Apple Streusel Bars

 Oooeey gooey apple bars on top of buttery, flaky crust. I don't know about you but when I was younger, I absolutely adored the apple pie desserts from McDonalds. Yep, I'm admitting it. I don't eat there at all anymore but those pastries were sooooooo delicious. There's something about the sugary, cinnamon juice that forms when you coat the apples and how it literally turns into a sweet syrup once baked in the oven. The great part about making this recipe is you can constantly snack. I don't think I really ate dinner that night because I was so full from eating everything from the skin shavings shown below, to the cold apple slices coated in granulated sugar and cinnamon.

 Here the apples are being peeled by hand. Don't ever throw out the skins because that's where so much of the nutrition is and they make for a great snack later on!

Beautiful, beautiful apples. How can you come out of the earths ground and taste like pure bliss?

I don't know why I decided to make this recipe (probably cause it looked INCREDIBLE) but maybe it was because my roommate Bethany was attending a picnic for a birthday party and what better dessert to bring than something with apples to a picnic? Pies get a little messy, but these are a brilliant way to give everyone their own personal treat!

Combine all the dry ingredients into one bowl in order to prepare that buttery/flaky crust I was talking about earlier.

Coat the apple slices with sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Let sit for about ten minutes so that the sugars caramelize into a syrup from all the water in the apples. This is where I ended up taking a tiny...okay maybe a really, really long break so that I could snack on these crisp, sweet treats before sending them into the oven. Once they enter the hot sauna, they will lose their texture and melt into the bar, becoming one, sticky, sweet dessert bar.

When working with the dough, cut with a knife or mix together with a hand-held mixer. Be careful of mixing too thoroughly though because you want to maintain a crumb-like texture. You do not want to mix the butter in completely or else the crust won't end up as flaky.

 Once this is done, place the crumb mixture into a well greased pan and then layer the apple slices on top. I decided to drizzle the remaining syrup left at the bottom of the bowl into the pan so that the flavors would all be able to combine.

 

Once this is done, crumble and distribute the last bit of the crust on top. This will help indicate when the apple streusel bars are done because it will eventually turn golden brown and form a crusty top.

While the bars are in the oven, combine the powdered sugar with whole milk by whisking with a fork. The two ingredients will begin to form into one similar to frosting and once this happens, add however much almond extract you like. The recipe that inspired me, calls for 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, but I just love the flavor with the apples so I decided to double it.

Once the bars are finnnnito, I prefer to drizzle the glaze on top immediately so that the heat breaks it down and melts parts so that there isn't an abundance of the color white on top of the beautiful apples. I might just be overly obsessed with the presentation though and in that case, do whatever you'd like! I guess it all tastes the same in the end :)

 

If you're like me, you probably won't be able to refrain from eating them immediately but tryyyyyy. I was able to stuff my face with the first batch while they were still piping hot and the flavor truly does not compare to when you let them rest and cool. Don't forget to let the apple streusel bars set before cutting because if you try before hand, they will fall apart and become a huge sticky mess. 

Apple Streusel Bars

originally from Honey & Jam

Pastry:

2 c. of flour

1/2 c. of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 c. of real butter

1 egg, beaten

Apple Filling:

1/2 of white sugar

1/4 c. of flour

1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

5 c. apples peeled (about 4 medium sized apples) , I used Gala because they hold up nicely

Glaze:

2 c. of powdered sugar

About 3 tablespoons of whole milk

1 teaspoon of almond extract (cut back to 1/2 teaspoon if you LOVE almond flavor)

Directions:

To prepare the crust, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl. Then cut in the butter with two knives or a hand-held mixer. Do not mix too long because you want to leave some crumbles of butter, similar to that of a pea. Gently mix in the beaten egg.

Once the mixture is combined, grab a 9x13 baking dish and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly pat 2/3 of the crust into the bottom of the pan (you will use the rest to sprinkle on top). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set aside while you create the apple filling.

Next step, grab a large bowl and mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and apples together so that the dry ingredients cover every slice.

Spread the apples evenly over the crust and drizzle a little of the remaining sugar syrup on top. Then sprinkle the last 1/3 of the crumble crust on top (as shown above). Finally, place in the oven for around 40 minutes, eyeballing the top to see if the crust is turning golden brown. 

When nearing the end, whisk together the powdered sugar, whole milk and almond extract.

Remove the apple dish from the oven when ready and drizzle with the sugar glaze. Set aside and wait to cool before cutting the bars, or else they will fall apart immediately. The more patient you are, the better they will taste! ENJOY.