Name: Apple Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 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; 4-5 apples, pealed and sliced; 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 Tablespoons milk, (approx.)

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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

apple bars topped with vanilla glaze in pan

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.

apples arranged in pie crust for apple bars

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

Yield: 24

Apple Bars

Apple Bars - Fresh apples are baked into a delicious crust, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

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

Filling

4-5 apples, pealed and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

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 Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 231Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 15mgSodium 130mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 1gSugar 19gProtein 3g

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Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.