Apple Spice Cookie Bars

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of these tasty bars, because I really don't think that this does these bars justice. Oh well, it's a learning process right! I took a moment to do some Googling, who was Granny Smith and how did she get an apple named after her? Well I found out that a lady named Maria Ann Smith cultivated an unintentionally cross bread seedling to yield these tasty green apples. Additionally, the Beatles' Apple Records adopted the Granny Smith as their icon in 1968.

Apple Spice Cookie Bars (From Good Things Catered)

2c plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

small pinch of ground cloves

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 c packed brown sugar
1 c white sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced

about 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 pan, lined with foil and baking spray.

In a medium bowl combine sugars, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine sugars, melted butter. Set on medium high speed and mix until batter is light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, also add the vanilla at this time. Turn mixer on low and add the flour mixture slowly, incorporating it fully before adding more.

Once the mixture is fully combined, remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in apples . Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared 9"x13" pan. Very generously sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar. Use more than you would think, because after the bars bake up, the cinnamon sugar will form a nice little crust on top.

Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through and the top springs back when pressed gently

Cool and serve!