Apple Crumble Bars

I was inspired to make this Apple Crumble Bars over the weekend, after reading Alice's Apple Crumble post. Alice's "bottomless" Apple Crumble (without the bottom cookie base) looks good. I knew I would bake this pretty soon as I love to bake with apples.

For this Apple Crumble Bars, I used the recipe from Annie's Eats which I've used several times.

Apple Crumble Bars

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:

• 4 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored and coarsely diced
• 5 tbsp sugar ( I cut down to 3 tbsp)
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (I cut down to 1.5tbsp)
• ¼ cup fruit jam (I used blueberry jam)

For the topping:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 55g unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. To prepare the filling, cook the apples, sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat in a pot. Stir  occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until apples are tender but still firm. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice. Add to the apple mixture and continue cooking, stir constantly for 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 176°C. Line an 8×8” baking dish with foil, leaving overhang on both sides for easy removal later. Grease foil.
3. To make the base, mix flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Cut the butter into it using a pastry blender, until it resembles breadcrumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. Spread the fruit jam evenly on the base while it is still hot. Top with the cooked apple mixture.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping. Mix well with fingers or pastry blender until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the apple layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Using the foil, lift the apple crumble bars out of pan. Cut into squares and serve.

(This tip from Annie is very useful - refrigerate before cutting to firm up a bit for easier slicing.)