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County Fair Caramel Apple Bars




Source of Recipe


Copyright 2004 The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.


Recipe Introduction


Think falling leaves, county fairs, fields of bright orange pumpkins—and the sweet aroma of caramel apples. We've transformed one of autumn's favorite confections, the caramel apple, into delicious, chewy bars.



List of Ingredients




Crust
1 cup (8 ounces) brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon apple pie spice or cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) pecan meal or ground pecans
2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) thick oat flakes (rolled oats)

Filling
4 large apples, peeled and sliced or chopped (3 to 4 cups, 22 to 24 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice or cinnamon

Topping
10 to 12 ounces block caramel (or about 2 cups unwrapped caramel candies)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk

Recipe



Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch, 11 x 11-inch, or similar-sized pan. To make extra-sure these bars don’t stick, line the greased pan, bottom and sides, with aluminum foil.

To make the crust: In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, spice, salt, and baking soda until well blended. Mix in the flour, pecan meal and oats; the mixture will be crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the crumbs, and press the remaining crumbs into the prepared pan.

To make the filling: Toss the apples in a bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Spread them over the crust, pressing them in slightly.

To make the topping: Melt the caramel with the milk. Drizzle the caramel over the apples, and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs.

Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling and the apples tender. Remove them from the oven and cool to lukewarm. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, cut the bars into squares, and arrange them on a serving plate. Allow the bars to rest until the caramel firms up before serving. Yield: 2 dozen bars.