When you’re looking at your pantry shelves and wondering what to do with apple butter, try these delicious apple butter bars for a simple dessert.
Sometimes desserts need to be fancy affairs – birthdays or celebrations for example. However, when you just want something easy for a weeknight sweet treat or something super easy to share for potlucks, these bars are just the thing.
Start with Good Apple Butter
The apple butter is the thing that gives these bars flavor and moisture. Use a good quality apple butter.
I use my homemade maple apple butter, but something from the store will work. Use something lighter in sugar and made from simple ingredients, if you can find something made locally even better.
Do taste it first and adjust the sugar in the recipe as necessary. Go less, if the apple butter is extremely sweet for example.
Double for a Crowd
Double the recipe and bake in a 9X13 inch pan for larger families or to share at a potluck.
You could also easily freeze extras for eating later. Freeze the bars frosted or unfrosted as desired. Simply bake, cool, slice and put into freezer containers.
Frosting Choices
Included in the recipe is a basic cinnamon frosting. There are other options of course.
- Skip the cinnamon entirely for a basic vanilla frosting
- Use a different spice like apple pie spice, cardamom, nutmeg, etc.
- A simple cream cheese frosting would be nice
- Drizzle with a caramel glaze instead of frosting
Skip the frosting entirely and serve the cake with a scoop of ice cream and/or whipped cream instead.
Optional Additions
The bars are perfect just as the recipe is written. Simple, easy, delicious. However, if you want to try bulking up the recipe or adding some texture, consider adding:
- Chopped nuts, up to 1/2 cup
- Dried fruits, like raisins or dried apple bits – about 1/2 cup
- Fresh, peeled & diced apples, again about 1/2 cup
Apple Butter Bars
Moist, sweet, and spiced apple butter bars are a simple and decadent dessert.
Ingredients
Apple Butter Bars
- 1/2 Cup Salted Butter, softened
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Apple Butter
- 1 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Cinnamon Frosting
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter, softened
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
Instructions
Make the Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 9" square cake pan.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and apple butter, mixing well.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. The edges will brown and pull away from the pan, an inserted toothpick will come out clean.
- Cool in pan or turnout to a cake plate.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting
- Cream the butter well. Add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and milk.
- Stir well and add the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar, mixing until everything is thoroughly incorporated and a smooth, spreadable frosting is achieved.
- Spread onto the cooled cake.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 190mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 37gProtein: 3g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.
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