Fresh apples and raisins make these lightly-spiced bars delightfully moist. The streusel topping is the icing on the cake, so to speak. You'll note the recipe calls for allspice. This means the ground allspice berries, and not the blend of spices sold commercially as "all spice." Your favorite nuts may be substituted for the walnuts or omit them at will. The method uses a food processor to save time, but you can hand-grate the apples and use a pastry blender for the streusel topping if you wish.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Apple Raisin Bar Batter:
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice (see Note)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained well
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil.Prepare streusel topping:
Place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor with the metal blade. Pulse until broken down into large crumbs, about 1/4-inch in diameter. Refrigerate while you prepare apple raisin bar batter.
Prepare apple raisin bar batter:
Place apple chunks in the bowl of the food processor (no need to clean after the streusel) and pulse until it reaches a grated consistency. Turn into a large bowl. Add melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Hand-stir until combined.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add to apple mixture, stirring just until evenly combined. Fold in raisins. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick tests done.
Cool to room temperature. Cut and serve.
Note: Be sure you are using ground allspice berries. Some spice companies market a spice mix labeled as all spice similar to pumpkin pie spice mix. Check the ingredients label to be sure.
Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size
