happy foodie monday! are you back to reality after a long holiday weekend? such a drag.. work is dumb but remember how lucky we are to have jobs!

here’s how you can make your day better.. on your drive home from work, turn on the christmas music station (get yourself in the holiday spirit.. it’ll make you smile), stop at the grocery store for a few quick ingredients, make these apple butter streusel bars and have them along side a warm mug of tea for dessert tonight. instant happiness.

i’ve made this recipe twice.. first time, i brought them to my in-laws for dinner and my mother-in-law, who doesn’t like baked apples, loved them! and since the recipe makes an entire 13×9 pan, i sent the rest to work with ben.. where the guys devoured every last crumb. the second time, i made them for thanksgiving and again they were so yummy! such a perfect autumn dessert with extra streusel.. which is the best part!

the recipe is courtesy of half baked harvest.. probably my favorite food blogger ever. if you haven’t already, definitely check our her website. her pictures make you want to reach through the computer screen and take a bite.. and every recipe i’ve tried has tasted amazing.

Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars By: Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups old fashion oats
• 1/2 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, salted butter – cubed

Filling:

• 1 cup apple butter
• 2-3 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced (i tried honeycrisp and macintosh and likely the macintosh better)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cold, salted butter – thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, combine flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon until oats are ground. Add the cubed butter and combine until a crumbly dough forms – the dough should just start to stick together – if not, add a small amount of cold water and pulse until it does.
3. Press 1/2 of the dough on the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a bowl, combine apples, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
5. Once the crust is golden brown, remove from oven and spread apple butter evenly over. Arrange apple slices evenly over the apple butter layer.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 streusel dough over the apples.
7. Top with butter slices and return to oven for about 40 minutes or until the streusel topping is golden brown.
8. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

bon appetit!