Cinnamon Apple Bars

It’s fall and I am so excited to have many recipes to make and a cooler house to bake in! Work is starting back, and despite all the stress of work, a sweet treat is always appreciated. This week, I had a big meeting with colleagues, some who aren’t aware of all of the baking I do. I brought these cookies, and they were a big hit! 

I love baking with apples, and my husband had purchased some cinnamon dried apples to use in recipes. I had used these before, and used up all of them very quickly, so I was happy to have more. They can be used (in most recipes) in the place of fresh apples. Sometimes I have fresh apples, sometimes I don’t This recipe also gave options to use for the additional chips: cinnamon, caramel, toffee, etc. I used cinnamon chips since the apples I used also contained cinnamon.

I did bake these on what turned out to be a warm day, but they were quick to assemble and baked up in under 25 minutes. The dough is sticky, and it isn’t the easiest thing to spread in the pan but do your best. These were a dream to cut, and the flavors are fantastic! The dried cinnamon apples give the bars some chewiness, and the combination of brown sugar and cinnamon is fantastic. These are so easy, and it would be fun to try different fruit and chip varieties.

Cinnamon Apple Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup diced cinnamon apples
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. With the mixer running on low, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Using a spatula, fold in the cinnamon apples and cinnamon chips.

Spread the dough as evenly as possible in the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the bars look set. Allow to cool before removing from the pan and cutting into bars.

Recipe from Closet Cooking