Apple Cinnamon Bars

Name: Apple Cinnamon Bars
Ingredients: Wet Ingredients; ½ cup avocado oil; ½ cup melted butter; 1½ cups white sugar; 4 eggs; 1¾ cups applesauce; Dry Ingredients; 2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp fine salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 2 cups flour; Cinnamon Swirl; 2 tbsp melted butter; 1 tsp cinnamon; 4 tbsp brown sugar; Frosting; 1 stick unsalted butter, softened; 8 oz cream cheese, softened; 1½ cups powdered sugar

Soft cinnamon apple bars with a buttery swirl and tangy cream cheese frosting. They land somewhere between coffee cake and a cinnamon roll, with applesauce keeping the cake extra tender underneath it all.

Makes one 9x13 sheet pan

ExtrasAvocado oilButterWhite sugar

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

½ cup avocado oil

½ cup melted butter

1½ cups white sugar

4 eggs

1¾ cups applesauce

Dry Ingredients

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups flour

Cinnamon Swirl

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp brown sugar

Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp cinnamon

1½ cups powdered sugar

Method

1Preheat oven to 350°F
2In a stand mixer, combine wet ingredients until smooth
3In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients
4Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients on low speed until fully combined
5Pour most of the batter into a buttered and floured quarter sheet pan or 9x13 pan
6Mix swirl ingredients into a paste and drizzle over batter
7Dollop remaining batter on top and use a fork to swirl gently so the cinnamon mixture stays mostly in the middle
8Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
9While bars cool, make frosting by creaming butter and cream cheese together
10Add cinnamon and slowly mix in powdered sugar until smooth
11Once bars are fully cool, frost and cut into squares
12Serve with black tea or coffee

Notes

The applesauce keeps the bars soft and tender without making them taste strongly like apple
The cinnamon swirl gives these bars a coffee cake feel
Frost once fully cooled so the cream cheese frosting stays thick and smooth
These are great for feeding a crowd or bringing to a gathering

Swaps

Look for a similar Nothing Special recipe that uses pumpkin puree for fall pumpkin bars
Use browned butter in the frosting for a deeper flavor

Use It Again

Leftover bars make a great afternoon snack or breakfast treat
Serve chilled straight from the fridge for more of a cream cheese bar texture

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