Apple pie bars

Summer packed up and is on the way to southern hemisphere.I'm always sad when summer ends but i try to get into fall spirit because autumn has its beauty too. I confess autumn is not my favorite season but i absolutely adore the beginning of this season. My favorite part is the transition from summer to fall and the first month of autumn when weather is still warm and farmers market offers both summer and fall produces.


Autumn is a generous season,a season of flavors and i can't imagine it without an apple tart,a pear cake or a pumpkin pie!!! And the smell of cinnamon(one of my favorite spices)is enough to put anyone in the fall mode.
Every year around this time i make these apple pie bars and i'm a little nostalgic because these remind me of my grandma'.
When i was a kid she used to make these bars with the first ripen apples from the orchard and i've never had the patience for the bars to cool.It's pretty hard to resist the urge to dig in because the smell of apples and cinnamon as they bake fills your kitchen and is just crazy good!!
I just hope i gave you enough reasons to try these bars plus the crust is super tender and the apple filling is soft,delicious with cinnamon notes in every bite!

Prep Time: 25-30 Minutes 
Chilling time: 1h 
Cooking Time: 75 Minutes
Yield:20 portions

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

• 5 medium apples royal gala or golden delicious(approx. 800g peeled and cored )
• 75g caster sugar
• 50g unsalted butter,melted
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tbsp vanilla bourbon sugar

Dough:

• 450g all-purpose flour
• 200g unsalted butter (83%fat content)cold and cut into small cubes
• 140g crème fraîche (full-fat)-smetana or smantana for eastern Europe,drained 
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 M/L egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Filling:

• Peel,core and grate apples you should end up with approx. 800g apple filling.
• Combine grated apples,butter,sugar,cinnamon and vanilla sugar in a large saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat,stirring ocassionally for about 10-15 minutes,until apples are soft and all the liquid evaporates.
• Set aside to cool.

Dough:

If you mix with the food processor

• Place flour,butter,egg yolks,crème fraîche,sugar,baking powder and salt in a food processor,blend until the dough comes together.

If you mix by hand

• Combine flour,baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
• Add butter and with a pastry cutter or a fork cut the butter until crumbly.
• Add crème fraîche,sugar and egg yolks and mix until the dough comes together(don't overwork the dough)
• Transfer dough onto a work surface dusted with flour.
• Shape into a ball and divide the dough in half .Wrap each piece of dough in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile,butter and line with parchment paper base and sides of a 30cm x 20cm baking pan.
• Preheat oven to 180ºC/374ºF(convection/fan forced mode)
• Once chilled,remove one piece of the dough from the refrigerator and place it onto a work surface sprinkled with some flour.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into 30cm x 20cm rectangle.
• Gently press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.

• Spoon all the filling on top and spread it evenly.
• Remove the other half of the dough from refrigerator and also roll it out into 30cm x 20cm rectangle or if it's easier for you to handle the dough,grate it on top of the filling.
• Cover apple filling with the dough and gently press it down in an even layer.
• Bake at 180ºC/374ºF(convection/fan forced mode),for 30 minutes then cover with aluminum foil and bake another 15-20 until golden brown on top and the skewer inserted in the center comes out clean
• Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.Warm is soft so let cool completely before cutting!
• Dust with icing sugar,cut into squares and serve.
• Store leftover in an airthight container for up to 4-5 days.

That's all, folks!
Enjoy!

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If you make this recipe,please let me know how it turned out!
Post your version on  instagram,tag @lady.j.bakes or leave me a comment below!