Back in the Kitchen

It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve spent any length of time in the kitchen, but it hasn’t really been that long. Between getting the house ready to put on the market, and then going on vacation, everything I made was planned to get me in and out of the kitchen quickly.

I was doing some research for my next article for Cooking Light magazine, and stumbled upon a thread where a recipe for Frosted Apple Cinnamon Bars from Land ‘o Lakes was posted. I quickly scanned through the ingredient list – bonus! I had everything I needed on hand. As soon as Nicholas saw me pulling things out of the baking cabinet, he grabbed the stepstool and dragged it over to the oven. “Can I help?” “What are we making?” “Cookies?” “Can I have some?” Apparently he’s missed our kitchen time too.

Filled with oats and apples, the smell of Fall was wafting from the oven as the bars baked. Very simple to make, you can whip these up in no time. Lightly sweet, the bars are thick and somewhat dense, but oh so good. Dig in.

A year ago today … simple stuff.

FROSTED APPLE CINNAMON BARS
Rich and chunky, these bars are truly a homespun favorite.

Preparation time: 30 min Baking time: 33 min
Yield: 48 bars

Bar Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (10-ounce) package cinnamon-flavored baking chips*
1 medium (1 cup) apple, chopped

Frosting Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ground cinnamon, if desired

Heat oven to 350F. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in medium bowl; stir in oats.

Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Beat until well mixed. Stir in cinnamon chips and apple by hand.

Spread batter into greased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

*Substitute 1 (10 to 12-ounce) package white baking chips and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Recipe Tip
Cut bars with a wet knife to get a clean edge.

These bars are full of oatmeal and apples, plus sweet cinnamon chips. Oats are a wonderful source of fiber too. There’s no need to peel the apple before chopping; leave it on for added nutrition and fiber.

Nutrition Facts (1 bar): Calories: 150, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 115mg, Carbohydrates: 21g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 1g

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