Apple Cider Blondies – A Tempting Treat to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Do you ever see a post on social media, scroll past without saving it, and then keep thinking about it without being able to find it later?

That’s what happened with these apple cider blondies. I originally saw them on social media, probably TikTok, but kept on scrolling and didn’t think much about it at the time.

After coming home with way too much cider from a local orchard, I remembered the post. Of course, then I couldn’t find it and had to google a recipe instead.

I landed on a recipe from The Kitchn, which I ended up tweaking until my family felt they were juuust right.

I’ve already made these apple cider blondies several times and they are possibly Elle’s new favorite fall dessert. And based on the feedback from my other taste testers, I bet you’ll end up feeling the same.

What Are Apple Cider Blondies?

Apple cider blondie bars are a little bit different than chocolate chip blondies, which are gooey and best when underbaked. This recipe is a bit closer in texture to caramel apple blondies or snickerdoodle blondies, with a cakier texture that is still dense and chewy in all the right ways.

The bars are flavored with apple cider, which is cooked down to become super syrupy and rich. The apple cider is complemented with lots of apple pie spice, both in the batter and in a spiced sugar topping.

Oh, and did I mention that there’s nutty brown butter in there, too? Because there is, and it perfectly rounds out the flavor of these bars.

If you love apple cider donuts, apple cider pancakes, or even apple pie donuts, you’re going to flip for these blondies.

How to Make Apple Cider Blondies?

There are a few preparation steps involved in making these apple cider blondies, but I promise they are easy. And these blondies are totally worth it!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, divided
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

The only ingredient that you might not keep on hand is the apple cider. Unlike some recipes where you can get away with using unfiltered apple juice, I do recommend using apple cider here.

If you don’t have apple pie spice or the ingredients to make it, try using pumpkin pie spice or chai spice blend instead. If you don’t have those, cinnamon will work.

Making This Recipe

You will need to do two things before you start mixing the apple cider blondie batter: brown the butter and reduce the apple cider.

Brown the butter in a light-colored, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring or swirling frequently until the butter is deeply golden and smells nutty.

Immediately pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.

Next, reduce the cider. Add all the apple cider to the same pan that you used for the butter. Since the pan is hot, be careful when adding the cider because it may sizzle.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the cider has reduced to ½ cup. This will take around 30-40 minutes.

The best way to measure the reduced cider is to pour it into a heat-proof measuring cup as you get closer to the ½-cup mark. If you over-reduce the cider and end up with a bit less than ½ cup, just add a bit more cider to equal ½ cup.

Add the reduced cider to the bowl of brown butter and set it aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

While the cider and butter are cooling, preheat the oven and line a 13×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of the apple pie spice. This is similar to making cinnamon sugar and will be used for the topping.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the rest of the apple pie spice, the salt, and the baking soda.

Once the butter and cider have cooled, add the brown sugar and whisk until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then use a rubber spatula to add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients just until the flour is completely incorporated.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter and sprinkle the spiced sugar evenly over the top. I like to press it in gently so it sticks.

Bake the apple cider blondies for 35-40 minutes. They’re done when the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.

Let the blondies cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before serving.

Storage

Store apple cider blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you’d like to freeze any leftovers, wrap each blondie in plastic wrap and store them in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month.

To enjoy, unwrap an apple cider blondie and microwave it for 30-60 seconds to thaw and warm it through.