I think we, as a society, do not talk about apple butter enough. I’ve waxed poetic about peanut butter apple butter sandwiches before. And I plan to again, with another recipe soon. So I won’t talk about it too much now. Just know that apple butter is one of my favorite spreads. Still to this day, the taste and smell of it conjures up such nostalgia.
These bars came together somewhat last minute, as I was added to a chat at work talking about a “Spooky Potluck” for Halloween, and people were volunteering to bring things in. So I decided I wouldn’t pass up on an opportunity to make baked goods for a larger audience.
Unfortunately, not many of these were eaten at the Spooky Potluck. Largely because the dessert table was pretty packed. Oh well! More for me and my family to eat!
As I’ve said, Apple Butter is underrated. But specifically it’s underrated as a fall flavor! So much attention is given to pumpkin. Which… I get it! Pumpkin is good! But apple butter is pretty perfect. It’s an apple and spice flavor that somehow isn’t even reminiscent of apple pie. Apple butter is its own unique and wonderful flavor!!
On top of it being entirely overlooked, it’s way too hard to find! I don’t know if this has changed in the last 20 years since my mom was stocking it regularly in our fridge, but it is not sold everywhere! When I lived in LA, I went to probably 5 different grocery stores and never found it. At the time, I blamed that on LA’s bad taste in just about everything. But even here in Minnesota, it’s not sold at Target! I could only find it at Cub. Thankfully they sold it in the big jars, and I am thrilled to finally have that big ol’ jar of Musselman’s back in my fridge. I’ll keep buying it to make sure they keep it in stock. This is my contribution to society.
I would argue that on top of being an underrate flavor… it’s the perfect flavor for November! It’s not quite time for Christmas flavors and chocolate peppermint, and the pumpkin craze goes strong until Thanksgiving, but for those who don’t like pumpkin… apple butter is the way to go!
(Disclaimer: the post was not sponsored by Big Apple Butter. But I wish it was.)
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PinIngredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Maple Drizzle
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment, and set aside.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, ~3-4 minutes. Start off on low speed, then you can increase the speed to medium once the butter is incorporated into the sugar.
- Add in apple butter and combine.
- Then add the egg yolk and vanilla until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients, gradually until ingredients are incorporated. (Do not over mix).
- Spoon half of the dough into the prepared baking pan and press down evenly. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of apple butter on top of the first layer, if desired. Then, add the rest of the dough evenly over the top. You can place it gently on top, as if it were a crumble.
- Chill the bars for at least 30 minutes, and as long as overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Once cooled, make the drizzle. Add the melted butter to a medium bowl and whisk in the remaining glaze ingredients until smooth, adding a splash of milk if needed to thin it out.
- Drizzle over bars, let harden, and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from these cookies from Kroll’s Korner