The Cookie Jar – Apple Bars

Last weekend the girls, Jim and I attended the Apple Tasting Festival at the Portland Nursery , a fun yearly event they do.  It will occur again this weekend so check it out if are here in Portland.  Unlike the weather today, cold, rain and windy, it was a perfect fall weekend – 65 degrees and sunny!  We had a great time tasting all kinds of apples as well as apple strudel, caramel apples, apples and brie – yum!  We each picked out some of our favorites (cameo, ambrosia) and brought them home so of course I have lots of apples to play with now.  The recipe I am sharing today would be a great one for the holiday cookie plate too. 

The Apple Bar recipe was given to me by one of my “Beach Babe’ friends April.  April and I have known each other a long time and have had some fun “cooking adventures” including canning peaches and pears (and her giving birth to her 3rd child the next morning), and April is a Candy Making Expert – she taught me everything I know about candy making and we have fun getting together at the holidays to make candy – as long as the refrigerator is stocked with eggnog and Dr. Pepper!!

 These Apple Bars might be a little more labor intensive (you have to core,  peel and chop the apples) but worth it.  

Cookie Layer:

1/2 cup butter; 1/4 cup shortening; 3/4 cups powdered sugar; 1 1/2 cups flour.

Cream butter and sugar.  Blend in flour.  Pat on bottom of 10 x 15 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. 

Apple Layer:

2 or 3 Golden Delicious Apples; 1/4 cup butter; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1 tsp. grated lemon peel; 1 beaten egg; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 3/4 cups flour; 1 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. salt

Core and chop apples to equal 2 cups.  Melt butter in saucepan.  Blend in brown sugar, apples, lemon peel, beaten egg and vanilla.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Sir into apple mixture.  Spread evenly over cookie layer and bake at 35o for 25 minutes.

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1/4 tsp. cinnamon; 2-3Tbsp. milk ( I used 1/2 and 1/2 I had in the frig)

I also did 1 1/2 batches of the glaze because I like more!

Combine powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk.  Blend until smooth.  Glaze top of apple layer while still slightly warm and cut into bars.  Yum!