Fall Dessert: Apple Crumble Bars

Image Via: The Kitchen McCabe

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Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 70 minutes

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

For Shortbread Base Layer:

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla or almond extract

2 sticks butter

1 teaspoon water

½ cup walnuts (optional)

For Apple Filling:

1 pound apples, peeled and sliced

2 cups white sugar

2 cups water

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 dash salt

For Crumble Topping:

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup flour

6 tablespoons butter, diced

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Optional Garnishes: Whipped cream, salted caramel sauce, or ice cream

Image Via: Food and Wine

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Make the base layer dough by combining the ingredients for the shortbread in a food processor. Pulse together just until a cohesive dough forms.
3. Press the dough out onto a 9×13 baking pan that’s been lined with parchment paper.
4. Cover the dough with a layer of plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
5. Bake the dough in the center of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
6. While the dough bakes, combine the sugar, flour, oats, nuts, and spices for the crumb topping in a small bowl.
7. Use your hands to work everything together until small clumps form and set it aside for later.
8. Toss your apple slices in apple slices so they don’t brown.
9. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and spices for the apple filling. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat and stir it constantly until all of the sugar dissolves.
10. Fold in the apple slices and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
11. Assemble the bars by spooning the cooked apples over the cooled cookie base and then topping it with the crumble mixture.
12. Transfer the bars into the oven and bake for an hour or until the topping is golden brown, rotating halfway through cooking.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Looking for a way to make this recipe even easier? Go ahead and swap the shortbread ingredients out for a store-bought sugar cookie dough. (It’ll be our little secret.) We really recommend making the apple filling from scratch, though. The freshness of apples in season is truly unbeatable. In fact, feel free to make and freeze a little extra so that your family has the ability to enjoy this delicious fall dessert even after the last leaves change.

How does your family like to enjoy apple pie? Do you have a favorite dessert bar recipe? Tell us all about it in the comments!

For more easy dessert ideas, check out Stagetecture’s archives.

Summer Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake Bars

Image Via: Brit + Co

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 18 Bars

Ingredients:

For Cookie Base:

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

For Cream Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces whipped cream or whipped topping

For Strawberry Topping:

3 pounds fresh strawberries, divided

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Image Via: Taste of Lizzy T

Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, combine 2 pounds of the strawberries with the sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bring it to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes before turning off the heat and allowing the sauce to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. In your mixer, combine the butter and sugar until the mixture is airy and a pale yellow color.
5. Add in the eggs and extracts one at a time. Mix to combine.
6. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
7. With the mixer on its lowest setting, gradually add the dry ingredients into your butter and egg mixture until a cohesive dough forms.
8. Spread the dough evenly out on a lightly greased baking sheet and transfer it into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is set and lightly golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
9. As the cookies cool, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Then, gently fold in the whipped topping to create the cream layer.
10. Assemble the bars by topping the sugar cookie crust with the cream layer and then fresh strawberries. Add generous spoonfuls of the strawberry balsamic mixture.
11. Cut into squares and serve.

The strawberry balsamic glaze adds a rounder, deeper flavor to this recipe that ensures it will be a hit with kids and adults alike. You may not use all of it with the bars, so be sure to refrigerate it to serve later in the week over vanilla ice cream or even whisked with olive oil for an easy vinaigrette. In fact, you could go ahead and make a second batch of these strawberry shortcake bars. One thing’s for sure, this is recipe for a  summer dessert that’s so delicious everyone will want seconds.

What do you think would be the perfect occasion to serve these bars? Would they be great as an after-school snack or potluck dessert?

For more dessert ideas on Stagetecture, click here.