photo by Ty Mecham
I love eating caramel apples in the fall—well, at least the first couple bites until my jaw gets tired from crunching and my teeth are sticky with caramel. These cinnamon-spiced blondies give you all the joy and flavor of eating caramel apples in a much more accessible format. And don’t worry about the caramel candies that are folded into the batter. They turn melty and chewy during baking in *just* the right way.
Makes 16 (2x2-inch) blondies
Ingredients
1 cup plus ½ tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil
1 medium apple (Honeycrisp or similar), peeled, cored, and diced into ½-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup caramel candies, quartered (or caramel chips)
Caramel sauce, for drizzling (optional)
Directions
In a skillet over medium heat, heat ½ tablespoon of avocado oil and add apples, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté apples, stirring often, until slightly softened (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with avocado oil spray. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and remaining salt. In a larger bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup avocado oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Add apple mixture and caramel candies to batter and mix until incorporated. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and place in oven.
Bake until browned along the edges and just set in the center, about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out slightly moist.
Remove pan from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. When completely cooled, drizzle caramel sauce over top (if using) and slice into pieces for serving.