These bars embody the great taste of apple pie but without all of the work! The crust and streusel mixture are made as one, complimenting the apples between them. Versatile as a snack or dessert, these bars are a perfect way to showcase the fruit of the fall, all without the pie!
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×14 baking pan and set it aside.
Ingredients
For the granola crust
For the apple pie filling
For the crust
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In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt.
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Add the cubes of cold butter and toss with the dry ingredients. Work the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles wet sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Reserve 2 cups of the prepared crust and set it aside.
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Press the remaining crust into a 10×14 pan (also called a jelly roll-size pan). Firmly and evenly press the crust, making sure to press the crust mixture up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Once baked, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the filling
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Prepare the filling by coring and thinly slicing the apples. In a large bowl, combine the prepared apples, flour, white granulated sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir until well combined, then pour the mixture onto the baked crust.
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Spread the apples out into an even layer, overlapping as needed to fit all the apples. Sprinkle on the reserved 2 cups of prepared crust topping. Bake in the 350°F preheated oven until the apples are tender, 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool one hour before enjoying them!
Notes
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- Using your hands, lightly pack the brown sugar in the measuring cup to get a correct measurement. For this recipe, the brown sugar does not need to be packed tightly, which would result in too much brown sugar.
- To know when the crust/streusel is ready, grab a handful of the mixture. Smash it in your fist. If it holds its shape but can easily be crumbled apart, then the streusel is ready.
- There’s no need to remove the skin from the apples. By not peeling them, you can save time, and it adds nutritional value to the bars.
- When adding the apples to the crust, scrape out the bowl to ensure all the mixture gets out onto the apples. That’s the flavoring you want in the bars!