Apple Pie Bars Recipe

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I love the sweet smell of fresh baked desserts wafting through the air of my home. Today I deep cleaned our house (well, I had some help!) from top to bottom, then baked some fresh apple pie bars. I honestly felt like I should throw on my pearl necklace, apron, and high heels before my husband came home from work. It was a very accomplished day. Cleaning and baking all in one day?! Well, just call me Suzy Homemaker, y’all!

Honestly, though, there’s really nothing better than the faces of my sons and my husband lighting up when they smell freshly baked food that their mama (and wife) made! My older son already loves baking with me, and I enjoy having a little helper, too. When I made a delicious banana bread recipe a couple of weeks ago, he was so excited about it! He requested that the next thing baked had apples in it. So, today the recipe has apples in it!

These apple pie bars are pretty amazing. Yes, I’m tooting my own horn, because they are so, so, so good. They really have a “just like home” taste of fresh apples, cinnamon, butter, and a hint of vanilla. They’re divine…and also super perfect for the holiday season! Or, really, any time you just want to have a home that smells as sweet as apple pie!

 Here’s what you’ll need to whip with these delightful little desserts that can be eaten handheld, or with a fork. Which ever way you prefer to get your apple fix, you won’t be disappointed!

Homemade Apple Pie Bars Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons butter (diced into cubes)
• ¼ cup 2% milk
• 1 egg yolk

For the Apple Filling:

• 5 cups Granny Smith apples (peeled and diced) FYI this came to approx 5 medium size apples for me
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoon apple pie spice

For the Topping:

• 1 egg white
• 3/4 tablespoons SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
• ¼ teaspoon  apple pie spice

Optional (and delicious) Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

First, you’re going to start by making the crust for the apple pie bars. Mix together the flour and salt in a food processor.

Now, add in the butter and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the milk and egg yolk and mix until the ingredients are well-mixed together, and can be shaped into a ball.

FYI – If you don’t have a food processor, you can do the mixing by hand. You’ll simply mix all ingredients together and use your hands to form the dough into a ball.

Now, you’ll set the dough aside in a bowl in the refrigerator while you move onto the next step of preparing the apple filling.

 

Now, for the filling you’ll place the diced apples in a large mixing bowl. Add in the vanilla and toss to coat the apples well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, brown sugar, and apple pie spice. Pour flour/SPLENDA® mixture over the apples and toss until all apples are evenly coated.

In a 13×9″ baking dish, you’ll now assemble the apple pie (which will later be cut into bars.) 

Remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into 2 equal portions.

Roll first portion of the dough into the bottom of the un-greased 13×9″ baking dish.

 

Next, pour the apples over the bottom layer of dough (reserving a small space around the edges of the dish)

Roll out the 2nd dough portion in the same manner, but this piece should be about ½” larger on each side. Now, place the dough over the apples in the baking dish, and tuck sides of dough down into the baking dish to seal the apples inside the crust.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg white until it’s foamy, and brush it over the top of the assembled apple pie.

Combine the SPLENDA® Sugar Blend and cinnamon in another small bowl and sprinkle evenly over pie.

Pop the baking dish into the oven, and bake for 50 minutes (or until crust is golden brown).

Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour on a baking rack before cutting the apple pie into apple pie bars!

You can also serve these bars drizzled with the optional glaze. To make this, you’ll combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix together until smooth. Then drizzle over the apple pie bars and enjoy the heavenliness!

 

I conveniently purchased all of the ingredients for this delicious homemade apple pie bar recipe at my local Walmart.

The SPLENDA® Sugar Blend is located in the baking aisle near the sweeteners. I love the SPLENDA® line of products, and have been using them in my home for years!  Did you know that by swapping out one cup of regular sugar with one cup of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener you can save more than 600 calories?! Amazing! 

Be sure to check out SPLENDA® Sweet Swaps™ Recipes for more delicious recipes using SPLENDA® products!

Also, don’t forget to enter the SPLENDA® Sweet Swaps™ giveaway for the chance to win a $500 Walmart gift card below:

J&J Holiday Baking with Splenda