These Apple Cider Blondies are chewy, buttery dessert bars made with apple cider and topped with a sweet mix of apple pie spice and sugar for a tasty Fall treat! After enjoying these Apple Cider Blondies, you’ll love my Cinnamon Roll Blondies, which offer a warm cinnamon flavor and whipped cream cheese frosting. Both would be a perfect addition to your list of Fall desserts, but can be baked and enjoyed any time of the year!
Apple Cider Blondies Ingredients & Smart Substitutions
- Apple Cider: These are apple cider blondies, so we can’t leave out the apple cider! They give the blondies the apple flavor and add moisture to the bars. I have a wonderful homemade apple cider recipe you could use! Or, use store-bought cider. The first step is to reduce it to bring out the most concentrated flavor, so try not to skip this step.
- Butter: These are buttery bars, so you will need 2 sticks of unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar is used in the bar batter–perfect for the moist and chewy texture! I don’t recommend dark brown sugar as that can be too overpowering. Granulated sugar is needed for the spiced sugar topping.
- Eggs: You will need a total of 3 large eggs–2 whole eggs and one egg yolk. Save the egg white for another recipe like my Almond Paste!
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt help create a balance of texture and flavor.
- Topping: Don’t forget about the apple pie spice and sugar mixture for the topping. It brings out even more apple flavor in each bite. If you don’t have apple pie spice on hand, cinnamon is a substitution option.
Can I Use Apple Juice Instead Of Apple Cider?
Yes, you can use apple juice instead of apple cider in these bars. However, you will miss out on the more concentrated flavor that apple cider brings. If using apple juice, reduce it, just like you would do to the apple cider, to bring out the most flavor.
How To Tell When Blondies Are Done
To check if the blondies are done, first look at the edges—they should be golden brown and be starting to pull away from the pan. When you take them out of the oven, the center should still look a little soft. You can also test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out with a few crumbs but no wet batter. Avoid overbaking–you don’t want the blondies to lose their dense, chewy texture!
How To Store Apple Cider Blondies
To store these apple cider blondies, first, let the bars cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Refrigerating the bars can give them a few extra days, but that can dry out the bars faster. For longer storage, freeze the bars.
Freezing Apple Cider Blondies
To freeze blondies, let them cool completely. Next, wrap the bars in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container. Label and date the packaging; the bars will be fine for up to three months.
Apple Cider Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies
- 2 cups (478 g / 16 fluid ounces) apple cider
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground apple pie spice
Instructions
- To a small saucepan over medium heat, add the apple cider. Cook for 20-22 minutes, or until it is reduced to about ¼ cup. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar until fully incorporated.
- Add the eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the reduced apple cider until well combined.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture until completely combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish in an even layer.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and apple pie spice. Whisk to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the blondie batter.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown and the center is no longer jiggly.
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These are really good! They remind me of mini donuts! Yum!
Elizabeth
I love all of our blondie recipes, and this one did not disappoint! The apple pie spice/sugar topping was the perfect finishing touch.
Annabelle
I like how chewy these bars are. It's a great recipe to use up apple cider!
Bella
I love these! Sweet and soft with a little crunch from the sugary topping.
I like how there’s a large variety of things to bake that all look good
@iambaker. Can this recipe be doubled for a 13×9 baking pan??
ChatGPT said:
Yes, you can double the recipe for the 9×13 pan. Just make sure you:
Use a 9×13-inch baking dish (instead of the original size)
Keep an eye on bake time, it might be a few minutes longer (check with a toothpick)
These are absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making these all the time!
Can’t wait to try these!! How would you adjust bake time for a 8×8 pan? Thanks!!
Another home run. Your recipes are perfect. One hint for those who want to deepen the apple flavor; apple butter. It’s our secret.
Instead of the reduced cider?
Yes, instead of the reduced cider.
Would the apple butter be a replacement for the reduced cider?
Apple butter sounds like a great idea!! When you say to add apple butter, how much apple butter did you use? And did you substitute another ingredient in the recipe for the apple butter? Thank you!!
Apple butter is essentially cooked down apples until it’s very concentrated. It’s perfect in this recipe because the cider is cooked down. I’ve seen apple butter made from cooking down apples, apple sauce, or cider. It also has warm spices added. I like using it in most apple recipes to bump up the apple flavor.
Would you adjust if made with gluten free flour?
Based on the link to your Apple cider recipe, should I assume this is Spiced Apple Cider?
These were not good. I followed recipe exactly, including reducing the cider, but they had no apple taste when finished and the texture was off, they were very doughy. The sugar topping was the only good thing. I wanted to like these but cannot recommend.
I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out the way you hoped! The apple flavor really depends on the cider being reduced just right, so sometimes even a small variation can change the texture and taste. Most folks find them chewy with a strong apple flavor, but ovens and ingredients can make a difference too. I really appreciate you trying them!
2 sticks seems like a LOT of butter. Do you think I could substitute 1 stick of butter for 1/2 cup of applesauce instead?
Sure 🙂
I was disappointed in these. I did have the apple cider flavor but they turned out very cakelike and not moist like a blondie usually is.
Sorry to hear that! Maybe they were slightly over baked?
I actually baked them less time than the recipe called for. Oh well, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose!
2nt batch just came out. I think the trick is to under back them that is when I love the texture and flavor the best. 1st batch was more cake like which I did not want so I adjusted. that reduced apple cider is my new fav thing
Made these the day before Halloween and brought them to a neighbor’s party the following night. They were a huge hit. I got lots of positive comments on them. I cut them into 16 pieces and then again in half on the diagonal. One neighbor said she thought they might be on the dry side, until she bit into them and found the perfect blend of softness and chewiness. Another neighbor’s 3-year-old ate three of them in a row. Excellent. Thanks for this great recipe, which I’ll add to my fall rotation!