Apple Pie Bars

I probably drive the BF crazy [Ed. note: like no one else, and for some reason I can't help myself], but I start asking him to choose his birthday cake-dessert about a month before his birthday. Usually give a choice of some great found recipe that includes either apples, caramel, butterscotch or lemon. Love hunting for the perfect recipe, with the goal of getting his eyes to bug out.

These apple pie bars are a client favorite, and whenever I make them the BF ends up in the kitchen, plaintively staring and asking if there are "extras." [Ed. note: "Oh those were for the clients?"] Needless to say the dessert has become one of his favorites, so I decided to make it for his birthday in lieu of a traditional cake. This was a very special birthday, by the way. [Ed. note: #LOLOLD]

One of the great things about this dessert is the shortbread dough is used for both the bottom crust and crumble on top. (Meaning there's no pie crust to roll out.) As the brilliant Ina Garten likes to say, "How easy is that?"

To really send it over the top, drizzle the bars with gooey caramel (optional, but recommended). Perfectly okay to eat with your hands, or dish/bowl them up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

In addition to offering an alternative to your everyday pedestrian cookie, these bars have another perk: they travel well. Simply wrap up the baking pan and cut the bars when you get to your destination. As for optimal portion size, Garten advises, "I cut the bars in fairly large 3 x 3-inch squares if I'm serving them on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. If I'm serving them on a platter of small petits fours to pick up with your fingers, I'll cut them in smaller bite-size pieces."

NOTES:

• You can cut this recipe in half  by preparing it in an 8 x 8-inch pan.
• After baking, cool completely, wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to two days.  Great for birthdays, every day, and is a perfect make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving.​

PS: Speaking of Thanksgiving, a year ago we were thinking ahead with this whipped cranberry butter (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/whipped-cranberry-butter). Also, Adam Sandler sings!

PPS: Another client-approved holiday-time dessert, your friends and family won't know this yummy mini pumpkin cheesecake is sugar-free and low-carb. That is, unless you tell them. So don't. (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/mini-pumpkin-cheesecake-sugar-free-and-low-carb)

Adapted from: Ina Garten, Cooking For Jeffrey
Number of Servings: Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

Ingredients
Crust

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature [Ed. note: ROOM TEMPERATURE]
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Filling

• 3 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced ⅛-inch thick (6 large)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

To Serve

• Vanilla ice cream
• Caramel sauce

Directions
Crust

1. Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 375 ºF. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that paper hangs over two edges of the pan by about two inches. This will make the pie bars easier to remove after it’s baked.
2. Place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Sift the flour and salt together and, with the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter-sugar mixture, beating until combined.
3. Scatter ⅔ of the dough, in clumps, into your baking pan, and press it lightly with floured hands on the bottom and ½ inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
5. Put mixing bowl with the remaining dough back in the mixer, add walnuts and cinnamon, and mix on low speed to combine. Set aside.
6. Reduce the oven to 350 ºF.

Apple Filling

1. Combine the Granny Smith apples and lemon juice into a very large bowl. Add granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.
2. Melt the butter in a large (10-inch-diameter) pot, add the apples, and simmer over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes, until apples are tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
3. Spread the apples evenly over the crust, leaving a ½-inch border.
4. Pinch medium pieces of the remaining dough with your fingers and drop them evenly on top of the apples (they will not be covered). Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is browned. NOTE: I sometimes place the pan under the broiler to get the topping a little more browned.  Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

To Serve

1. Cool completely and cut into bars.
2. Drizzle with caramel and serve with ice cream, or just pick 'em up with your hands.