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Delicious Maple Pecan Apple Bars on a marble table

Golden Harvest Maple Pecan Apple Bars

These Golden Harvest Maple Pecan Apple Bars feature a buttery shortbread crust topped with a sweet apple filling, finished with a crunchy maple pecan streusel. Perfect for a cozy dessert or a special treat.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 bars
Calories 420 kcal

Equipment

  • Oven
  • 9x13 inch Baking Pan
  • Large Bowl
  • Pastry Blender
  • Small Bowl
  • Wire Rack

Ingredients
  

For the Shortbread Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Apple Filling:

  • 4 cups fresh apples (2 Honeycrisp, 2 Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Pecan Topping:

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Prepare the Shortbread Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the cold butter until coarse crumbs form.
  • Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the Apple Filling

  • While the crust bakes, combine the cut apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl, stirring gently until the apples are fully coated.

Assemble the Bars

  • Spread the prepared apple filling evenly over the partially baked shortbread crust in the baking pan.

Prepare the Pecan Topping

  • In a small bowl, combine the chopped pecans, melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, stirring until the pecans are thoroughly coated.

Add Topping and Bake

  • Sprinkle the pecan topping evenly over the apple filling, then return the pan to the preheated oven.
  • Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbly, and the apples are tender.

Cool and Cut

  • Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting the bars into squares. Serving as desired.

Notes

Cooling the bars completely before slicing is essential for clean, firm pieces. You can use any combination of firm, tart-sweet apples for the filling.