• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with baker’s spray and line with parchment paper. Be sure to leave enough of the parchment paper overhanging the sides to make lifting the apple brownies out of the pan easier once cooled.

​To Make the Apples

• Add the diced apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon to a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir to combine. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often so the sugars don’t burn, until the apples have softened but still hold their shape and the sugars and cinnamon have caramelized and made a light, sweet coating on the apples. Remove from the heat and allow the apples to cool to room temperature while you prepare the brownie batter.

To Make the Brownies

• In a small bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
• Add the light brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and maple extract to a large mixing bowl to make the brownie batter. Using a electric mixer, on medium-low speed, beat for 1-2 minutes or until the butter and brown sugar are fully incorporated.
• Add the eggs to the bowl and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fully combined and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold all the ingredients together just until all the flour is incorporated and no lumps of flour remain in the batter.
• Remove the cooked and cooled apples from the skillet using a slotted spoon. Make sure you leave as much of the excess liquids in the pan as the excess liquid will alter the texture of the baked apple brownies if added to the batter.
• Add the apples to the brownie batter and carefully fold them into the batter, making sure that they are evenly distributed. A large rubber spatula works great for this.
• Spread the apple brownie mixture into an even layer in the prepared 9x13 baking pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a couple of moist crumbs.
• Remove the apple brownies from the oven and let them cool completely on the counter while preparing the maple glaze.

To Make the Glaze

• Add to a 3-quart saucepan, over medium heat, the unsalted butter, pure maple syrup, maple extract, cinnamon and salt. Heat for 2-3 minutes while whisking constantly, just until the butter has melted and the ingredients are fully combined. The mixture should just start to lightly bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat.
• Add the sifted powdered sugar to the saucepan and whisk until all the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated and the glaze is smooth.
• Slowly pour the maple glaze evenly over the cooled apple brownies. Be sure to spread the glaze so that it evenly covers the entire surface of the brownies.