Easy Old-Fashioned Apple Brownies (Apple Nut Bars)

Moist and chewy blonde brownies chock full of chopped apples and walnuts. If you’re like me and love apple desserts, I hope you give these simple low calorie apple brownies (AKA apple nut bars) a try.

Recipe Notes

I adapted this old-fashioned apple brownies recipe from one of my favorite old cookbooks, Cooking Down East (affiliate link) by Marjorie Standish, who has been called the Julia Child of Maine. Her book is a collection of recipes for the kind of simple home cooking I grew up eating and am more drawn to with each passing year.

Although, the original recipe title is for “Apple Brownies,” since these days most of us automatically associate ‘brownies’ with chocolate, a more appropriate name might be “Apple Nut Bars.”

I made only a couple of changes to make this a little more WeightWatchers Friendly:

• Substituted white wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour for a bit more fiber.
• Decreased the butter by half, which results in a slightly lighter and healthier apple brownie that, I believe, tastes as good as the original.

More things you could do to lower the fat, calories and WW Points even further include:

• Using a zero-calorie sweetener in place of sugar.
• Swapping some or all of the butter with unsweetened applesauce or a light butter substitute.
• Reducing the amount of walnuts to retain some crunch while lowering the points.

Recipe Ingredients

• Butter – Adds moisture, richness, and flavor, helping to create a tender texture.
• Sugar – Sweetens the brownies, adds moisture, structure and helps with browning. Substituting a zero-calorie sweetener can reduce calories while maintaining sweetness.
• Eggs – Provide structure and help bind the ingredients together, giving the brownies a slightly cake-like texture.
• Vanilla extract – Enhances the flavor with warm, aromatic notes.
• Apples – Add moisture, natural sweetness, and a hint of tartness, keeping the brownies moist and flavorful.
• Walnuts – Contribute crunch, texture, and a nutty flavor, plus healthy fats.
• All-purpose or white wheat flour – Forms the base, giving structure. White wheat flour can add fiber without changing texture much.
• Ground cinnamon – Adds warm spice that complements the apples.
• Baking powder – Leavening agent that help the brownies rise slightly, keeping them from being too dense.
• Baking soda – Leavening agent that help the brownies rise slightly, keeping them from being too dense.
• Salt – Enhances and balances the overall flavor, making the sweet and spice notes pop.

How Many Calories and WW Points in these Apple Brownie Nut Bars?

According to my calculations, each of these apple brownies has just 147 calories.

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

4 PointsPlus (Old plan)

How to Make Apple Brownies (aka Apple Nut Bars) Step-by-Step

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients

Step 2: Preheat the oven and prepare the pan

Preheat oven and lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan (affiliate link) and set aside.

Step 3: Make the apple brownie batter

Beat the butter with an electric mixer (affiliate link) until creamy. Slowly beat in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chopped apples and nuts.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually stir the dry flour mixture into the wet apple mixture, just until combined.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the pan

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. For an extra treat, you can sprinkle sanding sugar over the top before baking for a little sparkle and slightly crunchy topping.

Step 5: Bake

Bake about 30-40 minutes, or until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 6: Cool and cut

All the pan to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into 16 squares.

Step 7: Store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

I hope you like these skinny apple brownies as much as we do. Enjoy!

If you’ve made these Apple Nut Brownies, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Source Cooking Down East (affiliate link) by Marjorie Standish

More WW-Friendly Apple Recipes

If you like these easy Apple Nut Bars, I am sure you will love:

• Low-Fat Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Cookies – Soft, chewy cookies studded with apples and dried cranberries for a naturally sweet, WW-friendly treat.
• WW Slow Cooker Apple Cake – A cozy, moist apple cake made right in the crock pot, perfect for fall and only a handful of simple ingredients needed.
• Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies – Classic oatmeal cookies made lighter with applesauce for a chewy, wholesome bite without extra fat.
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cake – A fruity, festive cake with apples and cranberries baked in the slow cooker for a no-fuss dessert.
• Apple Pecan Muffins – Light and fluffy muffins filled with chunks of apple and crunchy pecans, great for breakfast or a snack.
• Healthy Harvest Fresh Apple Cake – A moist, lightly spiced cake packed with fresh apples that makes a perfect WW-friendly dessert or coffee cake.