Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars - a Perfectly Portable Summer Party Dessert

Before I knew about how glorious well-made brownies could taste, my first love was blondies. Old-fashioned sweet treats with a rich, chewy texture and aromatic vanilla flavour, blondies are spectacularly delicious and can be dressed up in lots of different ways. I decided to use my grandmother’s blondie recipe as the basis for a new creation. Lightly-cooked spiced apples and salted caramel baking chips are added to the batter, turning cute blondies into knock-your-socks-off apple pie bars. And in case you ever wondered why professionally-produced squares look so perfect, here’s the secret: when the squares have fully cooled, they trim 1/4 inch off the outside of the block, all the way around, before cutting into smaller pieces.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Ingredients

1 cup finely diced (1/2 inch pieces) peeled, cored apple (about 1 large apple)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup salted caramel (or butterscotch) baking chips

Directions

• Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, being sure to leave some paper hanging over the sides as handles. Set pan aside. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
• Put diced apple, butter, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and allspice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until apples have begun to soften. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
• In a large bowl (use a stand mixer if you have one), beat brown sugar and butter until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat again until well blended.
   
• Combine flour and baking powder then add to brown sugar and butter mixture. Beat until blended.
   
• Add cooked apple (scraping the pot so all the spices go into the batter as well) and salted caramel baking chips to the batter and fold in with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula.
   
• Pour batter into prepared pan and spread so it fills the pan evenly.
   
• Bake 23 – 25 minutes until top is glossy, just beginning to crack and feels firm to the touch.
   
• Remove from oven and let cool for 1 hour in the pan. After 1 hour, lift out of pan using parchment paper handles and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
• Cut into 1 x 3 inch bars and serve as is or with a scoop of ice cream.
   
• Put leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

IMAGE SOURCE: COURTESY OF PAULA ROY

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