Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie Bars

Ingredients

For shortbread crust

1 cup salted butter (softened)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

For apple pie filling

6 large Granny Smith apples (peeled and cut into small pieces)

2 Tbsp salted butter (melted)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 ground ginger 

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground allspice 

Oat topping

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

6 Tbsp butter, cold

Directions 

• To make shortbread crust
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9”x13” baking dish.
• In a medium sized bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light. Add flour and cinnamon and mix until dough starts to form.
• Press dough into bottom of baking dish in an even layer then bake for 20 minutes. While it bakes, prepare the apples and oat topping.
• To make apple filling
• Place peeled and cut apples in a medium sized bowl then add melted butter, sugar, flour, and spices and toss until apples are well coated. 
• To make oat topping
• In a small bowl, mix together oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts. Rub butter into the mixture with your fingers until there are small bits of butter throughout.
• When the crust is done baking, place apples in an even layer over crust and sprinkle oat topping over apples. Bake for 45 minutes and cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.