Halloween Cobweb Cookies

Today I have a short post to squeeze in one more Halloween recipe before the big day tomorrow!  This is a really easy recipe for cobweb shaped cookies, which I saw on Betty Crocker (the same place I found the idea for my mummy potatoes with meatballs - lots of great ideas on that site!).  All you have to do is whip up a quick batter, transfer it into a squeeze bottle, then pour it onto a skillet in a cobweb shape.  After that you bake the cookies so that they crisp up, dust them with a little powdered sugar to make the cobwebs white, and top them with a chocolate spider!

I made these really quickly this morning and in my rush I forgot to choose the prettiest cobwebs for photos, but I think it's better this way so that you get a realistic idea of what they look like!  You might also notice that my chocolate spiders look pretty much nothing like spiders - clearly working with chocolate is not my forte!

Still, these cookies were easy to make and tasted great!  They're the type of cookie you keep snacking on because they taste so light and then suddenly realize you've eaten the whole batch (especially  if you're a certain boy who liked to stack multiple cobwebs together to eat as one)!  I think they would be a fun project for kids to help out with for Halloween too!

It feels weird to me that Halloween hasn't actually happened yet since I already dressed up on Saturday (my sister and I went as citizens of the Capitol from the Hunger Games - it was such a fun costume!), but I still have some Halloween events to look forward to at school tomorrow.  Hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!

Cobweb Cookies

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 15-20 cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Semisweet chocolate chips for the spiders (I used about 1/3 cup chocolate chips)

Powdered sugar for dusting on top of cobwebs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Prepare chocolate spiders by melting chocolate chips in the microwave, transferring to a ziplock bag and snipping off a tiny amount from the corner, then piping chocolate into spider shapes on a wax paper-lined baking sheet.  Transfer to fridge to harden.

Whisk flour, sugar, oil, milk, vanilla, and egg together in a medium bowl until smooth.  Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle with a narrow opening.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly grease or spray with cooking spray.  Working quickly, squeeze batter onto pan in a cobweb shape, like so:

Let cook 30 to 60 seconds until bubbles form at the top and the bottom is golden brown.  Carefully flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 30 to 60 seconds.  Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.  They will feel like pancake texture at this point.

Transfer cookies to a non-stick baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until almost crisp.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cookies will continue to crisp up as they cool.  Once cool, dust tops with powdered sugar and attached hardened spiders to the cookies with a dollop of melted chocolate.

Halloween Mummy Potatoes with Meatballs

Every time a holiday rolls around, I promise myself I'll create lots of themed recipes to celebrate and my head starts filling up with ideas, but then I either get too busy (holidays often come with lots to do!) or I realize that every possible holiday-themed recipe has already been done and give up trying to think of something original.

This almost happened for Halloween - there are already so many fantastic recipe ideas out there that I didn't think I could possibly contribute something creative of my own.  But I was still determined to share a Halloween recipe so I gave up trying to think of something original and started looking for ideas that just weren't as common.  As soon as I found these "terrifying twice-baked mummies" from Betty Crocker, I knew I'd found a winner!  Not only were they something I'd never seen before, they sounded like they would actually taste good too, unlike some recipes that are more for show (or are too creepy to eat)!

As an added bonus, they turned out to be super easy to make too!  All you have to do is bake then hollow out some potatoes, fill them with meatballs, bandage them up with cheese, add a couple olives for eyeballs, and voila!  The cutest little mummies you've ever seen!

The original recipe included pickles for feet, but I thought the mummy's feet should be wrapped up with the rest of it's body, plus I didn't really want pickles with my meatballs anyway!  I also used black olives for the eyes instead of green pimiento stuffed olives so they would look more like hidden mummy eyes than bulging monster eyes, and I used string cheese so it would be easier to slice and bend around to form the bandages.  If you want the mummy to be more enclosed in its coffin, you could only slice a bit off the top of a potato instead of halving it, as it looks like the original recipe did in its photo, but then you'd have to double the amount of potatoes you use, so it's up to you!

