I love the minute the hot summer sun suddenly cools down and the mornings feel crisp. That’s what happened this past week in St. Louis. Fall weather started to creep in. Cooler mornings, long sleeves, windows open and air that isn’t heavy with humidity. It’s kind of like a fresh start at life. A breath of fresh air as we prepare to begin a new season. I always get a bit sad that summer has come and gone (always goes too fast - and more so now with kids!), but I do welcome a new season with a new mindset and reinvigorated passion for life.

Each fall, we visit my favorite apple orchard in the St. Louis Area - Liberty Apple Orchard. I discovered this hidden gem because my parents moved nearby, so it has become a staple on our weekend visits! I look forward to September every year because that means it’s apple picking season.

I find apple picking also super fun to do with kids because it’s easy for them to pick the apples off the trees and they can snack on one while they do it. Walk through an apple field in the fall and try not to just feel happy. It’s my dose of joy.

We always come home from picking with a lot of apples… so that means it’s time for all the apple desserts…

Today’s apple recipe is an apple pie in bar form. After picking our first bunch of apples at Liberty Orchard, I was in the mood for making a pie, but sometimes I find pie is a bit harder to cut up and eat with young kids. So bars seemed like a better choice. This recipe is originally adapted from Ina Garden’s apple pie bars - I make the batch smaller to fit into a 9x9 (or 8x8) inch square baking pan.

It’s a fun twist on a classic apple pie, and easy to grab a piece and enjoy.

Apple Pie Bars

For The Crust

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for crust topping)

For the Apple Filling

4-6 apples (4 large or 6 small) I recommend Granny Smith/Golden Delicious/Empire - cored and thinly sliced, you can also peel them if you want
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon (1 lemon)
1/8 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
few dashes of nutmeg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixer, make the crust: Cream the butter and sugars together. Add in the remaining ingredients except the cinnamon. Beating until combined. Take out 2/3 of the dough and press into an 9x9 or 8x8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press it into the pan to make the crust. Bake for about 18-20 minutes and then set aside and cool. Keep the remaining 1/3 dough in the mixer and add the cinnamon and mix to combine. Set aside and use for the topping.
Make the filling: Combine apple slices, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well in a large bowl. In a saucepan, melt butter and add in the apple mixture and stir over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Spread apples evenly over the crust.
Using your figures, pinch pieces of the remaining crust mixture to break it up and sprinkle it over the apples.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until topping is browned. Cool completely and then cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Happy Fall!