Caramel Apple Blondies

Enjoying sticky fingers as I write this... my poor keyboard. These gooey, sweet bars are loaded with apples and white chocolate chips, boasting all the heavenly components of caramel apples - in a chewy blondie. And that river of caramel sauce on top... Sticky bliss.

No joke, these are sinfully delicious. And equally sticky, but isn't that the fun of eating a caramel apple anyway? Truth be told, I was looking for a use for applesauce, and I wanted to make a sweet treat that wasn't chocolate. Blondies to the rescue. Chewy, sweet, brownie-like, and incredibly easy. How's that for an awesome list of qualities?

What's a blondie? A blonde brownie, plain and simple! Blondies are buttery and rich, and they're made with a decent amount of brown sugar, which gives them a flavor more reminiscent of butterscotch than chocolate.

In some cases, blondies are studded with nuts and chips, such as white/dark chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. In this scenario, I used white chocolate chips and added applesauce to the batter. You know, for the caramel apple experience? The applesauce not only adds great flavor, it replaced a decent amount of butter and kept the blondies moist and chewy. Fat slashed and texture preserved - win, win.

About the caramel sauce: I used store-bought caramel sauce; the kind sold near the ice cream toppings. It's quick, easy, toasty, creamy, and it adds the perfect amount of caramel flavor to these already decadent blondies.

Caramel Apple Blondies

Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup applesauce, preferably unsweetened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray (these blondies are truly sticky; the parchment paper lining really helps get them out of the pan).
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the applesauce and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it.
Cool completely before topping with the caramel sauce.
Drizzle the caramel sauce back and forth over the blondies and cut into squares for serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 24-30 blondies