Almost-Famous Maple-Butter Blondies

This recipe is a copycat recipe for Applebee's famous maple-butter blondies that I got from the Food Network Magazine. In every issue they have one copy that recipe where the Food Network kitchens whip up very similar recipes to some of our favorite foods from our favorite restaraunts. The blondie's at Applebee's are served warm on a piping hot skillet with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream that drips down the sides of the blondies and has this really yummy maple caramel sauce drizzled all over.....if you have never had one it is absolutely fantastic and I adore there deliciousness! Of course, I was so excited when I came across this recipe for them and couldn't wait to try them out!

The results of my copy that maple-butter blondies if I do say so myself were........absolutely wonderful! I really, really enjoyed and so did my boyfriend's sister who also loves them and even my boyfriend said he couldn't stop eating them and he doesn't even really like the applebee's one! The blondie tasted pretty close to what the actual Applebee's blondie tastes like. These blondies are more cakey than dense, which normally I don't like at all....but these are one exception! They were moist, soft, buttery, nutty, and filled with white chocolate chunks. My maple caramel topping didn't turn out (me and boiling sugar and butter never seems to work...it intimidates me!) so I just served it with store-bought caramel sauce and butter pecan ice cream and it was soooo yummy and decadant and they are also great to eat just plain!

For the Blondies:

-10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

-1 cup walnut pieces

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

-3 large eggs

-2 tablespoons vanilla extract

-6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks or white chocolate chips

For the Topping:

-1/3 cup maple syrup

-6 tablespoons unsalted butter

-1/4 cup heavy cream

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1. Make the blondies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter or spray the pan with cooking spray. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.

3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.

5. Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or your favorite ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.