Salted Pecan Pie Blondie Bites with Orange Zest
I love pecan pie, but I don’t always want to deal with finicky pie crust. That’s especially true on a day like Thanksgiving, when I’m making a bunch of other things. I knew I wanted pecan pie flavor at Thanksgiving this year, so I started thinking about how I could get it without the crust. If I could come up with something that could be made ahead, frozen, and then easily thawed on the day, even better.
My solution: pecan pie blondie bites.
The base is dense, chewy and buttery, with the deep, molasses-like flavor of dark brown sugar. On top, maple syrup, brown sugar and chopped pecans bake into a crisp, nutty layer that tastes like the filling of a pecan pie. A little salt and fresh orange zest in the topping balance all that sweetness, so the bites taste rich rather than just sugary. They bake in muffin cups in the air fryer, which keeps the oven free for everything else.
Salted Pecan Pie Blondie Bites with Orange Zest
Yield: 11 standard-size blondie bites
Equipment: air fryer (we used a standard Ninja), standard-size silicone muffin cups, medium mixing bowl
Air fryer: 325°F
Prep: 10 minutes for the batter, plus 5 minutes for the topping (made while the bases bake)
Bake: 18 minutes per batch: 9 minutes, then 9 more after the topping goes on
Batches: we baked two
Total time: about 1 hour 15 minutes for both batches, including 30 minutes of cooling
Contains: pecans (tree nuts), eggs, wheat and dairy
Ingredients
Blondie base
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (100 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salted pecan pie topping
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Preheat. Preheat the air fryer to 325°F.
2. Mix the base. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and dark brown sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, salt and cinnamon until just combined. Don’t overmix.
4. Fill the cups. Divide the batter evenly among 11 standard-size silicone muffin cups, spreading it across the bottoms.
5. Par-bake. Place as many cups as fit in the air fryer (we baked two batches) and air fry at 325°F for 9 minutes. The bases should be partially set but not fully baked.
6. Make the topping. While the first batch bakes, use the same bowl to combine the chopped pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, egg yolk, orange zest and salt. Stir until the pecans are evenly coated.
7. Top and finish. Spoon an even share of topping onto each par-baked base, saving the rest for the next batch. Return them to the air fryer and bake at 325°F for another 9 minutes, until the topping is set and browned and the pecans look crisp. Repeat steps 5 and 7 with the second batch.
8. Cool. Let them cool in the muffin cups for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold them and let them finish cooling, about 30 minutes in total.
Make Ahead and Freeze
Once the blondie bites are completely cool, freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag. To thaw, set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and leave them at room temperature. Ours thawed within an hour.
What we’ve tested: blondies frozen overnight and thawed the next day kept their flavor and chewy texture. The pecan topping was a little less crisp. We haven’t tested longer freezer storage yet.
Clever Counter Tips
- Keep the salt and the zest. The ¼ teaspoon of salt in the topping balances the maple syrup, brown sugar and butter. The ½ teaspoon of orange zest adds brightness without making the bites taste strongly of citrus.
- Use standard-size muffin cups. That’s the size we tested.
- Bake in batches. All 11 cups didn’t fit in our standard Ninja air fryer, so we baked two batches. Each batch gets the same 9 + 9 minutes.
Back to the counter
A plate of these looks like more work than it is. Bake them once, set some aside for later, and dessert is one less thing to make on the day you serve it.
Make the rest of the week easier
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