Taste of Home Apple Pie Bars

[tkh8280]

Anyone else see these? If not I could post the recipe. They look really good in the picture. Does anyone know how you could lighten the crust part? Thanks!

[valchemist]

yes, I saw them. maybe you could use a Cooking Light pie crust recipe and scale it up to make the right amount.

for example, perhaps you could double the recipe below:


* Exported from MasterCook *

Greek Baking-Powder Piecrust

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts July '97
Miscellaneous

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add water and oil to flour mixture, stirring until well-blended.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 4 to 5 times. Divide dough in half. Working with one half at a time, press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Serving Size: 1/6 crust

Cuisine:
"Greek"
Source:
"Cooking Light, July 1997, p.68"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"
Yield:
"2 (10-inch) crusts"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 116 Calories; 4g Fat (28.4% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 171mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : Dough can be stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator in a zip-top plastic bag.

[valchemist]

by the way, for those of you (which is many of you) who don't get Taste of Home, that recipe is from a recent issue where they had a bar cookie contest.

the apple pie bars won the grand prize. the chocolate chip graham bars won second prize. I tried them but didn't think they were that great. I also tried the frosted pumpkin cranberry bars and posted the recipe and review here:

frosted pumpkin cranberry bars (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32003&highlight=frosted+pumpkin)

Gertdog tried the Peanut Butter Squares. I posted the recipe and she posted here review here:

peanut butter squares (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31194&highlight=peanut+butter+squares)

The other ones that won prizes in the contest are:

frosted raspberry bars
sugared raisin pear diamonds
honey pecan triangles
apricot meringue bars
fudgy mint squares
blueberry lattice bars
orange cheesecake bars
cherry cocoa shortbread squares

They all look really good. I especially want to try the orange cheesecake bars in hopes that they would taste like a dreamsicle.


I realize that by posting all these titles, I may get deluged with requests to post recipes. well, if it means that you would review them for me I would be happy to post! oh yeah, you would also have to send me a sample. ;)

just kidding. I'd be happy to post.

[valchemist]

well, I decided I needed to type this recipe into mastercook, so here it is. The recipe reminds me of the orange creamsicle fudge I made last year. Sooooo yummy!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Orange Cheesecake Bars

"I still remember the last day of first grade, when our teacher treated the class to little cups with orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream swirled together. I tried to capture that same delicious flavor when I created these creamy layered bars." -Connie Faulkner, Moxee Washington


Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 c vanilla wafer crumbs -- (about 40)
1/4 c butter -- melted (no substitutes)
24 ozs cream cheese -- softened
14 ozs sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
2 tbsps orange juice concentrate
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp orange extract
5 drop yellow food coloring
3 drop red food coloring

In a bowl, combine the wafer crumbs and butter. Press into a greased 13x9 pan. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. add the milk, eggs, and vanilla; beat until combined. Pour half over crust. Add the orange juice concentrate, orange peel, extract, and food coloring to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Beat until combined. Pour over first layer. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting.

Source:
"Taste of Home, Oct/Nov 2002"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 208 Calories; 15g Fat (63.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 69mg Cholesterol; 152mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

[Gracie]

Val - you're so kind to offer! Can you post the Apple Pie bars and the Blueberry Lattice bars? I still have wild blueberries DD and I picked this summer in the freezer so I can review them for you!

Loren

[valchemist]

no problem at all. it is a good excuse for me to get them into my mastercook. I will have them for you later today. :)

[Gracie]

Thank you!

[Natasha]

Hi Val,

I'd appreciate the recipe for fudgy mint squares whenever you have time. Absolutely NO rush. We don't want you getting carpal tunnel from typing all these recipes! :)

Natasha

[valchemist]

here are the apple pie bars and the blueberry lattice bars. the nutritional info isn't all that bad (especially considering they are Taste of Home recipes).

The pictures of both of these bars look really great!! I wish you could see them, but I don't have a scanner.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Apple Pie Bars

"This is only one of the many wonderful recipes that my mother handed down to me. These delicious bars, with their flaky crust and scrumptious fruity filling, are the perfect way to serve apple pie to a crowd." Janet English, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c shortening
4 egg yolks
2 tbsps lemon juice
8 tbsps cold water -- (8 to 10 tablespoons)
filling:
7 c finely chopped peeled apples
2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
2 tsps cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
glaze:
1 c confectioners sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, and water; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half. Chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out one portion of the dough between two large sheets of waxed paper into a 17x12 inch rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10 jelly roll pan. Press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of pan. Trim pastry even with top edge.

In a bowl, toss the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; spread over crust. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pan; place over filling. Trim edges; brush edges between pastry with water or milk; pinch to seal. Cut slits in top. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over bars before cutting.

