Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Apple Pie Bars


I don't know about you, but I crave comfort food when I'm sick, and I've been sick with a bad case of a cold since the weekend. Nothing is appealing to me food wise and I'm lucky to have an amazing husband who has jumped in and prepared most meals for the family. My taste buds aren't functioning and my hunger is pretty much non-existent, but it was Labor Day weekend and with all the kids at home for three days, I knew I had to come up with something that resembled some kind of dessert.

I looked in my fridge for inspiration since a trip to the store was out of the question and found apples. Not enough apples to make a quint-essential all American apple pie, but enough to make this recipe for Apple Pie Bars. I found the recipe in another Cuisine at Home magazine and it sold me right away for its ease of preparation. The crust does double duty as the streusel topping and makes assembling the dish a snap. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples which are usually my go-to apple for baking anyway. They hold their shape nicely without getting mushy and make for a not too sweet dessert.


Flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon are whisked together in a bowl. Some of that mixture is removed and reserved for the streusel topping. After that, you cut cold butter into the mix before pressing it into a springform pan and baking it for about 15 minutes. Apples are peeled and diced, and then mixed with sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and a bit of flour. The apple mix is immediately spread onto the hot crust before being topped with the reserved streusel mix that had melted butter added to it. The bars are then baked for another 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

These bars were a huge hit in our home especially when served with a dollop of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. I will have to take my families word on how good they were since I couldn't taste much, but considering how fast they disappeared I would say they were delicious.  This recipe is a great alternative if you don't want to go through the hassle of making a pie, and it fits the approaching fall season perfectly!


Apple Pie Bars
(adapted from Cuisine at Home)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10 inch springform pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray.

Combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and slat for the base and streusel mixtures in a bowl. Transfer 3/4 cup of the mixture to a second bowl; set aside for the streusel later.

Cut 6 tablespoons cold butter and milk into the remaining dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingers. Mix until clumps form.

Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, using a measuring cup to "tamp" down the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set and gold at the edges.

Stir melted butter into the reserved streusel mixture until sandy; set aside.

Toss all ingredients for the filling (apples, sugar, heavy cream, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and salt) together. Arrange over the hot base, pushing apple pieces to the edges of the pan to completely cover the crust.

Sprinkle apples with the streusel topping, and bake until apples are soft and streusel is golden, 30-40 minutes. Cool bars for at least 30 minutes before removing the side of the pan and cutting into wedges. Store bars at room temperature or chill.

37 comments:

  1. Hello Susi, Hope you are better soon.
    Streuselkuchen mit Aepfeln ist super lecker. Gefaellt mir besser als mit Hefeteig. Gute Besserung.

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  2. Your apple dessert sounds really good! I always look forward to "apple season". Apples are grown in this area, so I can get great prices on them at the Farmers Market to make apple sauce, apple butter, and many other apple recipes. I'll have to try this one.

    Get well soon!

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  3. I do hope you feel better soon! Even with morning sickness these bars look delicious. When I'm back on my feet I'm totally going to make a batch of these.

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  4. that sounds nice! you can just portion it out instead of a full slice of pie!

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  5. yuuummmmmmm!!! ice cream with that pie!!!!!!

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  6. Sorry you were sick! It's going around like wildfire! These bars would cheer anyone up though! I shouldn't look at desserts before I've even had breakfast, it makes me way too hungry!
    -Gina-

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  7. sorry to hear you've been sick - hope you are feeling better! that's pretty impressive for being under the weather - looks delicious!

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  8. I am positive that these Apple Pie Bars would be a huge hit in my house as well, they look fabulous!

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  9. These sound and look delicious. Save for time in the oven they are very quick to make and easy to do. I really like this recipe. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  10. Looks great! Can't believe it's apple season already!

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  11. YUM! I know I'd love these, they would not last long in my home. :)

    Get well soon!

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  12. I love it. Great Apple recipe. Just in time for apple season. I hope you feel better soon!

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  13. Hi Susi, these apple pie bars look perfect for a little weekend comfort food:) This recipe is just one of so many recipes here that look good, a treasure trove of good things, thanks for sharing!

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  14. i adore apple pie! this looks delicious!

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  15. Ah, it's not fun to be sick and have to still cook. You did fabulously, however. Those apple bars look scrumptious. Apple pie is my family's favorite part of fall.

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  16. Mmmm, those look delish! I'm sure I would love them. Hope you start feeling better soon.

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  17. Susi, those look so delicious. I can't wait to make them! :)

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  18. I hope you get better soon!! These apple pie bars look delicious!

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  19. I hope you feel better! I love that these are bars and I love crumble topping, yum!

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  20. Feel better! Those bars look heavenly! I want to try them out using apples and cranberries :)

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  21. I'm not a big pie baker, so getting that amazing taste in bar form is a godsend. Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to try these!

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  22. Susi, these sound and look delicious! Love that they're different from the usual apple pie. Thanks for sharing!

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  23. I love this little twist on pie in bar form! I bet they're positively delicious Susi. Hope you're feeling better!

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  24. So many apple recipes and not enough time. This one has to make it to the top of my list.
    Congrats on top 9!

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  25. Oh, I love apple pie! And I even love it with vanilla ice cream! Sieht wirklich sehr lecker aus!

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  26. I'm all over anything with a crumble topping. :o) Hope you are feeling better. Take care.

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  27. Susi...Congrats dear for making the top 9 ...
    the bars looks great..
    trying them so soon :))

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  28. these look lovely. Congratulations in geting number one in FoodBuzz !

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  29. Susi, I hope you're feeling better by now! There's nothing worse than cooking/baking and not being able to enjoy it, that's for sure. I know for this was the case for me, too! The Apple Pie Bars are lovely, and I hope you froze a couple so you can taste them when you feel better (or, I guess, you can just bake some more!).

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  30. Absolutely gorgeous! What a perfect dessert, and I love the ease that it all goes together. I sure hope you are feeling better... my daughter brought home the first cold of the season last week as well. My fingers are crossed that I am not next!
    Congrats on the Top 9! Well deserved!

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  31. They look fantastic. I love apple and pear recipes in the fall since they're served warm.

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  32. Hope you feel better! I hate being sick, too! These apple pie bars look great though! Can't wait to try them out!

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  33. i have been sick for the last week and totally agree- all i want is warm comfort food!!

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  34. Hi, these look sooo good! Im going apple picking next wknd so I can hardly wait to make these for a tailgating party! Thanks!!!

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  35. I just went apple picking last week. I was so over-excited about the picking that I picked 18 pounds of apples! I've been looking for new ways to use them other than the standard apple pie. I made these bars for a sunday football party this weekend. They were AMAZING. A real hit with everyone. It's kind of like apple pie to-go. I loved that you didn't need to cut and serve it. Once it's pre-sliced, people can just help themselves. Definitely a keeper recipe. A few things I might try next time: I wanted a square shape instead of a pie shape, so I might make them in a brownie pan lined with parchment. Also, since the crumble topping is sitting on the gooey apples, it did get a little soft. Maybe some oatmeal in the crumble would give it a little more crunch. Delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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