Brown Sugar and Oatmeal Crumbly Apple Bars

As much as I love the Legend of Johnny Appleseed, it always bothered me-even when I was young-that he wore his cooking pot on his head. Somehow, that just didn't seem like the cleanest place to put the pot you'd be cooking in. Did he even get to wash his hair with real shampoo in the unsettled West? I'm sure he worked up a hot-headed sweat planting apple seeds all day. And even when he crooned about all the lovely things he'd be making with those red delicious apples, all I could think about was if he was planning to make them in his hairy pot. When I taught first grade, my fellow teacher friend dressed up as Johnny Appleseed for the Halloween parade. On her head, she wore a cooking pot, which besides being uncomfortable for her all day, also cemented the notion of never ever being able to come over to her house for dinner.

It's Johnny's birthday this week, and even if he had a dirty pot head, it's still worth recognizing. Especially since it's a great excuse to bake some cinnamony apple treats. And you must must must make these bars. They come from cooking contest friend, Anna at Cookie Madness, who included them on her Top Ten list for Fall. With a sweet creamy apple layer and a crumbly oat and brown sugar crust and topping, they are without a doubt the best apple bar I have ever tasted. Good ol' Mr. Appleseed would have loved this one.
Money Saving Tips: I've always used whatever apples I have on hand and even the non-baking varieties have worked out very well, so use whatever you can get for a good price.

Brown Sugar and Oatmeal Crumbly Apple Bars

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for 12 bars

Notes: I love these warm out of the oven, but they hold together much better if you wait till they're cool.

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/2 teaspoon soda

3/8 tsp salt

10 tablespoons cold butter, divided

3 small apples, cored, unpeeled and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a nine inch square pan with foil. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, soda, and salt. Cut in 9 tablespoons butter. (This can also be done in a food processor.) Reserve 3/4 cup and pat the rest into prepared pan. It will be dry. Toss apples with half of lemon juice and arrange over crust in pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and hot water. Turn heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly until mixture begins to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, remaining 1 tablespoon butter and remaining teaspoon of lemon juice. Pour over apples. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture and pecans, if using. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until lightly browned.

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