These gluten-free Apple Blondies are the perfect celebration of apple season. They’re decadent with a hint of cinnamon and made with almond flour.
The beginning of fall for me always starts with apple season! I know many people are super excited about pumpkin, but for me, my go-to fall flavor has always been apple. And what’s more fall-inspired than caramel and apple together?
So I thought that combo might be nice to put together as a blondie-brownie situation. And as it would happen, that was a good idea – I mean, of course, right – what’s not to love?!
There’s just one little secret in these blondies that really sets up all the other flavors. It’s a secret I learned from the way my mother-in-law makes her apple crisp. She always includes some fresh orange juice and/or orange zest , and it really takes it to the next level.
I thought I’d try the same principle with these blondies, since they share similar flavor profiles. And I ended up being really glad I did because the orange is so key to brightening up every other flavor going on here.
Step 1 – Roasting the apples: The apple chunks are tossed with cinnamon and a touch of caramel before they’re roasted until golden. This is really key because it concentrates the flavor, but it also removes the moisture, so there are no soggy pockets in your blondies.
Step 2 – Mixing up the batter: While the apples are roasting, mix the batter with the secret ingredient: orange zest .
Step 3 – Putting it all together: Once you have both the roasted apples and the blondie batter, it’s time to prepare the pan to bake them together. I like to cut 2 strips of parchment paper to lay crosswise, as shown in the photo above.
That way, after the blondies cool, you can lift the blondies out of the pan to serve. This is only necessary if you want to show them off on a platter or cake stand. Otherwise, grease the pan really well and serve them right out of the baking dish.
What Types of Apples To Use for Baking
- McIntosh is my favorite for baking, and they’re usually available at health food stores or farmer’s markets unless you’re lucky enough to know someone/have your own apple tree.
- Sweet Sixteen has a remarkable flavor, but it can be more challenging to track down.
- Granny Smith is my universal go-to for baking apples, and pretty much everyone can find them in any grocery store.
Tips & Tricks
- If you’re not up for making the caramel sauce listed in the recipe, use your favorite store-bought sauce.
- Use super fine almond flour for the best possible texture. I recently had a batch from my favorite brand that was quite granular, which of course made for a gritty batch of blondies.
- Use a toothpick to determine if these are done. It’s ok with blondies and brownies if they have moist crumbs. My personal opinion is that it’s better off on the moister (sorry if that word bugs you, but it’s really the best adjective to use in regards to baking) side than dry.
Apple Recipes
- Cinnamon Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Apple Pie Skillet Cake
- Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling
- Honey Mustard Chicken Apple Skillet Dinner
- Crockpot Applesauce
INGREDIENTS1x2x3x
Caramelized Apples:
- 2 Granny Smith - 1 pound, peeled and diced into 1/2″ pieces
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon - Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite
- 2 tbsp caramel sauce - I used this Double Coconut Salted Caramel Sauce
Blondie Brownie Base:
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder - see notes
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp orange zest - grated with a microplane
- 6 tbsp salted butter - melted, ghee or coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Topping: 1/4 cup additional caramel sauce for drizzling
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the apples, cinnamon, and caramel sauce together on the parchment. Spread the apples out evenly and roast until tender and caramelized, 20-25 minutes.
- While the apples cook, lightly grease an 8″ baking pan. Cut 2 strips of parchment paper the width of the baking pan, then place them into the pan crosswise.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the almond flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, baking powder, coconut sugar, sea salt, and orange zest until thoroughly combined.
- When the apples are done, remove them from the oven and lower the heat to 350ºF. Finish mixing the blondie brownie base by adding the ghee, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a thick batter forms.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan, then top with the caramelized apples and bake until puffed in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes.
- Let the blondie brownies cool for at least 15 minutes on a cooling rack, then carefully lift them out of the pan. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce and serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES
nutrition facts
Gluten Free Apple Blondies
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples:
- 2 Granny Smith 1 pound, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite
- 2 tbsp caramel sauce I used this Double Coconut Salted Caramel Sauce
Blondie Brownie Base:
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder see notes
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp orange zest grated with a microplane
- 6 tbsp salted butter melted, ghee or coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Topping: 1/4 cup additional caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the apples, cinnamon, and caramel sauce together on the parchment. Spread the apples out evenly and roast until tender and caramelized, 20-25 minutes.
- While the apples cook, lightly grease an 8″ baking pan. Cut 2 strips of parchment paper the width of the baking pan, then place them into the pan crosswise.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the almond flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, baking powder, coconut sugar, sea salt, and orange zest until thoroughly combined.
- When the apples are done, remove them from the oven and lower the heat to 350ºF. Finish mixing the blondie brownie base by adding the ghee, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a thick batter forms.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan, then top with the caramelized apples and bake until puffed in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes.
- Let the blondie brownies cool for at least 15 minutes on a cooling rack, then carefully lift them out of the pan. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
The recipe Gluten Free Apple Blondies appeared first on Get Inspired Everyday! on October 1, 2019
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/food/paleo-caramel-apple-blondies/
