Small-batch Apple Pie Bars

Name: Small-batch Apple Pie Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (1/4 cup (2oz) unsalted butter (softened) + 2 tablespoons (1oz) unsalted butter (softened)); ¼ cup Icing Sugar (1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar); 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar (1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon (17g) granulated sugar + 2 teaspoons (8g) granulated sugar); 2 tsp Vanilla (2 teaspoons vanilla extract); ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour (1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons (5g) all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour); ¼ tsp Table Salt (1/4 teaspoon salt); 1 piece Granny Smith Apple (1 large Granny Smith apple (peeled and diced 1/4 inch)); ½ tsp Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon); ½ tsp Lemon Juice (1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)) — optional; 3 tbsp Brown Sugar (3 tablespoons (38g) brown sugar)

A small-batch dessert of layered shortbread, spiced apple filling, and brown sugar streusel, baked in a single dish.

55 minAmerican

Servings6

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Vegetarian
Pescatarian
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Steps

1Shortbread Base
2Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper (parchment paper is optional, but it's nice to be able to lift the bars out of the dish to cut them).
3In a medium bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and salt, and beat until well mixed.
4Turn mixture out into your prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned.
5Apple Layer
6While your shortbread bakes, combine diced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir together and set aside.
7Brown Sugar Streusel
8In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter, and use a fork or your fingers to mix until the mixture begins to clump and crumbs form. Place streusel in the refrigerator until the timer goes off.
9Once the shortbread is lightly golden, remove from the oven and spread the apples over the top. Remove streusel from the fridge and drop in crumbles over the apples. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until streusel is lightly browned and apple filling is bubbling slightly.
10Cool completely before cutting and enjoy!