Apple Crumb Squares

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a nice treat to serve with coffee or tea and, unlike many apple desserts or snacks, you'll find that these squares travel well. That makes them a perfect candidate for a morning meeting or an evening pot luck supper. The squares are like an apple slice, but they have a firm bottom and are less sweet. The squares, which can be eaten out of hand, are a cross between a cake and a cookie and those of you who like natural apple flavor will enjoy the simplicity of this treat. The cake/cookie has a buttery base and a layer of apples that are covered with apricot jam and topped with a  thick layer of crumbs. The recipe appeared in Family Circle magazine and the first time I made the squares I thought they needed a bit of a flavor boost. I increased the amount of salt used in the cookie base and doubled the amount of preserves used to brush the apples. I also played a bit with the extracts and the amount of pie spice used in the recipe. This is a very simple and homely dessert. If you like streusel and apples, chances are you'll enjoy these squares, They are fast and easy to make. I do not think they are particularly good keepers, but if they are stored in an airtight container dessert they will last for a day or two. They tend to get soggy as they age. Here's how they are made.

Apple Crumb Squares...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 to 1/2 cup apricot preserves, melted and strained
Crumb Topping
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin or apple pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Beat together butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in almond and vanilla extracts. On low speed, beat in flour and salt until just blended. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3) Fan apple slices over top, then brush with preserves. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
4) To make crumb topping: Whisk together flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir in the butter until mixture is moistened and clumps together. Sprinkle evenly over cake. Bake for an additional 35 minutes. Remove pan to wire rack; cool completely.
5) Dust with confectioners sugar and cut into 24 squares.







One Year Ago Today: Dimpled Apple and Yogurt Cake














Two Years Ago Today: Peanut Crusted Chicken Breasts with Sweet Onion Sauce














Three Years Ago Today: Shrimp Enchiladas Verde













Four Years Ago Today: Asian Chicken or Shrimp Salad

Pumpkin Date Nut Squares

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of my favorite ingredients for fall baking is pumpkin, and at this time of year, I try to work it into breads and cakes and cookies whenever I can. I had a cup of canned pumpkin leftover from another recipe and I wanted to use it rather than throw it away.  A quick search for recipes that would use that cup led me to Whole Foods Market site  where I found  these Pumpkin Date Nut Squares. These cake-like treats are perfect for school lunches or an informal afternoon tea.  They combine the naturally sweet flavor of dates with the warm spices usually associated with pumpkin desserts and they make a great and reasonably healthy fall snack. If you enjoy date nut bars I suspect you'll love these as well. The cookies are made with whole wheat pastry flour and they are jam-packed with dates and nuts as well as pumpkin. Like any fruit cake or bar, these improve with age and I try to make them the day before I want to serve them. The recipe is straightforward and I think you will find it easy to follow. Here's how the squares are made.

Pumpkin Date Nut Squares...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Whole Food's Market

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 pound pitted dates (about 3 cups), roughly chopped
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2) Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
3) In a second bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla and water and beat again until combined.
4) In a small bowl toss dates with 1/4 cup of flour mixture until coated well. Gradually add remaining flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating slowly. Stir in dates and pecans then transfer batter to a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan and spread out evenly.
5) Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool on a rack, then cut into squares and serve. Yield: 24 Squares.

One Year Ago Today: Regency Ginger Crisps

Two Years Ago Today: Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Three Years Ago Today: Old-Fashioned Lemon Pudding

Maple Chocolate Walnut Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent most of Sunday at a Mushroom Festival held at the arboretum in our area. This is a yearly event and I really look forward to it. Many of the Master Gardeners volunteer for the event. I'm not among them because I want the day to peruse and learn and touch base with folks I haven't seen since the last show. If you're into mushrooms there are some prestigious elbows to be rubbed here and that's hard to do when you are manning an exhibit. My guilty conscience is assuaged by donating baked goods for the cold wet volunteers who do what I should be doing. This Sunday I made several pans of these wonderful bar cookies. They are embarrassingly easy to make and I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't like them. I'd love to tell you it's a gourmet creation. It's not. The recipe comes the Eagle Brand test kitchen. I don't know if my experience is unique, but I have extremely good luck with recipes from these kitchens and I never hesitate to try the ones they feature. Today's recipe requires no special equipment and it's very easy to do. The bars are wonderfully flavorful and they are crowd pleasers. Nuff' said. Here's the recipe.

Maple Chocolate Walnut Bars...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eagle Brand Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter
2 large eggs
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1-1/2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 egg. Press evenly into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
2) Bake 25 minutes. Beat sweetened condensed milk, remaining 1 egg and maple flavoring in medium bowl. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over partially baked crust. Top with walnut mixture, spreading evenly to edges.
3) Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool. Cut into bars. Yield: 36 bars.

Old-Fashioned Blueberry Crumb Bars

This recipe has been floating in the ether for years. I first saw these bars on the wonderful blog Nook and Cranny and determined I would make them as soon as possible. That was several months ago. Timely I'm not. Determined I am. I've made a single change to the base recipe which I'm told first appeared on All Recipes. You'll see that I've substituted some brown sugar for a portion of the white in an effort to make the bars more flavorful. I think it worked. If you use frozen berries do not thaw before using. Here's the recipe.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups blueberries
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Optional: Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2) In a medium bowl whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in butter until mixture is in pieces no larger than a pea. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Dough will be crumbly but stick together when squeezed. Pat half of the dough into the pan.
3) In another bowl, mix reserved 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Add blueberries and gently toss them to coat. Pour blueberry mixture on top of the dough in pan. Then crumble remainder of dough evenly over surface of berries.
4) Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned. Cool completely, then cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar if using. Can be refrigerated for several days. Yield: 15 bars.

Toasted Cashew and Caramel Squares

At the risk of sounding bonkers, I must admit that I test recipes for holiday desserts at this time of year. I collect them at Thanksgiving and Christmas time - like an almost sane person - but my dervish life leaves no time for holiday experimentation. It's now or never. I've been playing with a recipe from one of the Fine Cooking Annuals. They called this cookie a Mexican-Style Pecan-Chocolate Square. I've made a few changes to a wonderful base recipe. Bob's not crazy about pecans, so they've been replaced with salted cashews. Salted peanuts would also be wonderful with the caramel topping. These are easy to prepare and quite tasty. A definite maybe for next Christmas. Here's my adapted version.

Toasted Cashew and Caramel Squares

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups cold unsalted butter, divided use
2 cups unbleached flour
1-1/2 cups packed golden brown sugar, divided use
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon table salt, divided use
3 ounces butterscotch chips
3 cups toasted, salted cashews, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2) Place 3/4 cup butter, flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Press crumbs into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake until lightly brown and firm, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread butterscotch chips over top; spread with a spatula as chips soften. Set aside.
3) Melt reserved 1/2 cup butter in a heavy bottomed pan set over medium-high heat. Stir in reserved 1 cup brown sugar, honey, cream and reserved 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in cashews. Pour mixture over cookie base, spreading evenly. Bake until most of the filling is bubbling, about 18 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into 16 squares. Store, tightly covered, for up to 5 days. These do not freeze well. Yield: 16 squares.