Applesauce Blondies
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My applesauce blondies are soft and gooey, with warming apple pie spices laced throughout. Made with 5 ingredients, one bowl, and no white flour or eggs!
Why I love this recipe
When fall comes around, applesauce becomes a staple ingredient for me. The key word is ingredient, because applesauce on its own reminds me of baby food.
I find it works best in desserts, and these apple blondies are a firm favorite. I loosely adapted my peanut butter blondies, swapping the nut butter for applesauce. Applesauce adds moisture and subtle sweetness, and it means I don’t need to use eggs or oil. Here’s why I love them:
- One bowl. Because let’s be real… fewer dishes are always better.
- Naturally gluten-free. I swap white sugar and flour for maple syrup and coconut flour.
- Easy to customize. I’ll be honest- I kept these blondies as simple as possible. You can add in chocolate chips, nuts, flavor extracts, or other spices.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients & substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Make sure it’s 100% unsweetened. Sweetened applesauce can make the blondies too sweet and too soft in the center.
- Almond butter. For richness and texture. Feel free to swap it for other nut or seed butter (my partner loves these with cashew butter).
- Maple syrup. Adds sweetness and keeps the blondies gooey and fudgy. Honey works, but it can be a little overpowering.
- Coconut flour. This helps to hold the blondies together. Almond or oat flour works, but double the amount, since coconut flour is much more absorbent.
- Apple pie spice. Use packaged apple pie spice or make your own (I’ll include my mix in the recipe card).
- Brown sugar. Optional, but I sometimes sprinkle a tablespoon or two over the top before baking for a sweet crust.
Variations
- For added apple flavor, fold in some diced fresh apples into the batter.
- For less intense apple flavor, omit the apple pie spice.
- Drizzle the apple blondies with some caramel sauce for a delicious caramel apple flavor.
How to make apple blondies
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2- Mix the batter. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until a thick mixture is formed.
Step 3- Bake. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with sugar if using. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
Step 4- Cool and slice. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Remove from the oven while they look undercooked. These blondies firm up as they cool down, so don’t rely on a toothpick.
- Enjoy straight from the fridge. I recommend refrigerating them and enjoying them cold. Something about the texture just works.
- Make thicker/cakier blondies. These are very soft and gooey, so if you like corner pieces or more stability, add an extra tablespoon of coconut flour.
Storage instructions
To store: Store leftover blondies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Freeze blondies in a freezer-safe container for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.
More applesauce desserts
Applesauce Blondies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter
- 1/4 cup coconut flour * See notes
- 3-4 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix very well until a very thick batter is formed.
- Transfer to the greased baking dish and top with a granulated sweetener of choice (optional). Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.
O.M.G. You have just changed my life!!! I swapped a few ingredients. I was lacking in the spice dept. So I used cinnamon only and I’m embarassed to admit, but…no maple syrup in the house so I used agave syrup. And…boo ya! A little agave on top & they were uh-mazing!!! My sweet tooth is in love! Thank you!!
thanks so much for your kind words, Laura! 🙂 I’m glad it worked with agave too! 🙂
can you omit the nut butter?
Hi Cecily! I haven’t tried it myself- If you do try it that way, please let me know how it comes out!
Hi Arman, I’m a new reader to your blog after finding you on Pinterest. First, everything looks delicious! Second, I’m gluten-free, but hate when other people think that all GF bake goods taste like cardboard–well maybe that’s just how I bake! lol Third, I’m so excited to try this 4-ingredient* (forget everyone who tries to tell you otherwise) apple bar recipe and so confident its going to be a crowd-pleaser that I’m entering it into my office’s healthy baking contest this week! Of course your site is getting all the credit! People who know me, know I’m not this innovative in the kitchen normally! I have many other recipes in the queue!
Thanks!
PS What’s the yield for this recipe above?
Hi Abigail- Thank you so much for your kind words, I appreciate it!
This recipe- It depends on how big you slice them- They can be quite rich tasting so 9-10 small slices would be suffice 🙂
These sound amazing! Is it possible to sub the maple syrup for honey?
Hi Jane! I don’t see why not- I sub it in other recipes for maple syrup 🙂
One thig I love about this recipe is that it is egg free. Not that I need to avoid eggs, but so many people do, and I’m terrible at coming up with egg free recipes. This looks like another great one from you, Arman.
Depends on the day! If I’m sick or SUPER hungry that day, then I probably cannot trust my tastebuds. Otherwise, I’m pretty on point!
LOVE the way the topping just drips off the soft blondies! YUMMMM!
Hello , I’m a new readers but love already!!!! What flour would be a good substitute for the coconut? Would almond work? Or oat flour?
Spices totally count as an ingredient and since you used three different ones, you’ve got three more ingredients. Hey, I just call ’em like I see ’em. Either way, they look and sound delicious.
I love this recipe. I used gluten free quinoa flour and it was a great substitute. Thank you!
Yum! thanks so much for letting me know, Tallie! 🙂
Gah! These look so simple and totally perfect for fall. I need to get these in the oven STAT!
YESSS. Well, make a double batch. One for me too because I’m lazy.
I’m going to go ahead and say that these are definitely FIVE ingredient blondies… But I won’t press the issue so much since you didn’t call them brownies this time around 😛 And I subject my family and friends to my food experiments. Sometimes I wonder how I still have friends 😆
Lol. my site, my recipe, my rules 😀
can you sub honey for maple syrup?
Hi Kseniya! You sure can- You might need to add a dash more- Adjust accordingly 🙂
This looks so so delicious and decadent!!
Thanks so much, Sofie!
These blondies look so moist and delicious! If I lived nearby, I would gladly test your recipes!
YES!!! Come to Columbus! 🙂
Mmmm can I be a taste tester, next?!
Another fridge-perfect recipe. DAYUM.
omg. #fridgeperfect. It reminds me of pitch perfect.