This is a recipe I morphed out of another dessert that only had apples. I’m not actually convinced that I’m finished morphing either, but here’s the way it looks today. I always encourage tinkering – try it with gluten free flour, try different fruit filling combinations – make it your own!
Ingredients
Crust & Topping
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup Dark Brown sugar or 1 cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup molasses
- 1 ½-2 cups chopped pralines (candied pecans)
- ½ TBSP baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups butter, cold, cubed
- 2 large egg
Apple Filling
- 10 cups diced apples
- 1½ -2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9×13-inch pans with parchment, leaving overhang.
- Prepare crust/topping: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and mix until dough begins to come together.
- Divide mixture in half and then half again. Press 1/4th crust evenly into each prepared pan as a base.
- Make filling: In a bowl, toss diced apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, add cranberries and stir well to combine. Spread evenly over base.
- Finish and bake: Crumble remaining dough over fruit filling. Sprinkle chopped pralines over the crumb topping. Bake 40–45 minutes, until top is golden and fruit is bubbly.
- Cool and serve: Cool fully before cutting into bars for clean edges.
Notes
- Use a mix of tart and sweet apples for the best balance of flavor.
- Make sure the butter is cold for a flakier crumb texture.
- Let bars cool fully for clean slicing.
- Freeze bars individually wrapped for up to 2 months; thaw at room temp.
- Pair with vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat.
