Flaky apple pie bars are a delightful twist on traditional apple pie, offering all the delicious flavors in a convenient handheld form. Here’s a recipe to make them:
Ingredients:
For the Crust and Topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Apple Filling:
- 4 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions:
Preparing the Crust and Topping:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter.
- Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. You can also use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Making the Apple Filling:
- In a separate mixing bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- In another bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the sugar mixture to the sliced apples and toss until the apples are evenly coated.
- Spread the apple mixture evenly over the crust in the baking dish.
Assembling and Baking:
- Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the top of the apple filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the baking dish on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the baking dish. Place them on a cutting board and cut into squares or bars.
- Serve the flaky apple pie bars at room temperature, optionally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top.
Enjoy these delicious flaky apple pie bars as a tasty dessert or snack, perfect for any occasion!