Apple Blondies

I made these gems for work; I received great compliments and one marriage proposal. I forgot to take a picture before I left for work in the morning, so this is all I have left to photograph:


This recipe comes from Maria over at The Goddess's Kitchen. It is GREAT, though if I make this again, I won't include the icing. It's sweetness detracts from the absolute divine nature of the blondies. Please note, many of my coworkers disagree with me.

Apple Blondies:
Batter
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup peeled, chopped apples
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk or cream
2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan.
On medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla for about 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to batter and mix well.
Stir in apples and cinnamon.
Spread into greased pan and bake for 25-50 minutes (until the middle is set).
Cool completely.

To prepare the frosting, melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and milk and let the mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and let it cool until lukewarm.
Stir in the powdered sugar - I did this 1/2 cup at a time and stirred vigorously to make sure the sugar mixes in completely.
Spread the frosting over the bars. Let it cool completely before cutting into these AMAZING bars.