Source:
"Taste of Home, Oct/Nov 2002"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 273 Calories; 10g Fat (31.7% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 36mg Cholesterol; 112mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.




* Exported from MasterCook *

Blueberry Lattice Bars

"Since our area has an annual blueberry festival, my daughters and I are always looking for great new berry recipes to enter in the cooking contest. These lovely yummy bars won a blue ribbon one year." -Debbie Ayers, Baileyville Maine


Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 c butter -- softened (no substitutes)
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
2 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
filling:
3 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c sugar
3 tbsps cornstarch

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg, flour, vanilla and salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 14x10 inch rectangle. Place in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with filling. Roll out remaining dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 1/2-inch wide strips; make a lattice crust over filling. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars

Source:
"Taste of Home, Oct/Nov 2002"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 185 Calories; 8g Fat (38.6% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 28mg Cholesterol; 104mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : The picture of these in the magazine looks *really* yummy!

[valchemist]

Originally posted by Natasha
Hi Val,

I'd appreciate the recipe for fudgy mint squares whenever you have time. Absolutely NO rush. We don't want you getting carpal tunnel from typing all these recipes! :)

Natasha

natasha,

the picture of these bars look sooo yummy too. they remind me of that perfect ten recipe for Creme de Menthe Squares posted by Dewey last summer. her recipe was different, but they both have a chocolate crust a mint middle and a melted chocolate layer on top.

anyway, I will post the recipe a bit later. these look like a definite "must try."

val

[Gracie]

Thank you Val! One of my projects now that I will be laid off is to get all my recipes into MasterCook! A gargantuan project!

Loren

[valchemist]

here are the mint ones. I think these look like the best of the bunch (but that is just my opinion).

if anyone makes any of these, please post a review!!

thanks. :)



* Exported from MasterCook *

Fudgy Mint Squares

"I've had this recipe since I was in Junior High School. No one can resist the fudgy brownie base, cool minty cheesecake filling and luscious chocolate glaze in these mouth-watering bars." -Heather Campbell, Lawrence Kansas

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 48 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 tbsps butter -- divided (no substitutes)
3 ozs unsweetened chocolate -- chopped (three 1-oz squares)
3 eggs -- divided
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1 c flour
8 ozs cream cheese -- softened
1 tbsp cornstarch
14 ozs sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
4 drop green food coloring -- optional
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c whipping cream

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 8 tbsp butter and unsweetened chocolate; cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat 2 of the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture; mix until blended. Gradually beat in flour. Spread into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until top is set.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining butter. Add cornstarch; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in milk and remaining egg. Add extract and food coloring. Pour over crust. Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.

In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips and cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips are melted. Cool for 30 minutes or until lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill for 2 hours or until set before cutting.

Source:
"Taste of Home, Oct/Nov 2002"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 138 Calories; 8g Fat (50.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 54mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

[Dewey]

Originally posted by valchemist
they remind me of that perfect ten recipe for Creme de Menthe Squares posted by Dewey last summer. her recipe was different, but they both have a chocolate crust a mint middle and a melted chocolate layer on top.

I was going to make a batch of Creme de Menthe squares next week, but after seeing the Fudgy Mint Squares recipe, I think I'll have to make them to see how they compare. Hmmm, maybe I need to make both on the same day, so I can do a double blind taste test?

[valchemist]

oh I can't wait to hear how they compare if you make them. DH hates mint so it is very hard for me to be able to make mint recipes.

[ErinM]

I second wanting to hear the results of the "scientific" experiment, Dewey!!!

Chocolate and mint....how can one go wrong???

[pwrmom]

Originally posted by Gracie
Thank you Val! One of my projects now that I will be laid off is to get all my recipes into MasterCook! A gargantuan project!

Loren

OH, Loren, I'm so sorry to hear of your lay-off...is this good news or bad news for you....is there a silver lining perhaps?
Linda

[Gracie]

Hi Linda - yes there is a silver lining (thank you for asking!!). DH got a wonderful promotion at the exact same time as I got laid off!! So I can collect unemployment without the pressure of having to take the first thing that comes along.

I'm looking forward to hanging out with my friends that don't work at our local coffee shop and getting back into running/walking instead of just walking (although we walk 12 minute miles). Along with DH's promotion comes a company-paid week-long Caribbean cruise so I need to get in shape more!

How's the snow up there? We have about 3 inches and it's not even 9 am.

Loren

[Natasha]

Thank you, Val! :) I think these bars will have to be part of Nat's Friday Afternoon Baking Session. I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out!

Loren, sorry to hear about the lay-off but I'm glad that the timing worked out for you. Take care!

