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stress relief applesauce bars

(22 ratings)
AngieWalker avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Angie Walker
@AngieWalker
Stryker, OH

My sixteen-year-old daughter came home from school yesterday all upset and crying from her stressful day at school (peer pressure). After she talked everything out with me, she tore into the kitchen (bowls banging, pots slamming) and created these awesome applesauce bars. I hate to say it, but I hope she gets stressed out more often. These are AMAZING...

Blue Ribbon Recipe

One bite of these applesauce bars and the stresses of the day do melt away! We also enjoyed them in the morning with a cup of coffee. They're tender with just the right amount of sweetness and filled with warm spices. The cake part of the bar is peppered with dried cranberries to add a slightly tart pop of flavor. We enjoyed the sweetness from the easy icing and the little crunch of the chopped walnuts. Perfect for fall. These bars are thin and bake quickly. If you want a thicker bar, you can use a smaller 9x9 pan but baking time will need to be adjusted.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(22 ratings)
yield 12 serving(s)
prep time 10 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For stress relief applesauce bars

  • 1/4 c
    butter, softened
  • 2/3 c
    brown sugar
  • 1 lg
    egg
  • 1 c
    applesauce
  • 1/2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c
    wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp
    ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp
    ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 c
    Craisins
  • 1/2 c
    chopped, walnuts
  • ICING
  • 1 1/2 c
    confectioners' sugar
  • 3 Tbsp
    butter, melted
  • 1 Tbsp
    milk
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla extract

How To Make stress relief applesauce bars

Test Kitchen Tips
When prepping the pan, we used parchment paper so we could easily lift the bars out to cool and cut.
  • Prepare a 9x13 baking dish while the oven preheats.
    1
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce.
    2
    In a medium bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce.
  • Combine the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
    3
    Combine the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  • Mix flour into the applesauce mixture.
    4
    Mix the flour mixture into the applesauce mixture.
  • Stir in Craisins.
    5
    Stir in the Craisins.
  • Spread batter into the baking dish.
    6
    Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the edges are golden.
  • Let cool.
    7
    Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Let cool completely.
  • For the icing, mix the confectioners' sugar and butter in a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk until smooth.
    8
    For the icing, mix the confectioners' sugar and butter in a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk until smooth.
  • Spread over cooled bars and sprinkle with walnuts.
    9
    Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
  • Cut into squares.
    10
    Cut into squares.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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