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Apple Bars – Fresh apples are baked into a delicious crust, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze!
When I was growing up every fall when we went to my grandmas house, there was always an endless supply of these apple bars. They had so many apple trees on their property, that she baked these on repeat from the time the first apple was ripe up until about Christmas.
Apples are one of the few fruits you can find in season all year round, so you can make things like this over the top amazing Apple Crisp Cheesecake in February or September. But these apple bars are one I will always keep coming back to.
What You’ll Need
- Flour
- Salt
- Shortening
- Egg Yolk
- Milk
- Cornflakes
- Apples
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Why Cornflakes
I get it, cornflakes looks like a strange ingredient. But it serves a huge purpose, so don’t skip it! You crush up the cornflakes and put it over the bottom crust before you add the apples. So as everything bakes, the bottom crust doesn’t get soggy. The cornflakes absorb all the moisture and basically melt into the crust. So you 100% never can tell they are there in the final product.
I was honestly shocked they were in the recipe when my grandma gave it me, you seriously can’t tell, you can just taste the crust, which remains crispy on the bottom.
What Can I Use Instead Of Shortening
I know this is a question a lot of people are going to have. This recipe is from the 50’s, so Crisco and lard were common ingredients that were used. You are basically making a pie crust, so butter is a great substitution instead of shortening.
How To Make Apple Bars
- In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients for the crust, except the cornflakes. You want to use a pastry cutter or a fork to work everything together (like you would a pie crust). Once everything is combined divide the dough in half.
- Using your fingers press 1/2 of the dough into the prepared pan. It will be thin and a little sticky that is ok. Sprinkle the corn flakes evenly over the crust.
- In a separate bowl toss the apples, sugar and cinnamon together. Once well coated, spread the apples evenly over the crust.
- Cover the apples with the remaining crust. It can be a little sticky, so I roll out small portions and place it on top. Kind of like patchwork.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400º. Turn down to 350º F and bake for 40 more minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely
- For the glaze mix everything together, and adjust the amount of milk to get a thin and almost drizzle-able frosting.
- Pour over completely cooled bars and enjoy!
Storage
This recipe does make a large pan of bars. I like to cover with plastic wrap or foil and just leave them at room temperature for 4-5 days. They do start to become soggy after that point.
More Tasty Apple Dessert Recipes
- Blonde Apple Brownies
- Cinnamon Apple Muffins
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Turnovers
- Nutella Apple Quesadilla
- Apple Bread with Chocolate Chip Streusel
- Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Apple Spice Cupcakes
Apple Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons milk, (approx.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Grease a 12x 17 jelly roll pan.
- In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients for the crust, except the cornflakes. Using a pastry cutter or a fork work everything together (like you would a pie crust). Once everything is combined divide the dough in half.
- Using your fingers press 1/2 of the dough into the prepared pan. It will be thin that is ok. Sprinkle the corn flakes evenly over the crust.
- In a separate bowl toss the apples, sugar and cinnamon together. Once well coated, spread the apples evenly over the crust.
- Cover the apples with the remaining crust. It can be a little sticky, so I roll out small portions and place it on top. Kind of like patchwork.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400º. Turn down to 350º F and bake for 40 more minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- For the glaze mix everything together, and adjust the amount of milk to get a thin and almost drizzle-able frosting.
- Pour over completely cooled bars.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh my goodness! These apple bars are everything I want! They look too good!
Perfect timing because I just bought a bunch of juicy apples!
These are so delicious! My kids have already asked me to make them again.
I had trouble with the crust being too thin, I even added more four?
It is a super thin crust when you press it into the pan, like you can pretty much see through parts. But it usually bakes up fine, if you can get it spread out. The cornflakes are what helps it not fall apart and be mushy. If you want a thicker crust you could make 1.5 times the recipe for that part and have a thicker more traditional pie crust thickness.