Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Apple Bars


As I mentioned in a previous post, we got (inadvertantly...I only meant to get about half of that) over 16 pounds of apples at our local apple orchard. So I've had a fun week trying to find new ways to use the apples before they all go bad. We tried this recipe last night and it was AWESOME. I got it off of Allrecipe (surprise, surprise) and tweaked it just a little bit--so I'll post the recipe with the tweaking that we made to it. These definitely tasted better after they had sat overnight--they just firmed and the flavors melded well. After we took them out of the oven, I thought it tasted like a fabulous coffee cake, but as they have sat they are more a bar consistency. They are so moist and full of flavor!


You are definitely going to have to resist licking every last bit of the batter--it is REALLY good. I know I say I shouldn't eat batters with raw egg in it...but to heck with it!

Apple Bars adapted from Allrecipes


2 C sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C butter or margarine, melted
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 C chopped apples
1/2 cup firmly chopped walnuts (I omitted this part)
2 T white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 Degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 C of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a cup of a small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars. Bake for 33 minutes (do not overbake...they will seem undone but will firm up as they sit) in preheated oven; Cool in the pan and cut into squares.

The bars before they go into the oven...

My husband is the "we" part of the equation. Here he is sprinkling the cinnamon/sugar topping on to the bars... While they baked...oh and you will love the yummy smell that will be wafting through your house at this point...make a simple glaze to go on them. This was a variation suggested on Allrecipes that I liked. I tried a bar without (pictured below) and thought it needed just that little extra glaze.
So I just mixed powered sugar, a little vanilla, a little butter, and milk until I got the desired consistency. I put the bag of icing in the fridge while the bars cooled. And then I snipped a little corner off the bag and drizzled it over the bars.
They are really good--I'm off to eat one (or ten) right now...

4 comments:

Stephanie said...

Yum! I love apple desserts. Those look fantastic. I'm a fan of allrecipes.com as well - so many great recipes, and I love that you can use all the reviewers' suggestions to make them even better.

Meg said...

This looks delicious! Great job and I will be bookmarking this!

Erin said...

Oh, these look so good. I've got to try this out...

Aussiemuminthekitchen said...

I made these TWICE over the weekend and LOVED them. The second time I added an extra cup of apples and it worked really well. Thanks for the yummy recipe. I love your blog!