 turns. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
5. Add all of the ingredients for the strudel to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Allow to cool completely then pull out of the pan by holding onto the parchment overlap. For extra clean cuts, use a large knife or pizza cutter.

Original recipe from Foodie Crush