Apple Pie Bars

One of our favorite things to do as a family when the weather turns colder is make something in the kitchen. Both my husband and I are the fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants type when it comes to cooking or baking anything. The great thing about that is we come up with some pretty tasty, unique recipes. The downfall? We usually can't remember how to duplicate it the next time! Well, we decided to keep track of our recipe this time because these Apple Pie Bars are THE BOMB!!

Exhibit A:

Mmmmm... doesn't that just make your mouth water?!?

Here's the nitty-gritty...

The Crust:

2 cups of butter {4 sticks} (awesomeness doesn't come low-cal here)

2/3 cup of milk

2 tbsp vinegar

4 cups flour

2 tsp salt

Cut ingredients together with a pastry blender. Find one here: http://amzn.to/2e03eRB

Divide in half. Use one half to press into a 9x13 baking sheet to make the bottom crust. The other half will be used later to make lattice for the top crust.

The Filling:

About 12 medium tree apples or 8 large granny smith apples- peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup of butter {1 stick}

3 tbsp of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of citrus pop (7up, Mist, Mt. Dew, etc)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Place apple slices evenly over bottom crust.

Melt butter and add flour with a whisk. Incorporate sugars, pop and spices to the mix. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour mixture over apple slices. Top with a lattice style crust. Sprinkle sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon over the top.

Bake @ 375 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until apples are soft.

Glaze:

We're not done yet! Don't skip this step- the glaze is what makes this mind-blowingly-awesome.

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

2 tsp of milk (you can adjust to desired thickness)

Don't panic if your glaze is runny- just add more powdered sugar until it is the perfect consistency. Drizzle over slightly cooled bars.