Natasha

[gymbrat75]

Those minty chocolate squares look fantastic!! I'm looking for these types of treats to make for the holidays.
I will try these this week...

thanks

[valchemist]

well, it looks like we will have at least a couple reviews of the mint squares before long!

[pwrmom]

Originally posted by Gracie
I'm looking forward to hanging out with my friends that don't work at our local coffee shop and getting back into running/walking instead of just walking (although we walk 12 minute miles). Along with DH's promotion comes a company-paid week-long Caribbean cruise so I need to get in shape more!

How's the snow up there? We have about 3 inches and it's not even 9 am.

Loren

Ah, walking/running in the New England snow...gotta love it, huh? I called my sister down in Marco Island yesterday to remind her that it was 29 and snowing here and she laughed as she headed out for her morning tee time @ the Country Club...gimme a break!! Being a New Englander makes us stronger, more resilient people, don't you think? AND a little bit whiney too! HA! Enjoy your little reprieve before you re-enter the working world..you can't beat those impromptu coffee klatches and unexpected lunches with your gal pals!
Linda

[pilgrim719]

Well, I kind of have a review for the Apple Pie Bars so I'll go ahead and post what we tried. Last night DH and I were craving apple pie and I remembered this recipe being posted so he decided he'd try it (I was too tired to bake anything and I went to bed). I got up this morning and found this GIGANTIC pan of Apple Pie Bars (this recipe makes a TON) which smelled very good so I cut into it for breakfast. Well, the filling tasted very good but the crust was very tough and chewy, and I am pretty sure it's because DH overworked the dough. He's never made pie crust before and he said he had trouble rolling it out because it was so much dough. Also it seemed like too much dough for the amount of filling in the bars, but maybe that's just me. Anyway we both really loved the taste of the filling and decided it would be the perfect apple pie filling, which we've been searching for the last 2 years, tried lots of recipes and never found one that suited our tastes. So this morning I made my usual pie crust recipe and DH mixed up another batch of the filling from the Apple Pie Bars and we made an amazingly yummy apple pie (in our opinions anyway)! It's exactly what we've been trying to make with all the other recipes we tried, so thank you Val for posting this recipe!! :D One note -- we cut the sugar in the filling down to 1 1/2 cups from the 2 cups it calls for and still found it pretty sweet, but we like sweet desserts so it didn't bother us. But I think next time I make it I might just use 1 cup of sugar and it should be plenty sweet with that amount.

Kari

[Dewey]

Wow, these boards are moving fast. I had to go back to page 6 to find this thread.

I made the Fudgy Mint Squares last night. They are very good, but both DH and I prefer the Creme de Menthe Squares. The Creme de Menthe Squares are more like a melt-in-your-mouth candy, while the Fudgy Mint Squares are a kind of brownie/thick, creamy topping thingy. Of course, DH wanted to try them last night before they'd chilled for the full 2 hours -- the two top layers were too soft but they tasted good. I declared that we had to do another taste this morning, before I posted a review. They are definitely better after chilling longer. I just felt that they were "not quite what I expected/wanted". Probably because I grew up with the Creme de Menthe Squares... I think that the Fudgy Mint Squares are a little less sweet than the Creme de Menthe Squares, so some people that find those overwhelmingly sweet might prefer these. Also, since these use peppermint extract, the mint flavor is slightly different. Is Creme de Menthe actually spearmint flavored? I think that might be what kept nagging me in the back of my mind when I ate them. The peppermint flavor is very "icy" (does that make sense) and I think I just prefer spearmint flavoring. Dh kept saying they weren't minty enough, which I think is also because of the difference in the two types of mint flavors.

[valchemist]

thanks for the review, Laurie! I think I will still try them, because they sound yummy. I can't imagine that anything could be better than the creme de menthe squares, though. I will just make them knowing in advance that they will probably be very good, but just different than that recipe you posted.

[valchemist]

I tried the fudgy mint squares and thought they were awesome!

They have the same great flavor as the creme de menthe squares, but (as Laurie said) they are different in texture. The creme de menthe squares are more dense and candy/fudge like. The fudgy mint squares are more like cake/brownies and the mint filling is lighter in texture.

both recipes are fantastic and I can't decide which I like better.

[Leisa M]

Originally posted by Gracie
Val - you're so kind to offer! Can you post the Apple Pie bars and the Blueberry Lattice bars? I still have wild blueberries DD and I picked this summer in the freezer so I can review them for you!

Loren

Ditto on the recipes!

[valchemist]

I posted them above! :)

[claire797]

Yup. It works :D

[pilgrim719]

Thanks for checking it out for me, Anna! You've always been an excellent tester! :D