Super moist and chewy Cranberry Maple Blondies with homemade walnut butter, toasted walnut pieces, maple syrup, brown sugar and dried cranberries. An easy holiday dessert bar.
I’ve been enjoying baking lately. Maybe it’s the holidays, where desserts are more common. It’s a perfect way to share something personal with others. While fancy decorating isn’t quite my skill set, I enjoy the less delicate approach to muffins, cookies and dessert bars.
This Cranberry Maple Blondies recipe is a wonderful fall and holiday treat. Seasonal flavors like cranberries and maple syrup, plus a good amount of walnuts all packed into a flavorful little square.
They’re simple and require less than 10 common staple ingredients; an ideal recipe to make with family and children. Some of my favorite moments from childhood were baking in the kitchen with my mother. She’d let me do all the fun stuff like mixing the dough and final touches like sprinklings or toppings.
Ingredients for Making Cranberry Maple Blondies
- Maple syrup & brown sugar
- Butter
- Walnuts & Cranberries
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Flour
What’s the difference between a blondie and a brownie?
Blondies and brownies are very similar both in texture and in the way they’re made. The main difference is that blondies don’t contain any cocoa powder, so they don’t have that traditional chocolate flavor that a brownie does.
Blondies are also commonly made with brown sugar and/or browned butter, so they have a wonderful butterscotch flavor. You can add any extra ingredients you like such as nuts and dried fruit to make them your own.
How to Make Chewy Blondies
Use less eggs: The more eggs you add to blondies and brownies the more cake-like the texture will become. In this recipe, I used just the right amount of eggs for the blondies to rise perfectly but still have a delicious chewy texture.
The brown sugar also helps add a chewy texture and adds a delicious caramel/butterscotch flavor.
Other additions or variations for blondie bars
Blondies are very versatile and although I love the combination of walnuts and cranberries you can use whatever you have in your kitchen. They’re perfect for last minute baking on a rainy day. Here are some ideas of things you can add:
- Spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg
- Citrus zest from oranges, limes, lemons
- Chocolate chips or chunks, any flavor will work well
- Dried fruits
- Fresh berries such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries
- Nuts
Top Tips for Making Blondies
- These blondies will store well in a sealed container just make sure they are cooled completely before storing.
- You can substitute the walnuts for cashews, hazelnuts or pecans, they’d all work well.
- To make these blondies nut free omit the walnuts and replace it with soy butter.
- Make sure the grease and line your baking pan so the blondies will be easy to remove after baking.
- Let the blondies cool completely before cutting into squares.
Chewy Cranberry Maple Blondies recipe at-a-glance:
Flavor profiles: Nutty flavor with roasted walnut and browned sugar. Sweet and tart dried cranberries.
Texture: Moist, chewy and fluffy. Just like a perfect brownie, but as a blondie.
Dietary Options/Substitutions: Omit walnuts and replace with soy butter if allergic to nuts.
More sweet treats you might like:
- Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownies
- Frosted Maple Pear Blondies
- Brown Butter Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats
- Black Forest Brownies with Toasted Almonds
Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.
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Chewy Cranberry Maple Blondies with Walnut Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup butter
- 2 cups chopped walnut halves, toasted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with parchment paper, then lightly grease.
- In a large pan heat maple syrup, brown sugar and butter over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Pulse 1-cup of the walnuts in a food processor until paste forms. Stir walnut paste and vanilla into maple butter mixture. Stir in eggs, one at a time until combined.
- In a small bowl stir together flour and baking powder, then slowly stir into liquid mixture until combined, fold in remaining 1-cup chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, spread evenly. Bake 25 minutes, until set. Cool dish on a wire rack, remove blondies then cut into bars.
Notes
- These blondies will store well in a sealed container just make sure they are cooled completely before storing.
- You can substitute the walnuts for cashews, hazelnuts or pecans, they'd all work well.
- To make these blondies nut free omit the walnuts and replace it with soy butter.
- Make sure the grease and line your baking pan so the blondies will be easy to remove after baking.
- Let the blondies cool completely before cutting into squares.
Oh these look so good to have around for holiday visitors! 🙂
They totally are Christine, and your guests will thank you!
These look and sound delicious! I may make them for our holiday part you.
I’m sure they’ll be a hit! Thanks Deanna!
These sound really yummy! I love putting cranberries in things like this; they add that extra something. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s what nice about them. You can add to almost anything without changing the structure or chemistry, it just adds flavor. Thanks Jennifer!
blondies are some of my favorite treats and I love your addition of cranberries! these are a perfect holiday treat!
The maple and cranberries together perfectly in blondies. Thanks Kristen!
Oh my goodness, these look amazing! I can’t wait to make these!
Thanks so much Kim! You totally should!
Any dessert made with maple is a win in my book! I bet the cranberries are such a nice flavor booster. Plus, who doesn’t love blondies?!
I’m pretty sure everyone loves blondies Chrissa, or at least they should. Thanks!