🍏 Apple Crumble Shortbread Bars 🍯
Ingredients:
For the Shortbread Base:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
For the Apple Filling:
2 medium apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Crisp Topping:
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Prepare Pan and Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over two sides for easy removal later.
Make Shortbread Crust: In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly to mix. Add cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand and begins to clump together. Alternatively, use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Remove from oven but leave the oven on.
Prepare Apple Layer: While the crust bakes, combine the diced apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Toss until the apples are evenly coated. Spread this mixture evenly over the hot par-baked crust.
Add Topping and Bake: In the same bowl, make the crisp topping. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers to work it in until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle this topping evenly over the apple layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the apple filling is bubbly.
Cool and Slice: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cool, use the parchment paper to lift the entire block out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and slice into 16 squares.
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (plus cooling)
Servings: 16 bars | Calories: Approximately 210 kcal per bar
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