This was a very good, simple recipe, perfect for fall baking. I think if some people are experiencing problems with this not turning out firmer it could be the type of apple they are using. Granny Smith are known to keep their shape when cooked or baked, whereas a macintosh or cortland are going to cook down quite a bit. It all depends what kind of apple you prefer to work with. We like the macintosh here so I don't mind if the bars don't come out as firm, the flavor we enjoy is there. Give it a try, but keep in mind the type of apple you use will most likely affect the outcome. Thanks for the recipe!
Loved this recipe. Got lots of compliments when I took it to work. I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9x13 stoneware bar pan. I also, completely by accident, substituted the baking soda with baking powder which made them more bar-like and very chewy (which is great because I'm not a big fan of cake-like textures).
This is one of those recipes that deserves 10 stars because there's no need to change anything for reasons other than personal taste, and it does exactly what it says it will do. My personal tastes do not like walnuts, so I sub'd half oats-half finely chopped pecans. And I threw in a dash of nutmeg. Just to dress it up a little, I made Luscious Buttercream Frosting (Submitted by: Land O'Lakes, Inc.) from this website and served it along side so people could use their desired amount. Admittedly, I was concerned the frosting would be too rich for such a rustic bar, but they both balanced each other out, giving an absolutely delicious dessert that everyone raved about!
Great recipe! These aren't like other fruit bars (like lemon). They don't have a crust like others. They are more like an apple muffin cut into bar shape. But very easy to customize to your own tastes. I used 3 VERY large granny smith apples, chopped. (I like lots of fruit in my pies and bars!!!) I added a little more flour to supplement for the extra apples. I kept the 8x8 inch pan and sprinkled brown sugar on top, baked just over an hour. Kept them in the fridge, I love them cold. Next time I want to make caramel sauce to go on top.
My family really enjoyed this, I made the following changes, I used 1/4 c applesauce and 1/4 c butter 1/2 c white sugar, 1/4c brown sugar. I also added 1 tsp vanilla extract.Swapped raisins for walnuts.
I'm sure it's my fault if others made this dish successfully but I knew before I put it in the baking dish that the consistency wasn't right. Sure enough when it was done baking it would not hold together like a "bar" should. The taste was good but we had to eat it with a spoon!
My boyfriend and I went to an apple orchard and I was struggling to come up with something to do with the abundance of apples. This recipe was delicious and hassle free. It made the whole house smell amazing. It's a lot like apple bread as opposed to a bar. Huge hit with co-workers!
I just baked these and they turned out very tasty. They are more like a bread or a very cakey cookie. I used oatmeal instead of nuts and it turned out delicious. The only thing I'd change is maybe adding more apples next time.
This is a delicious alternative to apple crisp.I served it in pie wedges with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a bit of caramel sauce. I used some of the other suggestions and used 1/2cup of oats and 1/2 cup of walnuts and added a bit of lemon zest. I left my apples pretty chunky to see if I could get more apple taste based on others reviews. I had to cook mine about 50 minutes but that might just be my oven and so it was a bit brown on top which I disguised with some powdered sugar. I was very pleased with the result.
