Apple Spice Bars

My husband and I really love all things apple. We almost always have fresh apples in the house and have even put them as a topping on pizza! As the season has been shifting to fall, I saw these bars floating around the blog world and knew that we had to try them.  Not only did these bars sound amazing, but I have a 35 lb. box of apples sitting in my pantry from one of the local markets.

These bars didn't disappoint. The pieces in the picture are actually quite small because that is all that was left to photograph. My husband raided the bars to take some into work this past weekend, and they certainly didn't last long even with a smaller weekend crew.

The bars are very soft lending themselves to almost more of a cake than a cookie. You can't carry one around very well, but that's part of what makes them so good. I already have another request to make them again for a group of my husband's friends that are heading out for a "guys weekend" this upcoming weekend. Enjoy!

(Printable Version)

Apple Spice Bars - adapted from Good Things Catered

2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 apples skin on, cored and diced (a little less than 2 c.)

cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine butters and sugars and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine. Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined. Fold in apples.

Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle top generously with cinnamon-sugar. Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting, and serving (bars will be soft).