I was a little hesitant of how meatballs and potatoes would taste together, but they were actually delicious!  Every bite had a bit of baked potato, meatball, tomato sauce, and cheese - so comforting and enough to fill your belly for a night of trick or treating or partying!

I'm hoping to find time to make one more Halloween recipe before the big day, but until then, you can also check out my Pinterest board for some inspiration!

Mummy Potatoes with Meatballs

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Serves 4 (makes 8 mummies)

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes
16-24 small cooked meatballs in sauce - I made a batch of Giada's mini turkey meatballs* but you could use your own favourite storebought or homemade meatballs or veggie balls.  The amount you need will depend on how many can fit in each potato (2-3)
6-8 part-skim mozzarella cheese strings (stringable cheese)
16 black olive slices
Extra sauce and parmesan for serving, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Wrap each potato in foil and bake for about an hour, or until fork-tender.  Let stand about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle.  

Meanwhile, heat meatballs in sauce over medium-low heat on the stove.  Slice each cheese string into as thin of slices as possible to use for the mummy "bandages".

When potatoes are done, cut each one in half lengthwise.  Cut a thin (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch) border around the potato and scoop out the insides.  I found it easiest to use my knife to cut out chunks of potato for better control because my ice cream scoop was too large.  Reserve the potato you scoop out for another use.

When meatballs are heated through, transfer 2-3 meatballs to each hollowed out potato half, depending on how many fit.  Wrap meatball "body" in cheese slices to resemble bandages, crossing cheese back and forth and tucking the ends into the potato.  Add 2 black olive slices for the eyes at one end (see pictures). 

Return potatoes and meatballs to the oven for 2-5 minutes so that cheese slightly melts.  Serve immediately, with extra pasta sauce and parmesan cheese if desired.

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*Note: I made a few changes to Giada's meatball recipe: I squeezed the moisture out of the onion after I grated it, I added an extra 1/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs, reduced the salt, left out the Pecorino Romano, added a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and used lean ground turkey instead of dark turkey.  They were quite good!  I made them a day ahead so the potatoes came together easily the next day, and I also had leftover meatballs.

Apple Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions & Brie

I love experimenting with different types of veggie burgers – from bean burgers to quinoa to even broccoli burgers! – but I also love a good meat burger once in a while.  While I can sometimes tolerate a beef burger, I MUCH prefer turkey burgers, which is a good thing as they’re also a much healthier choice!  I’ve tried a lot of awesome turkey burger recipes in the past, like Thai peanut turkey burgers (which I really must make again) and BBQ pineapple burgers, but these apple ones might just be my new favourite!

These burgers are extra juicy with the addition of grated apple in the patties, then get tons of flavour from the toppings: crunchy apples, melted brie, and caramelized onions.  Each component works so well together to create a sophisticated but super easy burger – don’t leave any of the toppings out!  The caramelized onions are the only time consuming part of this meal but they can easily be done in advance and reheated when it’s time to eat.  And if you’re vegetarian, I think these would work really well as a chickpea burger too!

What's your favourite type of burger?

Apple Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Brie

Recipe adapted from Carolina Girl Cooks and Iowa Girl Eats

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

4 small yellow onions, peeled and sliced into half-moons (or 2 larger yellow onions)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 granny smith apples, divided

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Salt and pepper

8 slices Brie cheese

4 hamburger buns

Directions:

Start by caramelizing the onions, as this step can take up to half an hour.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, stir to coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread onions out evenly across the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.  Don’t stir the onions too often so they can brown, but don’t leave them alone long enough to burn or stick to the pan.  You may need to reduce the heat or add a splash of water to deglaze the pan a few times to prevent onions from burning.  Once they’re done, set aside in a small bowl.  This step can be done ahead of time and onions can be warmed up in the microwave before topping burger.

Grate one apple for using in the turkey burger and keep the second apple aside for topping the burger later.  Prepare turkey burgers by gently mixing ground turkey, grated apple, Dijon mustard, thyme, sage, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl.  Form into four patties, being careful not to overwork the mixture. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray or drizzle with oil.  Cook turkey burgers until cooked through (center no longer pink, juices run clear, internal temperature of 165°F), about 5 minutes per side.  Add 2 slices of brie cheese to each burger about 2-3 minutes before it’s done cooking so the brie can melt slightly.

