Apple Pie Crumb Bars

By srumbel

Apple Pie Crumb Bars have everything you love about apple pie – buttery dough, homemade pie filling, lots of spices – without needing to make a pie crust.
from chocolatemoosey.com

Ingredients

• Apple Pie Filling
• 1/4 cup apple cider or water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled and chopped baking apple
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• Base
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold butter, cut into 8 tablespoons
• 1 egg

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
Make the pie filling: In a large saucepan, combine apple cider/water, juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Once it bubbles, cook for another 2 minutes, constantly stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, apples, and nuts. Cool while making the base.
Make the base: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until the pieces look like small pebbles then cut in the egg. Dough will be crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup for the topping and pat the rest into the bottom of the pan. Top with the apple filling then the reserved 1/2 cup of dough, scattering it over the top.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the edges pull away from the pan sides. Cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week.

Serves: 12 bars