It’s the perfect cozy Saturday morning over here…everyone is in their pajamas, the fire is burning, and there are apple blondies in the oven. Smells. So. Good.
I took these photos a year ago, and forgot to post the recipe with updated photos. I posted it originally back in 2010 here (wow that was a long time ago!), and have been making it several times a year ever since. It’s a crowd favorite and SO good! They are great on their own, but the frosting puts them over the top! #allthebrownsugar

Apple Cream Cheese Blondies
For the Blondies:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 heaping cup peeled chopped apples
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans(optional)
3 oz cream cheese (frozen for about 1 hr, and cut into little cubes, also optional)
For the Brown Sugar Frosting:
4 oz butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup milk
2 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
Directions:
Prepare a 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Preheat Oven to 350.
Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture on low speed, mixing until blended. Stir in apples and nuts, mixing well. Fold in the cream cheese pieces. Spread evenly in the prepared dish and bake until set and golden, 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil then remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Sift in the confectioner’s sugar, mixing until smooth. Spread evenly over bar. Let stand until frosting is firm enough to cut. Cut into bars or squares.
