Apple Brown Sugar Bars

Hi everyone! Hope you had a fabulous New Years! Mine was spent relaxing and enjoying time with good friends and good food. New Years day, I was invited to dinner and, of course, volunteered to bring dessert. I chose a bar cookie recipe that has been on my "to bake" list for quite a while. Brown Sugar Bar Cookies, I envisioned them turning out a bit like pecan pie but I had no pecans so added apples instead. I made the shortbread crust per the recipe's instructions, and while the crust was baking, whipped up an apple pie filling. The bars were delicious, but not very esthetically pleasing. To tell you the truth, I was a bit embarrassed to bring them to the dinner. Luckily, the blend of rich custard with tart apples and crisp, shortbread crust made up for their less than perfect appearance. I have never tried a bar cookie quite like these. The recipe involves lots of sugar and butter, so if your New Year's resolution is a diet, look away now! Or just start the diet tomorrow...

Apple Brown Sugar Bars

Adapted from this food.com recipe

Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup margarine or 3/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Apple Topping

2-3 large apples (I used Fuji)

1/4 cup butter

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons flour

Brown Sugar Topping or Filling

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat crust ingredients together until crumbly (I used a pastry cutter and my hands).

Press mixture into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While that's baking, peel and dice your apples.

Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium low heat. Add in the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 4 tablespoons brown sugar.

Mix, mix, mix. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the flour and mix some more. Cook until the apples are just beginning to soften (I apologize, I didn't calculate how long this took, not long though). Remove from heat and start on the brown sugar topping.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

After crust has cooked for 20 minutes, remove from oven.

Spread/pour apples over baked crust.

I had an audience...

Then cover with brown sugar topping. Bake for another 25-30 minutes.

Cut into squares when cool.

Enjoy!