Thinly slice the second apple.  Top each bun with a turkey burger (with brie), sliced apples, and caramelized onions.

Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

My twin sister recently returned from a trip to Kenya, and of all the delicious food she tried and described to me, some familiar and some completely new, the one that stuck with me the most was peanut soup.  Maybe it's just because it's been getting colder here, but ever since she mentioned peanut soup I haven't stopped craving it!

One of the first recipes I came across in my search for peanut soup was this sweet potato peanut bisque from Eating Well.  Not only is it inspired by (West) African cuisine, but I also loved that it included sweet potatoes, which Gen had talked about during her trip, as apparently the sweet potatoes in Africa are much better than here!

I knew I'd love the recipe because I've already paired sweet potatoes and peanut butter together in two other African inspired recipes that I love: sweet potato and peanut stew and sweet potatoes with West African style peanut sauce.  If you're hesitant about the combination of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peanut butter, don't be!  It works!

I absolutely loved this soup and it satisfied my craving for something warm and comforting perfectly!  The flavours all worked so well together and the bisque was so thick and creamy while still being healthy.  The addition of the green chile made this really spicy, which I liked, but you can definitely cut down the amount of chiles for less spice, or use a dash of cayenne at the end to more easily control the amount of spice you add.

While this soup is (supposed to be) more reflective of West African cuisine, if you'd like to read about the food my sister enjoyed in Kenya (in East Africa), along with some cute safari animal pictures, you should check out her blog post about it!

Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

Adapted from Eating Well

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato (around 12 ounces), peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cinnamon

Salt and pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 to 1 small green chile, minced (use half a chile for less spice, I used a whole green chile and the soup was quite spicy)

1/2 teaspoon allspice (I used 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon cloves)

1-1/2 cups strained crushed tomatoes (or just crushed tomatoes if you can’t find strained)

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Chopped cilantro and peanuts for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss chopped sweet potato with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, chiles, and allspice, and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer, and let simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add vegetable stock and peanut butter to the tomato sauce.  Transfer half the sauce along with half of the roasted sweet potatoes to a blender and puree until smooth (you don't want to fill the blender too high with hot liquid so blend it in two batches).  Puree the remaining half the sauce, then pour all the puree back into the saucepan to heat.  Add the remaining half of the sweet potatoes to the soup and cook over low heat until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Harvest Snack Cake

I probably should have posted this recipe a little closer to Thanksgiving (which was this past weekend), because it would have tied in with it with perfectly, but I just haven’t been very organized lately! 

Canadian Thanksgiving is a celebration to give thanks for “the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed” (source), along with all the other good things in our lives, especially our family and friends.  I love that there is a holiday specifically dedicated to celebrating the harvest and all the amazing food we are lucky to have readily available here!

I’d love to tell you that I made this cake in honour of the harvest and Thanksgiving, but I honestly didn’t make the connection until now.  Still, this harvest snack cake is a great way to celebrate fall food and flavours!

This cake is easy to make, will fill your kitchen with the smell of fall, and is full of good-for-you ingredients like carrots, apples, and walnuts.  Plus, it uses whole wheat flour and contains no butter or oil, so in my books that makes it a pretty healthy snack.  Of course, there’s still sugar in it, so I’m not putting “healthy” in the title, but I certainly don’t feel guilty about eating a piece for my snack every day!

Harvest Snack Cake

Adapted from Taste of Home

Makes about 16 squares

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup grated carrot

3/4 cup grated apple (about 1 large apple – if one apple doesn’t reach ¾ cup, you can increase the amount of carrots so total grated carrots + apples = 1.5 cups)

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Soak your raisins in hot water for 5-10 minutes so they won't absorb the moisture from your cake during baking (drain your raisins before using them).

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour to ginger) in a large bowl.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just incorporated.  Fold in the carrots, apples, raisins, and walnuts.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Note: I knew I wouldn’t eat all of this in a few days, so I kept about half of the squares in the freezer and found that they froze well.

