Recipe: Oak Spring Apple Butter Bars

This apple butter bar recipe by OSGF Chef Jason Neve makes for the perfect fall treat. You can use your favorite apple butter for this recipe, but we used our own, made from the apples picked at Oak Spring’s apple orchards!

This Recipe Yields – 1 ea 9x13 baking sheet

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Oat Short Bread

284 gram          Butter, cold, cut into ½ cubes

106 gram          Confectioners Sugar (10x)

¾ teaspoon       Salt

112 gram          Rolled Oats

112 gram          Oat Flour

112 gram          All Purpose Flour

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Apple Filling

200 gram          Apple, peeled & sliced (approximately 2-3 apples)

1 jar                 Oak Springs Garden Apple Butter

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Oat Crumble

112 gram          Rolled oats

75 gram            All Purpose Flour

53 gram            Brown Sugar

50 gram            Granulated Sugar

4 oz / 1 stick     Butter, Browned and cooled

½ teaspoon       Salt

1/8 teaspoon    Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon    Allspice

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Method

1. In a small sauce pot brown the butter for the oat crumble over a medium heat stirring with a whisk constantly until golden brown.  Pour into a heat proof container and leave to cool to room temp while making the short bread

2. For the short bread:

   1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

   2. line your 9x13 sheet pan with parchment paper or spray well with non-stick cooking spray.

   3. Measure all off the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

   4. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is incorporated and the dough begins to come together.

   5. Bring the dough together by hand in the bowl if need and turn out on to the parchment lined sheet tray.

   6. Place in the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes.

   7. Either on a well floured service or between 2 sheets of parchment roll out the short bread so it is an even thickness and fills the 9x13 pan.

   8. Chill the dough again for 10 minutes.

   9. Par bake the short bread for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, just until the top begins to turn golden, rotate half way through the baking time.

   10. Remove and hold on a rack

3. For the apples – prepare these while the short bread is resting:

   1. Peel and core the apples, slice thin with a knife or mandolin.

   2. In a mixing bowl combine the sliced apples and jar of apple butter mixing well so that all the apples are covered.

   3. Set aside while you finish the oat crumble.

4. For the oat crumble:

   1. Measure all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

   2. Mix the dry ingredients together so they are well incorporated.

   3. Add the cooled but still liquid brown butter and mix until you have a crumbly mixture.

5. To Assemble and Bake:

   1. Spread the apple mixture over the par baked short bread.  You should have a thin layer of apple and apple butter that covers the entire short bread from edge to edge.

   2. Spread on the oat crumble covering the whole top and gently pushing the topping into the apple filling.

   3. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 – 40 min until the top is brown.

   4. Cut to any size you like and share with friends!

Pointers for success

1. Baking should be enjoyable so no need to stress.

2. A scale is not absolutely necessary but it will make your baking more enjoyable and quicker.

3. Parchment paper solves so many potential problems.