Dorie Greenspan's Applesauce Spice Bars
By: Valerie
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 6:28pm

Ingredients




1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
:Glaze:
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9" x13" baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet. 2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. 3 Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and applejack (optional), and whisk until mixture is once again smooth. With a rubber spatula, stir in the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear, then add apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. 4 Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool. 5 Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Simmer, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. 6 Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the parchment paper and invert the bars onto another rack, so they are right side up. Use the parchment paper as drip catcher, grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the bars, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let glaze cool to room temperature before cutting.

About


Ultra-moist bars bursting with nuts, apples, and spices all covered by a thick, rich caramel glaze! The bars will keep for about 3 days at room temperature in a covered container. From Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.