Chicken & Cheesy Rice with Broccoli and Sundried Tomatoes

I hope all my Canadian readers out there had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

I enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving meal with my family - everyone pitched in with favourite classics like turkey and stuffing along with some new dishes like a spicy root vegetable curry.  We had four different types of dips as an appetizer; turkey with homemade gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, scalloped potatoes, blue cheese and walnut salad, and the curry as our main meal; followed by pumpkin pie and a pumpkin cheesecake ice cream pie for dessert!  I also contributed this apple and pear sparkling sangria and sweet potato honey dinner rolls.  I was stuffed by the end of the night but had such a great evening spending time with my family, and I still enjoyed plenty of leftovers the next day!

Now it's time to get back into regular weekday meals - and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, especially when it's something like this chicken with cheesy rice, broccoli, and sundried tomatoes!

This dish doesn't use too many ingredients, doesn't dirty many dishes, is reasonably healthy, and you might even have most of the ingredients in your house already.  And of course, it's ridiculously good and so comforting!

As much as I love Thanksgiving dinner, I don't think I could handle more than two nights of it in a row; this, however, I could eat every night and still love just as much!

(Please ignore my horrendous slicing of the chicken in these pictures - the light was quickly fading outside so I was in a hurry to finish it so I could go take pictures!)

Chicken and Cheesy Rice with Broccoli and Sundried Tomatoes

Adapted from Heat Oven to 350, Originally from Cooks Illustrated Best 30-Minute Meals

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets

2 oz (about 1/2 cup loosely packed) sundried tomatoes, not packed in oil (from a bag)

3/4 cup instant enriched white rice (feel free to use brown rice if you prefer)

3/4 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Trim any fat off the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken well on one side, about 4-5 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a medium or large saucepan.  Add the broccoli florets and sundried tomatoes and blanch for 2 minutes.  Rinse with cold water and drain.  Chop sundried tomatoes into quarters, depending on the size.

After browning chicken, add rice and chicken broth to the skillet.  Nestle chicken into the rice with the browned side facing up.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, rice is cooked, and chicken is cooked through (thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees), about 8-10 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a clean surface and slice into thin pieces.  Add the broccoli, sundried tomatoes, and cheddar into the rice mixture and mix until cheese is melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Divide rice mixture among plates and top with the sliced chicken.  Serve immediately.

Puréed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese

It’s no secret that I love goat cheese – of the 12 types of cheese I have listed in my Ingredient Index, goat cheese is the most used in my recipes!  So when I was asked if I wanted to participate in a virtual potluck to celebrate the release of Tasia’s Table, a cookbook by the award-winning cheesemaker at Belle Chevre, I immediately said yes!

Tasia’s Table isn’t just about goat cheese, though it is an ingredient in many of the recipes, but is a celebration of Tasia's two main culinary influences: Southern and Greek.  To celebrate the book’s release, each participating blogger chose a recipe from the book to share in a virtual potluck today.  I had a ridiculously hard time choosing a recipe to make – goat cheese gratin, goat cheese and caramelized onion tarts, wild mushroom and goat cheese pasta, or even goat cheese cheesecake! - and I wish I could have shared five or ten recipes, but I finally narrowed it down to this puréed cauliflower with goat cheese. 

And I'm so glad I chose it!  

I had recently tried mashed cauliflower for the first time and was surprised at how much I loved it.  Even more than mashed potatoes!  And I love mashed potatoes!  Adding goat cheese to the cauliflower was a brilliant idea – it adds a wonderful but not overpowering flavour while keeping the mixture smooth and creamy.  Throw in some garlic and rosemary and you’ve got a pretty tasty dish! 

I ate my first batch way too quickly and am thinking of making it again for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, it's really easy to make and I think it would be a great side dish to complement the meal!

Be sure to check out all the talented bloggers participating in the potluck to see what they made - many of them are also offering giveaways for a chance to win the cookbook for yourself! 

