Apple Cinnamon Cookie Bars
By: Maria Lichty
Published: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - 6:25pm

Ingredients




2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of fresh nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice
Pinch of ground cloves

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins (you can leave these out or try dried cranberries)
2 apples, cored and diced, I used Granny Smith
Cinnamon Sugar mixture to sprinkle on top

Preparation

1 Directions: 2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside. 3 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. 4 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugars on medium until creamy. This will take a minute or two. Scrape down the sides if necessary. 5 On low, add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until combined. Add in the vanilla. Beat on medium until everything is smooth and mixed together. 6 Turn mixer on low. Add a little flour. Slowly mix and add until all of the flour is combined. Don’t over mix. 7 Stir in the raisins and apples. 8 Spread the dough evenly into prepared pan. Use a spatula to make sure the dough is nice and even. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. 9 Bake for about about 30 minutes. You want the bars to be golden brown. 10 Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack. Cut the bars once they are cool. Serve and enjoy!

About


I am a firm believer in the theory, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I eat at least one apple every day. I just love them. I like all varieties, but Josh is picky, he only likes the really tart apples-Granny Smith are his favorite. Honey crisp, Jazz, and Mutsu are my top three, but again, I have a special place in my heart for all apples:)
Fall is the perfect season for baking with apples. The apples are so good right now…and cheap too:) I decided to create an apple cinnamon cookie bar since I already created an apple cinnamon cookie earlier this fall. You all know I love my cookies:)
I started with a basic bar dough and added in lots of cinnamon and spices. I am in love with nutmeg, all spice, and cloves-so I added in a little bit of each. I decided to add in a handful of too, because I personally love the shriveled little guys, but you can omit them if you wish. I used Granny Smith apples so Josh would be happy and tart apples really are great for baking. I sprinkled the dough with extra cinnamon sugar before putting them into the oven.
It is important to let the bars cool before cutting/serving because they are very soft when they are warm. I know it is hard to wait, but these are well worth the wait, I promise. I am going to be making these every fall. I hope you will too!