Do we have any Friday Night Lights fans in the house?
C'mon – raise your hand with me. You know you can't get enough of Coach Taylor and "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
But this post isn't about Friday Night Lights (disappointing, I know), but rather asking you to recall those first seasons when everyone went to Applebee's all.of.the.time because it was the only place to really go out to eat in the small town of Dillon, Texas.
I once lived in a town much like that. If you wanted something other than a fast food hamburger, Applebee's was your option. And so, we ate at Applebee's quite a bit. This was back when the maple butter blondie was still on the menu. Now, I am not a fan of chocolate – in spite of what my homemade candy cane Joe-Joe's recipe might lead you to believe – so this dessert was my dream.
A dense, somewhat gooey maple walnut blondie studded with white chocolate chips, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a maple butter sauce, all served in a sizzling skillet? Yes, please. A million times yes.
Now, this dessert has apparently been off the menu for quite some time, so now I make my own version. My maple butter blondie recipe uses an adapted version of my maple walnut blondie recipe, but is kicked up a notch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a decadent homemade version of the maple butter sauce.
But the real secret here? Serving the whole shebang in that sizzling skillet. If you have one, heat a small cast iron skillet over a medium flame until piping hot, then use that to plate your blondie. The blondie will get warm, the sauce will sizzle as it hits the pan, and the whole thing will taste that much better – or at least, you will think it does.
Of course, this dessert is still fantastic when served in a bowl – not to mention that you can safely curl up on the couch with that bowl while you watch some Friday Night Lights.
Applebee's Blondie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Blondies:- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt, generous
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- vanilla ice cream
Directions
For the Blondies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until slightly lightened in color. Add in the syrup, egg, and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Using a spatula, stir in the ground oats, flour, and salt until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and white chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is set. (I tend to err on the side of under-baked with blondies, as I feel people prefer those to an over-baked blondie.)
- Allow to cool in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the blondies out the pan. Cut into pieces and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
For the Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar and salt. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For Serving:
- When ready to serve, heat a small skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Microwave the sauce in 15-second intervals until pourable.
- Place a blondie in the hot skillet; top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the maple butter sauce, and serve.
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