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Maple Butter Blondies are filled with maple butter flavor and has the perfect combination of a crisp flaky top and a gooey center. Top a square with butter pecan ice cream and homemade maple butter sauce for an incredibly decadent dessert.
Maple Butter Blondies
If you are looking for a favorite dessert that will impress any guest, you have to try these Maple Butter Blondies. It’s different enough from a typical dessert to be fun, while also having a flavor that’s tasty enough to please any crowd. The dense, rich and chewy texture is much like a brownie and perfect served with ice cream. A blondie recipe like this one is similar to a chocolate brownie, but it is made with brown sugar, butter, and vanilla rather than cocoa, giving it a butterscotch flavor instead of the standard chocolate one.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Blondies
- Melted butter
- Brown sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- All purpose flour
- Butterscotch chips
For the Maple Butter Sauce (Maple Cream Sauce)
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Cream cheese – softened
- Real maple syrup – the best for maple flavor
- Brown sugar
- Ice cream – we used butter pecan but a scoop of vanilla ice cream works great too
The Best Blondie Recipe
I have to admit that these Copycat Applebee’s Maple Butter Blondies are an inspired dessert. I was first spurred to make this blondie recipe after trying my first blondie ever at Applebee’s. I’ll never forget the first time I tried it—my life was changed!
This dessert is so over-the-top good because it pairs sweet maple butter blondies with vanilla ice cream and a warm maple butter sauce. It is basically a blondie version of a brownie hot fudge sundae. You can find brownie hot fudge sundaes on the dessert menu at many restaurants, but only Applebee’s is the only major chain that offers the Maple Butter Blondie.
Thankfully you don’t have to make a trip to Applebee’s to enjoy the best maple butter blondie recipe ever. I am not joking, this blondie recipe is the best dessert I have ever had. It is just as good, if not better than the dessert at Applebee’s.
This dessert is so buttery, rich, and positively sinful. My whole family was raving about these blondies, especially the maple butter sauce. It is one of our favorite copycat recipes. Your family will rave about this one too!
Recipe Tips
- Use parchment paper in the pan for easy clean up!
- Chop a cup walnuts by hand or throw them in a food processor before adding to the batter.
- Stir the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides down to avoid burning.
- To check for doneness- a toothpick in the center should come out clean.
- It is very important to make sure that the maple butter blondies cool all the way before you cut them. It is hard to wait because they smell so good coming out of the oven, but trust me, it is worth it.
- If you happen to somehow have any leftovers, the blondies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter, or cover the dish with plastic wrap. But keep the maple topping in the fridge.
- To re-heat warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.
Additions and Substitutions
- Just like brownies, this maple butter blondie recipe can be made with or without nuts. I like to add walnuts or sprinkle on some chopped pecans to each recipe.
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the maple glaze.
- Substitute butterscotch chips for white chocolate chips.
- Scoop caramel ice cream or butter pecan ice cream over each slice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kind of like a chocolate brownie, except made with brown sugar, butter, and vanilla rather than cocoa, a maple butter blondie also has a maple butter sauce on it, giving it a butterscotch flavor. Blondies are a rich a gooey dessert, a favorite among people with a super sweet tooth.
You want your blondie gooey (and chewy and even a bit fudgy), but not undercooked. To check if the blondie is done, first insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean. You’ll also know they are done when the edges look dry and set, but the center looks a bit underdone and soft still. They will continue to cook and set on the counter.
Like a brownie, both have a chewy texture, but because blondies are made with vanilla instead of chocolate, they have a much softer flavor. They are lighter in flavor, almost like a cookie.
More Butterscotch Recipes
If you like the flavor of butterscotch in your desserts and drinks, check out these delicious recipes.
Applebee’s Maple Butter Blondies Dessert
Equipment
- 8×8 inch pan
Ingredients
Blondies
- 8 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 ½ cup butterscotch chips
Maple Butter Sauce
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
Toppings
- butter pecan ice cream
- chopped candied pecans
Instructions
Blondies
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
- Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Stir until blended.
- Mix in flour until combined. Fold in butterscotch chips.
- Spread the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
Maple Butter Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all maple butter sauce ingredients.
- Stir until smooth. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Once the blondies are cooked and cooled completely, cut blondies into squares, plate with ice cream, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and drizzle sauce over the top.
In your blog, under Tips for Baking, you state, “… pour into a 13-inch baking pan.” But everywhere else, you specify an 8 x 8″ dish. I assume the 8 x 8″ dish is correct, but you might want to correct the blog. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for catching that, I will get it fixed right now. It is 8×8.