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Taleggio Ravioli with Garlicy Butter Kale and Mushroom Sauce + Toasted Pine Nuts.
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The apples have arrived and you guys, I am pretty excited.
Actually, I am just excited in general. These next four months are my most favorite time of year. So much to be excited for and to look forward to (especially this year with the barn completion!) and so many of my favorite foods. Do not get me wrong, I love summer berries, tomatoes, squashes and all the light + colorful meals that come along with summer, but fall, with all of its cozy comfort foods, will always be my thing.
I am a huge comfort person. I like comfy clothes, comfy blankets, a comfy home (do you think our cool mountain weather could possibly have anything to do with this? My grandfather says that man was not fit to live at 10,000 feet!) and most of importantly, comfort foods. And when I say comfort foods, I do not just mean all the cheesy, heavy stuff, I really just mean warm, baked or stewed foods. They can still be lite and healthy, but just as long as they have a nice warm touch to them I am good.
So with that said, I am SO ready for fall.
Don’t hate me. Summer peeps, I am sorry. I just love fall.
Bring on all the apples, pumpkins, fall squash and pomegranates. I am all in… but since it is still September and some of you still have crazy hot temps, and since technically fall does not start for another whole two weeks (it’s late this year – lame), I will stick with apples for this week. Besides, September should be all about apples anyway.
So basically prepare for an apple overload. Or well, at least that is what I am hopping for, this is the one and only apple recipe I have actually made thus far. The rest of my pounds and pounds of honeycrisp apples have been consumed straight up. Delish.
Ok, ok, ok, but these bars. They actually started out as this whole “one pan apple crisp bars w/ pecan streusel” idea, but then I was like “ah, I need to add some brown butter”. Then the first batch came out of the oven and I was like “ooh, I really need to caramelize those apples”. Then well, yeah, I no longer had a one skillet, one bowl, one pan kind of apple crisp bar. Sorry for making you do dishes, but I promise it’s worth it.
AND besides the browned butter, these bars are actually pretty healthy. They are loaded with oats, whole wheat flour, low sugar and healthy nuts. Oh and um, duh, tons of sweet apples!
Bars for breakfast with a side of greek yogurt, or – bars for dessert with a side of ice cream, or – bars for a snack… also with a side of ice cream!
Besides now needing to use three different dishes, these bars are as simple as they get.
They may be a tad crumbly on top due to all the streusel, but the bottom layer should stay nice and firm. I cut my bars into larger granola size bars, but I actually recommend cutting them into smaller squares. I think the smaller squares will stay together a little better and be easier to store.
I used a mix of granny smith and honeycrisp apples, but you can use whatever your favorite apple to bake with is. I highly recommend honeycrisp and pink lady apples, they add a little different flavor than the typical granny smith.
Oh yeah, and the glaze??
That was a total last-minute thing because, while the bars were pretty good on their own, they still seemed a little boring. When things seem boring, that’s when I call for the glaze. Glazes, drizzles and sauces make the food world a better place. You know, in case you where wondering.
This glaze is SO SIMPLE, but I love it. It is literally just mascarpone (you can swap cream cheese if needed), maple syrup and a little vanilla extract. Another reminder to me that simple always wins.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Another winner? Warm apple crisp bars and vanilla ice cream… they take away any possibility of a Tuesday being boring!
These look amazing! My kids don’t like nuts – could I make these without the pecans?? Thanks!
Thanks Sally! Yes, you can make these minus the pecans. No big deal! Enjoy!
Miss Tieghan,
I desperately need these in my life. Oh my, oh my!!
Love,
Sherrie
Haha! Thank you! You are the sweetest!
I can’t wait to try these! I love your cooking. I also really love your photography. Have you ever thought about doing a post or two about your food photography? Share some tips and tricks maybe? P.S. I can’t wait to see the barn finished!
Thank you so much, Theresa!! I am not sure I am fit to write about food photography just yet, maybe sometime though!
Yum! These bars look super rustic and tasty. I also love fall produce. Especially pears and quince :)!
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and one reason is the apples. Love this recipe so much, pinned obviously!
These look amazing! I’m getting ready to make them now. I was wondering if they would freeze well? There are only two of us at home now and we don’t need these tempting us.
Bars for breakfast. Bars for dessert. Bars for snack. You just can’t really go wrong here!!
I mean, I am still all about summertime but I cannot hate you for these. They sound and look SO yum!
Oh Tieghan, your photos are always amazing! We are heading straight into summer here Down Under, but these bars would be welcome any time of the year. I am an autumn lover too. Maybe because my birthday falls in our autumn, but also because of the cosiness, the comfiness and all the best produce that comes between summer and winter 🙂
I’m so glad that apple season is here! These bars look delicious, seriously craving one right now.
Basically fall rocks… I just wish I lived by you and had the beautiful mountains to look at! But instead I will just have to settle with traveling to them. Tieghan totally drooling over this recipe and that amazing glaze.. so using that the next time I made something ! YUM
These bars are so gorgeous, fall has never looked better! And the glaze was a good move :).
Yum! I love fall desserts 🙂
You have everyone here at my school–with our mouths watering—-can you send some are way-LOL and
These look delicious! Love that drizzle! I am fall girl, too! It’s the best time of year!