Cooking With Books   

Cheese And Champagne

Blank Palate

Deep South Magazine

Sale e Pepe

Eggton  

La Buena Vida

Susan Greeley

Bibberche

Cactus & Kudzu 

Story of A Kitchen

Sugar and Spice by Celeste

30AEats

Miss in the Kitchen

The Picky Eater

Puréed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese

Slightly adapted from Tasia’s Table Cookbook

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 to 1 teaspoon herb of choice – I used rosemary, but thyme or chives would work well too

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup goat cheese

Directions:

Add cauliflower to a large flat-bottomed skillet or saucepan with enough water around the cauliflower so that it is halfway covered.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover tightly and let steam until cauliflower is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Once cauliflower is cooked, remove from heat.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the cauliflower to the large bowl of a food processor, being careful not to add water with the cauliflower.  Add the garlic and process quickly in short bursts of five or ten seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the cauliflower.  Process until cauliflower looks like mashed potatoes, then transfer to a bowl and mix in the butter, herbs, salt, pepper, and goat cheese.  Add the smaller amount listed of each ingredient to start, then taste and add more if desired (it's a lot easier to add ingredients then to take them away!).  Serve warm.

I like to add a bit (1-2tsp) of dijon mustard for some extra zing!

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Note: I was not asked to review the cookbook, but I really liked it and wanted to share a few of my thoughts!

Apple Pie Bars

The weather has definitely been getting cooler around here, and while I love fall weather, I don’t love how much the weather fluctuates in a day!  In the summer I can leave in the morning in a t-shirt and know I’ll be okay all day, and in the winter I put on my winter coat and know I’ll need it all day, but in the fall I never know how to dress.  If I wear a jacket and boots in the morning then by the afternoon it’s sunny and warm and I look ridiculous because everyone else is out in t-shirts, but if I stay out until the evening, I’m freezing cold and almost wish I had a winter coat on!

This past Friday, Ryan and I waited in line to meet Dan Aykroyd, who was promoting his brand of vodka at an LCBO in London.  We didn’t realize that we would be waiting outside in line for THREE HOURS, and I only had a thin jacket on from the afternoon, so I was convinced I was going to freeze to death.  We did eventually get to meet him (and get a Ghostbusters blu-ray signed), which was pretty cool, and were entertained by the Ecto-1 in the parking lot while we waited,  but being outside that long made me realize that winter is not far away!

And while I’m not quite craving winter soups and stews yet, I am craving other fall favourites, especially anything with apples or pumpkin in it!  I already made a great apple and pear pie a couple of weeks ago, but I had to make these apple pie bars too because they’re one of my favourite desserts!  They’re just like apple pie in bar form – a buttery crust is topped with sautéed spiced apples and a crumble topping – so good!    

Yes, the list of ingredients looks long and I admit they take more time to put together than the average bar, but I’d say they’re about the same amount of work as making apple pie, and the end result can feed more people and tastes just as good! 

Apple Pie Bars

Adapted from Cookie Baker Lynn, originally from the book Great Cookies

Makes 20-24 bars

Ingredients:

For the Apples:
6-7 Granny smith or golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Crust:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

For the Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Directions:

First, prepare the apples.  Combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cover the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, and uncover when the apples have released their juices.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are golden brown and soft and there is no liquid left in the pan, about 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang up the sides so you can easily remove the bars later.  Lightly spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

Prepare the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Add the egg to the butter mixture and mix to blend.  Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed (or by hand) until just combined after each addition.  The dough will be wet; drop it by clumps evenly across the prepared baking pan, then use your hands to press it down to evenly cover the pan in one smooth layer.  Prick the dough all over with a fork, then baked in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until crust is golden brown and begins to release from the sides of the pan.

Meanwhile, prepare the streusel topping:  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer or use a pastry cutter to combine until the mixture is crumbly.

When the crust is done, remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350°F.  Spread the cooked apples over the hot crust, and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the apples, pressing gently to help it stick.  Return pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until topping is lightly browned and crisp.  Let rest in pan for at least 2-3 hours before removing and slicing – I leave mine in the fridge overnight so they’re very easy to cut the next day. 

Store bars in refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving (I prefer them this way).

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I linked this recipe to Sweets for Saturday