Brownies, Blondies & Bars to Bake This Season

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 cake pan with parchment paper, with enough to hang over the edges. Add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer equipped with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high for 5-7 minutes, or until a thick, pale mixture has formed.
• Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly pour the butter into the mixer. Continue to mix until everything is well combined.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and fold until you see no more flour.
• Spread the blondie batter into your prepared cake pan. Add the cinnamon swirl ingredients to a bowl and whisk until the sugar has mostly dissolved. You can warm it in the microwave to help the sugar dissolve. Spoon the mixture over the blondie batter and swirl with a skewer or knife.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the surface looks set and the edges are golden brown. Let the blondies cool completely in the pan.
• While the blondies cool, add all the cream cheese icing ingredients to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until completely smooth.
• Remove the cooled blondies from the pan, lifting them by the overhanging ends of the parchment paper. Slice to your desired sized squares and drizzle generously with the cream cheese icing.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.

Crumble

• Combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in bowl and whisk.
• Add vanilla extract to melted butter.
• Add and toss with dry ingredients until moist. You want to have crumbles that are both large and small.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.

Crust

• Once the refrigerated pie crust is at room temperature, unroll and place on top of one another to create a thick crust.
• Use the bottom of your 9x9 pan as a template to cut a square and place it into the bottom of the parchment-lined 9x9 baking pan.
• Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Apple Filling

• While the crust is baking, combine the apple slices, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Assembly & Baking

• Add apple mixture to the top of the partially baked crust and spread out into an even layer. Remove from oven and let cool completely. 
• Remove crumble mixture from refrigerator and spread out over the top of the apple mixture.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crumble starts to turn golden brown.
• Remove from the pan using the parchment paper, cut and serve.
• Store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature or in refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm in microwave if desired. Freeze for up to 3 months.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
• Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, while stirring. Once melted, it will foam, pop, and sizzle, this is normal. Keep stirring and do not step away from the stove, it can burn very quickly and then you will need to start over. 
• The milk solids will separate and be on the bottom of the pan and will get brown. The butter should smell toasted and nutty. It takes about 5-8 minutes for this to happen. 
• Remove from the pan and pour the brown butter into a bowl to cool. If you do not remove it from the pan, it will continue to cook and can burn.
• Add brown sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Pour in browned butter and whisk until combined and the sugar begins to dissolve and is smooth. 
• Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. 
• Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined and you cannot see streaks of flour. 
• Add toasted pecans and chocolate chips and fold through. Bree reserves some for the top of the blondies. Pour batter into prepared pan. Add reserved pecans and chocolate chips and arrange on the top of the blondies. Sprinkle with sea salt. 
• Bake for 23-25 minutes, being careful to not overbake. The center should be set and the edges golden brown. Cool in the pan, then remove from the pan and cut into squares. 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 13×9 baking pan.

Toasted Nuts

• Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the pecans have a nutty aroma (the salt will not dissolve, but adds a nice crunch).
• Remove the pan from the heat and cool while you prepare the brownies.

Brownies

• Melt the butter and chocolate in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat.
• Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar right into the pot and mix well until there is no sign of melted butter left. The mixture should be completely combined.
• Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla and salt. Mix well until completely incorporated.
• With a wooden spoon, stir in the sifted flour and cocoa powder just until it is incorporated. It's important not to over mix the batter at this point. Fold in the toasted nut mixture.
• Spread into the pan. Place the pan in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes.
• When the timer goes off, open the oven, pull the shelf out, and gently shake the pan. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the pan.
• Remove from the oven and cool the brownies for at least an hour before removing from the pan and slicing.