NEW YEAR NEW BLOG, BABY! Look, y’all - I can’t promise I’ll keep up with this regularly (been there, didn’t do that) but I can promise you that these apple bars will change your life and honestly, what more can you ask for? I won’t lie - they are fairly time intensive. The word “bar” typically makes me think of something quick I can throw together, easier than your standard issue pie what with the crust making and rolling and chilling, etc. These aren’t those bars. They’re better. They’re better because you get all the comfort of a slow cooked, brown butter laden apple pie filling paired with the snappy, slightly salty, nutty crunch of a shortbread cookie that tbh I would (and did) eat all on it’s own (more on that later.) They’re worth every bit of time you’ll spend in the kitchen and they (and you) will be better for it, guaranteed. Now who’s ready for some January baking?!
APPLE PIE BARS
Servings: ~24 squares
*Shortbread Crust adapted from Ina Garten (my queen) , filling is my own.
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the filling:
4 TBSP unsalted butter
7-8 medium-sized sweet/tart apples (I love a Fuji or a Pink Lady!), peeled, quartered, and sliced to 1/8 inch thickness
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 TBSP cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
For the crust, place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in flour and salt. Mix on low until just combined.
Scatter two-thirds of the dough in clumps in a sprayed (I’m a Baker’s Joy girl but whatever you have on hand will work) 9 × 13-inch baking pan and press it into the bottom and about a ½ inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or freeze for about 10.. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put the mixing bowl with the remaining dough back on the mixer, add the pecans and cinnamon, and mix on low speed to combine. Set aside.
For the filling, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, spices, and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat.
In a large wide-bottomed stock pot or sautee pan, melt butter over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to ensure that the butter cooks evenly and allow it to foam and then deepen in color until it’s a toasty brown and the nutty aroma is making you drool.
Add your coated apples to your brown butter being sure to scrape the bowl for all that sugary goodness. This is where patience comes into play. Cook those apples down, stirring often, until they’re completely soft and soupy and boiling, about 25-30 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of water and mix to create a slurry. Add to apples and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes to allow cornstarch to activate and thicken the juices. Set filling aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
Once cooled, spread apple filling on top of baked crust. Take remaining pecan shortbread crust and pinch off small pieces at a time, applying them to the top until they’re evenly distributed but you still see some apple filling peeking through. (***I had about 2 cups of shortbread leftover, see below for bonus bakes.)
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until topping is browned. Allow to cool completely before slicing. In fact, once mine cooled, I popped them in the freezer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get them nice and solidified before slicing. These have lots of gooey filling and can be messy and difficult to work with otherwise. If you can’t wait (totally understandable), scooping straight into a bowl and topping with vanilla ice cream is also a great alternative.
***Not one to waste precious shortbread, I took my leftovers and pressed it into a small, pan-sprayed 8” square baking pan. baked it off, and sliced it into little squares, Then I made a glaze with powdered sugar and eggnog (just enough eggnog to make the glaze pipeable), spooned it into a ziplock, snipped off the tip, and striped the top of the squares. This was perhaps the best decision I have ever made and I highly recommend.
