These gluten free apple blondies are soft and tender with a bold cinnamon apple flavor. They're made with almond butter, sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with freshly diced apples. This apple blondie recipe is gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
After picking apples this year and collecting nearly 35 pounds, I asked you all what apple recipes you wanted to see. Apple blondies were at the top of that list!
These gluten free apple blondies are something else. They have a soft, tender texture with bits of apple in every bite. The blondies are made with almond butter and coconut flour, sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with freshly chopped apples.
Although these bars don't hold together well since they're so moist, their flavor is magical - a mixture of tart apple, earthy cinnamon and sweet maple syrup. My whole family loved this recipe and it's one I'll be making again through the years.
Why You'll Love these Apple Blondies
- gluten free and grain free - made without wheat flour and instead uses a combination of almond butter and coconut flour.
- paleo - made with simple, minimally processed ingredients
- flavorful - these paleo blondies have a bold cinnamon apple flavor with hints of maple and ginger.
- soft and tender - their texture is extremely moist and tender.
Ingredients
The full recipe for these gluten free apple blondies can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- apples - I used a mixture of criterion and green apples for this recipe. Some other great options would be pink lady apples, honey crisp, Jonathan or Braeburn. I left the skin on my apples, but you can peel them if you prefer.
- maple syrup - needed to sweeten the apples and the blondie batter.
- coconut oil - used in both the apples and the blondie batter. The best swaps would be palm shortening or butter.
- cinnamon - to flavor the apples and the batter for the blondies.
- almond butter - I recommend an almond butter made from dry roasted almonds, nothing else. I've also tested this recipe with sunbutter and while it works, the blondies turn a blue green after cooling because of the reaction between the sunflower seeds and the baking soda.
- eggs - you will need one egg and one egg yolk. I have not tried an egg substitute, so if you use one, then let me know how the blondies turn out in the comment section below.
- vanilla extract - added for flavor.
- coconut flour - thickens the batter. You could probably swap the coconut flour for another flour, but it will change the texture of the final product. Coconut flour is very absorbent, so it bakes differently than other flours and does not have a 1:1 swap.
- baking soda - for the rise.
- salt - enhances the flavors
How to Make Apple Blondies
To make these apple blondies, you'll first have to prep the apples and sauté them in a frying pan. This softens the apples, giving them a better texture for the blondies. Here are the step by step instructions:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare the apples by washing them, removing the core and then cutting them into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the apples on a frying pan, along with the coconut oil, maple syrup and cinnamon.
- While the apples cook, make the blondie batter. Combine the wet ingredients, then mix in the dry.
- Cool the cooked apples for 15 minutes, then combine with the blondie batter.
- Pour the batter into your lined baking dish and spread it to the sides.
- Place the blondies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
- After baking, let the blondies cool to room temperature before serving. They cut best after chilling in the fridge overnight.
Tips and Tricks
- Thinly slice the apples - you want the apples sliced thin and cut into bite sized pieces. This will ensure that the apples get tender when cooking them on the frying pan and will make the bars easier to cut.
- Cook the apples until tender - cooking the apples not only brings out more flavor (since we're adding maple syrup and cinnamon), but also softens them. This gives the apples a better texture for the blondies.
- Chill the bars - I recommend chilling the bars in the fridge overnight so that they're easier to cut. Note: they do not cut perfectly because of all the apple chunks, but this step does make it easier.
- Make nut free - if you need this recipe to be nut free, then you can swap the almond butter for sunbutter. Just know, the bars will turn a green-blue when cooled. They're still good to eat this way, it's just a natural reaction between the baking soda and sunflower seeds.
Storage
These paleo apple blondies are best stored in the fridge, up to one week. You can keep them covered in the baking dish or transfer them to a glass storage container.
FAQ
I recommend cooking the apples on a frying pan before adding them to the blondie batter, as this makes them softer and gives the blondies a better texture.
The best apples to use for making these apple blondies are green apples, criterion, pink ladies, honey crisp, Braeburn or Jonathan.
More Gluten Free Apple Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Gluten Free Apple Blondies (Paleo)
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Description
Soft and tender apple blondies with a rich cinnamon apple flavor. They're gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 cups apples, thinly sliced and chopped to bite-sized pieces (225g)*
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Blondies
- ½ cup almond butter (just dry roasted almonds)
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp coconut flour (21g)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the Apples: Prepare the apples by washing them, removing the core and then cutting them into thin, bite-sized pieces*
- Add your coconut oil to a frying pan and preheat on medium heat.
- Once the coconut oil has melted, add the chopped apples, maple syrup and cinnamon to the frying pan. Cook the apples on medium heat for 12-15 minutes, or until tender. Be sure to stir the mixture every few minutes.
- Make the Blondies: While the apples cook, make the blondie batter. Combine the almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, egg yolk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Mix in the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Cool Apples: Cool the cooked apples for 15 minutes
- Combine and Bake: combine the cooled apples with the blondie batter.
- Pour the batter into your lined baking dish and spread it to the sides.
- Place the blondies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
- After baking, let the blondies cool to room temperature before serving. They cut best after chilling in the fridge overnight.
- Store the blondies in a sealed container in the fridge, up to one week.
Notes
*I used a combination of criterion and green apples, picked from a local orchard. Some other great varieties for this recipe include: pink lady apples, Jonathan, honey crisp and Braeburn. To cut the apples, remove the core, then cut the apples into thin slices. Chop those slices into bite sized pieces. I didn't remove the skin, but you can if you want.
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