Apple Shortbread Bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Christmas, North American

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: cookies

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Apple Shortbread Bars can be described as an apple pie with a shortbread crust, or an apple crisp bar. Deliciously simple. Elegantly rustic. Purely sensational.

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Ingredients

For the Base:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

For the Center:

3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Top:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened

Instructions

For the Base:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8X8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
Use a handheld mixer to cream the butter. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Press the base mixture into the prepared baking dish. Try to get it pressed out as evenly as possible.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase the temperature of your oven to 350 degrees.

For the Center:

Add the prepared apples, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and flour to a bowl. Toss together well to combine and to coat the apples. Set aside.

For the Top:

Add the flour, sugar, and butter to a small mixing bowl. Use a hand held mixer to incorporate the butter into the flour and sugar. It should be crumbly and resemble wet sand. Set aside.

Assembly:

Sprinkle half of the topping mixture evenly over the cooled base.
In rows, position the apple slices onto the base, overlapping as you go. You should get three rows.
Sprinkle over the remaining topping mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove from fridge and cut into squares.

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