Friday, October 10, 2014

Salted Caramal Apple Pie Bars


Ingredients for shortbread crust
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 cup AP flour

Ingredients for apple filling
* 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced and chopped
* 2 tbsp AP flour
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Ingredients for streusel
* 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
* 1/3 cup light brown sugar
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 cup AP flour
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Optional Salted Caramel Sauce (click here for recipe)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Line an 8 x8  baking pan with aluminum foil leaving an overhang on all sides.
2. Stir the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together in a medium bowl.  Add the flour and stir until everything is well combined.  Press the shortbread crust mixture into the the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Combine the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all the apples are evenly coated.  Set aside.
4. Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour together in a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, two knives, or even your hands.  The mixture should begin to resemble coarse crumbs.
5. When the crust comes out of the oven, turn the oven up to 350 F.
6. Pour the apples over the crust and press them in to fit.  (It may seem like too many but it will work).
7. Sprinkle the streusel over the apples and bake for 30-35 minutes of until the streusel is golden brown.
8. After cooking, let the bars cool in the pan for 20 minutes at room temperature, and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
9. When ready to serve, cut into bars and pour the salted caramel sauce on the bars (if desired). Enjoy!

Notes
These bars are fantastic!  Easy to make, and good out of the fridge, or warmed up in the microwave.  The sauce adds a bit of sophistication to the dessert making it company worthy, but they are delicious even without the sauce!  If you are going to the orchard to pick apples, when you are pulling out your apple sauce and apple crisp recipes to use all the apples up add this recipe to the list of the options.  You won't be disappointed!

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