Apple Blondies

Its HOT as Hell in Georgia right now. I just needed a little fall in my life. I wasn’t ready for pumpkin spice just yet so I opted for a cinnamon spiced apple recipe. The tart of the granny smith apples is delicious with the buttery and sugary blondie filling. Try an apple blondie square topped with vanilla ice cream and I promise you will feel a crispness in the air that wasn’t there before.

Blondies:

1 stick Butter

2 c Brown Sugar

1 1/2 c White Sugar

3 Eggs

1 Tbs. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 Tbs. Baking Powder

3 c Plain Flour

3 Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored, and diced)

Icing:

1 c Powdered Sugar

1 Tbs. Mayonnaise

2 Tbs. Half and Half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Melt butter and place in mixing bowl with brown sugar and white sugar. Mix well. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix flour, cinnamon, and baking powder until combined. Add to sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Batter will be very thick. Add apples and fold in.

Pour into prepared dish. Pat the batter into the corners. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The top will be golden brown and slightly gooey in the center.

Mix powdered sugar, mayo, and half and half with whisk until smooth. Pour over warm blondies.

Allow to cool completely before you slice.

I can never wait to slice so mine always has big scoops missing out of the corners.

Variations:

Add 1 cup of pecans or walnuts

Honey Spice Bars

My Grandmother has made these easy dessert bars for years. She keeps them in a sealed container on her buffet waiting for lucky guests to stop by and enjoy along with her famous cheese straws. These bars take 30 minutes or less to prepare and cook. You probably have the short list of ingredients in your pantry!

Bars:

1 c Sugar

3/4 c Oil

1/4 c Honey (Vanilla Bean Bear Hug Honey)

1 large Egg

2 c All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

1 c Pecans chopped

Glaze:

1 c Powdered Sugar

2 Tbs. Mayonnaise

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbs Honey

1-2 Tbs Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all bar ingredients in a bowl and mix until just combined. Pour mixture into greased 9x13 baking dish. Batter is very thick. Spread batter with spatula or hands to edges of pan. Bake 12-15 minutes. While bars are baking place all glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Remove bars from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Pour glaze over bars and spread until the top of bars are completely covered. Let cool completely and slice into bite size bars.