The BEST Maple Walnut Blondies

Maple Walnut Blondies ~ if I could only have one blondie recipe for the rest of my life (egads) it would have to be this one.  The warm butterscotch-y flavors of maple and brown sugar along with all those crunchy walnuts are impossibly good.  In fact it’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever made.  

Maple walnut has been a longtime favorite flavor combo of mine, so many of my favorite recipes feature the duo, like my maple walnut ice cream, and my maple walnut layer cake.  I love how it spans the seasons, too.  You might think of this as a fall skewing dessert, but actually I always crave maple when the sap starts to flow every spring. March and April will always be maple season in my book.

This maple blondie recipe is made in one bowl

A huge plus, right?  No hauling out mixers or plugging in anything, for that matter, all you need is a silicone spatula and a big bowl.  Nice.

Ingredient list:

• walnuts ~ lots!

• brown sugar

• flour, all purpose

• butter, unsalted

• maple syrup (or, believe it or not, maple flavored syrup like Log Cabin etc.)

• egg, large

• baking soda

• salt

• maple extract ~ my grocery store carries this wonderful flavoring, if yours doesn’t, find it on Amazon.

• vanilla extract

I’ve made this recipe several times and I’m a huge fan.  It’s easy, it’s reliable, and the flavors are so good.  Did you see that I said it’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever made?  Truth.

Fair warning ~ these maple blondies are impossible to resist, and since I made multiple batches for this post, my husband and I did some serious damage to our diets.  I don’t recommend making multiple batches, at least in rapid succession 🙂

Tips for making maple walnut blondies

• The walnuts are a big part of this recipe, and I always buy halves and chop them.  They’re fresher than the pre-chopped nuts.
• Make sure your oven is at the correct temperature, check with an oven thermometer.  It’s the most used tool in my kitchen.
• Don’t over bake these. 30-35 minutes is a good guideline, but your pan and your oven may behave differently.  The surface will be golden, and the edges will look cooked.  If the center is jiggly, it needs a little more time, but watch carefully!  Remember glass pans tend to cook more quickly, I always use ceramic or light metal pans for blondies and brownies.
• I prefer my blondies slightly under cooked, so when in doubt, I under bake rather than over bake.

Honestly?

I made this recipe once with maple syrup, and once with the fake stuff, aka Log Cabin etc.  And to be honest I liked it both ways, so whatever you happen to have, use that.  I felt that the fake syrup resulted in a stronger maple flavor and aroma, which was probably due to the artificial flavor.  But I have to say in this particular recipe it was pretty good, and I hardly ever touch the fake stuff.

Blondies are the best!

• Toasted Pecan and Dark Chocolate Chip Blondies
• Strawberry Lemon Blondies
• Outrageous Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies
• Banana Blondies