Apple Oat Bars

I went to a family gathering this weekend, and there was no way I was going without a dessert. It took a few minutes' brainstorming, but I knew what I wanted to make: apple oat bars. Maybe it was being around family or maybe it was just a flashback, but when I first bit into one, I was reminded of the muffins with an apple oat topping my aunt used to get for us when we'd come visit. I loved them. I was 12 or so and didn't care much about food, but I couldn't stop raving about them. Then they changed. I knew they came from Costco, but when I finally convinced my parents to pick some up, they had changed somehow. I had almost forgotten about them, until yesterday when I sunk my teeth into these bars. Oh man were they delicious. I'm glad I snagged a piece and hid it away so I could take some pictures when I got back. I used an irregular sized baking dish for these, something like this. You can probably use a 9 by 13, but the bars will be a bit thick.

Ingredients:

• 10 oz quick oats
• 15 oz flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb brown sugar
• 12 oz butter, melted
• 2 lb granny smith apples, sliced thinly
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3.5 oz sugar
• 2 oz butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and melted butter into a dough.
3. Press half of the dough into a baking dish lined with foil.
4. Toss together the apples, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl.
5. Spread the apples on top of the dough and place little chunks of butter on top of the apples.
6. Top with the rest of the dough and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
7. Let cool, refrigerate for 1-2 hours, and turn out and cut.

Enjoy on their own or topped with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce.

Share on Tumblr