Apple Brownies

This recipe is a favorite among my mom’s circle of friends, and everyone I know who has tried it raves about it.  It gets its name from the fact that the cake is very moist and has a crisp top, much like brownies. Plus, it’s baked in a brownie pan and gets cut into bars. But the texture is much lighter than that of chocolate brownies, and the flavor is all fruit and cinnamon. This is such an easy recipe to make: a great standby for those days when you want a sweet treat without a lot of fuss, or when you remember at 9 p.m. that you volunteered to make dessert for tomorrow’s bake sale.

Apple Brownies

Total time: 65 minutes; hands-on time: 15 minutes  

Ingredients to Make Apple Brownies

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 large firm-sweet apples, such as Pink Lady or Golden Delicious (about 1 pound total), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes

Method to Make Apple Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack to the middle position. Generously grease the 11-by 7-inch baking baking dish with butter and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer at high speed or using a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and egg until pale, about 2 minutes. Add the walnuts and apples and stir by hand until evenly combined. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined, another 30 seconds.
3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and lightly firm to the touch, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then cut into 12 bars and transfer to a serving platter. Yield: 12 bars

This recipe originally appeared in The Apple Lover’s Cookbook.

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