Better-Than-Apple-Pie Bars
Made using your favorite apples and covered with a crumb topping, these apple pie bars are a perfect fall treat.
Better-Than-Apple-Pie Bars
Photo Credit : Nico SchincoApple pie is great, but apple pie bars are, well, better. I like Honeycrisp and Pink Ladies in these bars, but I won’t lie: Granny Smiths are my go-to. The crumb topping and crust can be made old-school style with your hands (always the best tools in the kitchen), but if you use your food processer, you will save time. The crumb topping and crust soften a bit on day two, and that is hardly a bad thing.
This recipe from Jessie Sheehan appeared in the Sep/Oct 2024 issue of Yankee Magazine. Jessie has published more than 200 such recipes in her most recent books, Snackable Bakes, and her latest, Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes, from which these recipes are excerpted.
Yield:
16 barsFor the topping and crust
Ingredients
Cooking spray or softened unsalted butter, for the pan
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring your fingers
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray or softened butter. Line the pan with a long piece of parchment paper that extends up and over two opposite sides of the pan.
To make the crumb topping and crust by hand, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers, until the butter is crumbly and pea-sized. Stir in the egg and vanilla with a fork, or your hands, until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Alternatively, to make the topping and crust with a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients and the butter in the bowl of the processer until the butter is pea-sized, then pulse in the egg and vanilla.
Remove 1½ cups of the crumb mixture and refrigerate in a small bowl. Evenly press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan with floured fingers, prick holes in the surface with a fork, and bake for about 15 minutes.
For the filling
Ingredients
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4–5 medium apples (about 1½ pounds total), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick)
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
To make the apple filling, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in the same large bowl in which you made the crust and topping (no need to clean it first). Add the apples and toss to coat with a flexible spatula or your hands. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss a final time. Carefully cover the partially baked bottom crust with the filling, pressing it down lightly. Sprinkle with the remaining chilled dough, using your fingers to pinch off and create crumbs, and gently press to adhere.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 60 to 65 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until the crumb topping is lightly browned and the apples bubble around the edges and are soft in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Serve straight from the pan or lift out of the pan by the parchment overhang, running a butter knife around the edges. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, slice into bars, and serve. Keep the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
