Crust & Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Apple Filling
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cold apple juice
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch (generous teaspoons)
- 1-1/4 cups Our Family Garden, Cinnamon Applesauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk (from extra large egg)
- 3 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored, and diced small)
- 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Garnish
confectioner sugar
Directions
Generously coat an 8X8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
Add the butter and stir until coarse crumbs form. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture for topping. Lightly press remaining crumbs into bottom of prepared baking dish.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned, Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the filling:
Mix together the apple juice and cornstarch. Set aside. (You may have to stir again before adding to mixture in next step.)
Place the applesauce, sugar, lemon juice and egg yolk in a 2-3 quart saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 7-8 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture. Mix well and cook another 8-10 minutes, until mixture comes to a boil. Mixture should be thick, like pudding.
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Stir until all is incorporated. Add the diced apple. Pour mixture over partially baked crust, carefully spreading to the edges. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over top.
Stir walnuts into reserved crumbs and distribute evenly over all.
Bake 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
Sprinkle lightly with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
To serve:
Cut into bars. Serve as a bar cookie or serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
