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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.
Table of Contents
- Maple Butter Blondies
- The Best Blondie Recipe
- Tips for Baking and Storing Maple Butter Blondies
- Maple Butter Blondie Ingredients
- Additions and Substitutions for Applebee’s Blondie
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Butterscotch Recipes
- How to Make Applebee’s Maple Butter Blondies
- Applebee’s Maple Butter Blondies Dessert Recipe
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.
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!
Tips for Baking and Storing Maple Butter Blondies
- The best part about this recipe is they are so easy to make! The prep time is less than 5 minutes and then you can make the sauce while the blondies are in the oven. Whisk all the ingredients together in a mixer on medium speed, then pour into a 13-inch baking pan. 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.
- Insider’s tip: 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.
Maple Butter Blondie Ingredients
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
Additions and Substitutions for Applebee’s Blondie
- 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.
How to Make Applebee’s Maple Butter Blondies
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.
Could my sauce be going into tiny little white lumps due to using salted butter?
Hi Jessica, I don’t think it’s due to salted butter. If your cream cheese was at room temperature, it should’ve melted easily with the other ingredients as well, but that’s the only thing I think it could be. Did you use the full-fat, block of cream cheese?
Hi there. Love the recipe but when making the sauce I had small white lumps throughout and not sure what that is…? All ingredients were room temp. BLT sure what I’m doing wrong
Love this recipe
Love this recipe it’s a specialty for my oldest daughter
Brownie was terrible. I’ll try one of the variations in the comments
Great recipe, I doubled it for a party and found the sauce was a giant amount, I probably would have just used half of the 1 serving. However it was great so I just froze it for next next time
I made this recipe because I LOVE Applebee’s blondie. Their blondie is however cakey, this recipe is for chewy, dense blondies. That’s ok but the recipe does not have that texture I was looking for so I added an additional cup of flour with some baking powder. Also the amount of butterscotch chips are way too much and makes the blondie overly sweet. I actually like toffee chips, pecan pieces and caramel flavored chips better because it tastes closer to Applebee’s flavor. Otherwise it is very good. The sauce is a very delicious one and will definitely make again.
For a cakey blondie more similar to Applebees
1 stick melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 Tsp of baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 cup caramel flavored chips (Ghirardelli) Instead of butterscotch.
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8×8
baking pan.
Step 2 In a large bowl, combine butter and brown
sugar. Mix until smooth.
Step 3 Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Stir until blended.
Step 4 Mix in flour until combined. Fold in butterscotch OR caramel chips, nuts and toffee pieces.
Step 5 Spread the batter into the baking pan and
bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven, let completely cool before cutting.
Tina, I was so glad to see your posting. I was in the final steps of this recipe and realized there was no baking soda/or powder in this recipe which I thought was odd. I also thought only one cup of flour wasn’t very much. I started to use butterscotch chips and then changed my mind to caramel chips since I had both and I, too, am a toffee bit and pecan lover. Since I followed everything else you did, I went ahead with another egg, too. Two thumbs up to you, Tina!
Taste just like if not better than Applebees! Also how far in advance can you make this?
You could make the blondies a few days in advance, but wait to cook the sauce until the day you are serving.
Hi! Quick question, I am about to try to make this recipe, do you use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar?
Light brown!
Is the flour AP or self raising?
AP!
SOOOOOO GOOOD!
Very good
The best!
Blonde brownies an maple cream…yummy!
This is way better than the restaurants version. Such a delicious treat. The blondie is perfect and the maple butter sauce, yum
I never tasted the applebees version, but this was very tasty! My family really liked it! Thank you!
That maple butter sauce it the perfect topping. I haven’t had the restaurant version, which is ok with me because this blonde hit the sweet tooth perfectly!
Oh wow! I love blondies, but the maple butter sauce really takes it to the next level, so good!
Not bad but does not taste much like Applebee’s. Still on the search for a better recipe.
YEa, I don’t believe theirs has any chips in it
Haven’t tasted this but just from looking at the recipe here is what I think would help.
First I think it would taste more like Applebee’s if you melted the butterscotch chips and then folded them into the batter. It would make for a smooth blondie which Applebee’s is.
Secondly don’t use butter pecan icecream, use French vanilla icecream.
Then while your making your maple sauce toast your pecans in another pan and then throw them in the maple sauce.
This is what I’m gonna try I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hey! How you tried your recipe? If so, how did it turn out? I’m looking to make the blonde very soon and I’m open for tips. Thanx in advance
I cannot wait to try this , it looks absolutely delicious !! Thanks so much for sharing..
Sounds so good – thank you.
Made this exactly too recipe. Brownies were dry and sauce was very lumpy because of the cream cheese. I threw the entire sauce away and found a different recipe. Keep looking for a better recipe.
Same! Very dissatisfied
I made this for my husband bc he moved the blondies from Applebee’s. He loved it. I do think next time I will melt the butterscotch chips and fold into the batter. I did use the white chocolate chips initiallly. I plan on making tomorrow so I will let you all know