I have this urge to go absolutely bazerk with all things apple. To flood these pages with so many apple recipes that you will not want to look at another apple until next fall. Which isn’t really nice or fair of me. But it is an urge. An urge I have a deep need to act on.
Urges have a way of just creeping up on me. Unexpectedly and out of the blue. I am walking along, minding my ‘p’s’ and ‘q’s’ and then without warning, BAM…I have a sudden compulsion to do something strange and/or crazy weird. OK… Odd is more like it.
Common urges include…
If you are pregnant, I will have this urge during those nine months (and more so towards the end) not to rub/pat your protuding belly, but to poke it. Rubbing it, while still strange, is more of the norm…I want to straight up poke you. I won’t, promise. But I will warn you about my urge, which oddly makes me feel like I have completed the task without violating you at all. Win, win.
When my parent’s basset hound falls asleep ..we all sigh with relief because he is like a 40+pound toddler/beast/monster. We can relax a bit because his nose is still and not getting him into a heap of trouble…did you know basset hounds like Rolaids and bubblegum and can sniff them out in a 50 mile radius? They do. And they can. And they will. And boy are they curious dogs. But when he falls asleep…this sudden urge to play with his floppy ears, droopy jowls, and big ole’ paws overtakes me. I want to wake the sleeping monster. They ay this happens with babies too, but I don’t believe them. Let them sleep. Best for everyone. Plus, babies don’t have big floppy ears.
A cake, iced and ready to go. I need to stick my finger in it. I need to taste that icing. I don’t think I will ever grow up.
A candle burning. Filling the house with a smell of cotton or cinnamon. Casting shadows on the surrounding walls and ceiling. And what do I want to do? Play in the wax. I wanna stick my finger in hot wax and slowly build my own candle over my finger tip.
I have a slight urge to rearend folks who drive with their foot on the brake. Brake riders. A constant beam of brake lights while you are maintaining or even increasing in speed will drive me bonkers. A sudden wave of road rage over takes me and the urge to ever so slightly bump – a gentle nudge if you will. A slight – stop this crazy habit because it is not necessary and you are causing havoc on the highway and you are ruining your brakes and if you continue this habit you will cause an accident -jolt.
When passing by one of my brothers…I will always have an urge to give them a wet willy. To stick a spit covered finger in one of their ears will never lose its hilarity. The shocked grossed-outness that sweeps across the face and then the instant pull of the shirt collar up to wipe off my saliva from their ear canal….yeah that will never get old.
OK….so yes, while I shouldn’t act on all these urges – i.e. road rage and wet willies…others are totally harmless. Especially that whole plastering of apples across the pages of this blog. I know I made apple pie just a few weeks ago but these are like totally different. Well kinda. Sorta. Apple pie but without battling with a flaky crust. Apple pie that can be eaten with your hands…Apple pie dessert that is more party/potluck friendly. Have I mentioned the crumb topping?
And don’t foget…You can sponser me for the Liver Life Challenge. Just drop by my page and sponser me. It is that easy!!!
| Apple Pie Bars |
Crust
- 1+1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 3/8 Cups White Granulated Sugar
- 1+1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Roasted Pecans, finely chopped
Filling
- 6 Apples (I used Granny Smith and Fugi), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4in. slices
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1+1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 1+1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, diced and chilled
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Flour
- 3/4 Cup Instant Oats
- 3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9x13inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make crust first. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes. With mixer on low, mix in flour, pecans, and salt…mix until combined.
- Press dough into the bottom of prepared pan and with a fork, poke holes into the crust. Place in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until it start to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool while you prepare filling and topping.
- Prepare filling. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in brown sugar. Add apple slices and toss to coat. Cook for about 10 minutes until apples begin to soften.
- Stir in cinnamon.
- Continue to cook apples for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You may need to add water to prevent scorching ( I had to add about 1/4 cup towards the end) The apples will be very tender and caramelized when done. Remove from heat and spread evenly over crust.
- Prepare topping.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chilled butter (diced), both types of oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Cut butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Scatter crumb topping across apple filling. Place in preheated oven for about 40 to 50 minutes until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
- Let bars cool on wire rack before cutting. Store in airtight containers.
Adapted From Food and Wine.
Fork Vs Spoon 
Yum! I love apple pie bars! The taste of pie with less work…
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Delicious pie bars! Beautiful pictures, too.
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So so good!
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