The inspiration for these High Altitude Apple Bars with Salted Almond Butter Icing came from one of my go-to snacks:Â apple wedges dipped in almond butter. Sweet, crunchy, nutty, juicy … I adore this combination, which is so delicious that it feels like a naughty treat when it’s in reality quite clean and healthy. But sometimes? Sometimes a girlfriend needs cake. And so, here you go: best of both worlds.
These bars get a one-two punch of rich, deep apple flavor from both fresh apples and unsweetened apple butter. Apple butter, for the unfamiliar, has little in common with actual butter – it is simply applesauce that’s been reduced and concentrated into a smooth, rich, spreadable paste. It comes in different sorts of varieties, some with sugar, some with spices. I used this one, which contains nothing but apples and juice.
All-purpose flour and just a smidge of baking powder are mixed with warm fall spices (cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg), an egg (plus an extra yolk for moisture), and a little vanilla to create a thick, dense batter.
Diced fresh apples are tumbled in for even more flavor and satisfying juicy texture. You can use any apples you like, but I recommend sticking with the same firm varieties you’d use in a pie so they don’t end up soft and mealy when baked (hint:Â stay away from Red Delicious and Golden Delicious). I used Fuji apples here because they’re what I had on hand, but Honeycrisp, tangy Granny Smith, or sweet Braeburns would all be delightful as well.
The thick batter requires a little muscle to spread in the pan. The result is a moist, cake-y bar that will hold its shape when cut.
You’ve got to cool these completely before icing, or they’ll get a little soggy. It’s worth the wait. But you might have to try a little square when it comes out of the oven. Just to make sure it’s not poison, as my dad used to say.
The bars could be eaten as-is for breakfast, or maybe with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, but the icing, guys. The icing. It is all kinds of yummy. The base is a standard glaze-style icing made of powdered sugar and milk, but the almond butter makes it uniquely delicious, and spoon-lickingly addictive. My husband, who tried his first bar when no one else was in the house, said the icing was so good that he was tempted to scrape it off the rest of the batch and eat it with a spoon (for the sake of our marriage, he restrained himself. He is a wise man).
I like to add a little extra flavor and texture in the form of flaky salt. Hint:Â if you do this, wait until the icing is set, or the salt will melt into it and you’ll lose the crunch. You don’t want that.
I cut these into pretty small, cookie-size squares for an event I took them to, but you can cut larger pieces if you wish. My guess is you’re gonna want a bigger piece.
High Altitude Apple Bars with Salted Almond Butter Icing
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 12-16 bars
Description
Moist, spicy, and studded with juicy chunks of fresh apple, these Apple Bars with Salted Almond Butter Icing make the perfect cozy fall treat.
Ingredients
BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (8 TB/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla (not imitation)
1 cup apple butter
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced (about 1 cup of diced apple)
ICING
1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, sifted
pinch of fine sea salt
2 TB milk or water
3 TB almond butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 11×7 brownie pan, or 9×9 baking pan, with parchment, using a little butter to help it stick.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and whisk together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or separate mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in egg and extra yolk. Add vanilla and apple butter and mix on low until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until it’s integrated into the batter, then fold in the diced apples.
Spread the batter (it will be very thick) into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a baking rack to cool completely before icing (you can also serve these warm, cake-style, with icing drizzled over the top).
To make the icing, whisk together sifted powdered sugar and fine salt, then add milk or water and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in almond butter until completely incorporated. If the icing seems too thick, add a little more liquid. You want a texture that’s spreadable but not too drippy.
Spread the icing on the cooled bars and let it set for 15-30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with a little flaky Maldon sea salt.* Using a sharp knife, cut into 12-16 squares.
Notes
… be sure to sift your powdered sugar. If you don’t, you may end up with unappealing chalky lumps in your icing.
… if sprinkling with flaky salt, wait until just before serving. If applied before the icing sets, the salt will create little beads of moisture on your bars.
Where do you get the Maldonado sea salt? I’ve had trouble locally finding flaky salts.
Hey Laura! I buy Maldon salt at both City Market and Whole Foods. It comes in a box and is often hidden at the bottom of the shelves for some reason.
I’m a pretty experienced baker, now learning to bake at altitude. When do you add the dry ingredients? Before or after the apple butter?
Hi Emily, you add the dry ingredients after the apple butter and before the diced apples.
Do you have a metric version? I would love to try it.