Spiced Cider Glazed Apple Bars

Author: Sue Moran of A View from Great Island

These apple bars stand out from the rest, not only because they’re made with crisp Sweetango apples, but because they’re drizzled with a spiced cider glaze that puts them right over the top. They work for breakfast, coffee break, brunch, or dessert, and they’re wonderful warm from the oven, all by themselves.

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 large Sweetango apples
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 heaping Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dough

  • 1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup oat flour (substitute regular flour if you like)
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats (quick cooking or regular)

Glaze

  • 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
  • cider to thin the sugar, approximately 3 Tbsp
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch nutmeg

Instructions

Set oven to 350F

Spray a 9×9 baking pan and line with parchment paper. This step is optional, but helps to lift out the bars for easy cutting.

Peel and core the apples, then chop them into 1/2 inch pieces. Put them in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract.

Blend in the flours, and mix just until completely combined, don’t over beat. Note: do not add the rolled oats at this time.

Take 2/3 of the dough and press it into the bottom of your prepared pan. I like to crumble it over the surface first to distribute it, and then lightly press it down with floured fingers. Make sure it covers the entire surface, and add a bit more of the dough if necessary.

Top the crust with the chopped apples. Arrange evenly across the surface.

Mix the oats into the remaining dough with your fingers, and then crumble it over the top of the apples. Use your fingers to break apart the dough into smaller crumbles. It’s ok if some of the apples show through.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the crust is just beginning to turn golden and you can hear the fruit bubbling.

Let cool on a rack completely before glazing.

To make the glaze, mix the sugar and spices with just enough cider to make a drizzle-able glaze. Start with 2 tablespoons and go from there. Drizzle liberally over the bars.

Notes:

  • You can use whole wheat, or part whole wheat and part white flour.
  • This recipe lends itself to a gluten free version, use a combination of almond and oat flours.
  • Leave the peel on the apples if you like, they’ll add nice color and flavor.

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The View from Great Island is a food blog with a style that is enthusiastic, colorful, and honest. No food is off limits, as long as it’s ‘real’ and unprocessed. Her recipes are bold and vibrant, but honest and unfussy. Sue loves to make beautiful food, photograph it, and write about it, but mostly, she just loves to EAT. Isn’t that what it’s all about?