Apple Cinnamon Bars

Apples are everywhere right now. They are 75 cents a pound at my grocery store, so there is no excuse to not make these amazing bars. The almond and whole wheat crust is ridiculously good with the baked cinnamon apples. I got this recipe out of last month's Eating Well and the crust is a great canvas for any sort of fruit bar you would want to experiment with. I can't believe these are not even bad for you.


Apple Cinnamon Bars
*Recipe courtesy of Eating Well

Crust

• 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts) or old-fashioned rolled oats, divided (I used almonds and I would highly recommend doing the same.)
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Fruit Filling

• 6 cups diced peeled apples, divided
• 1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts (or oats), whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.
2. Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts (or oats). Set aside for the topping.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
4. To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 4 cups apples, cider (or orange juice), sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups apples, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Apple cinnamon filling

5. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust.. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling.

6. Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the crust and topping (Steps 1-2) for up to 1 day. Cover or individually wrap and refrigerate the cooled bars for up to 5 days.

Per bar: 193 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 19 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrates; 11 g added sugars; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 69 mg sodium; 74 mg potassium.

We completed our meal with ginger tea. So good together.