Recipe: Applesauce Spice Bars with Brown Sugar Glaze (with raisins and pecans)

APPLESAUCE SPICE BARS



"It's hard to think of a season that's more exciting for a baker than fall. As great as all those little summer fruit desserts are, nothing beats settling into the kitchen when there are leaves falling outdoors. Here's the recipe that I make as soon as I see the new crop of apples in the market. Really a soft cake, these bars get their full flavor from brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Their comforting texture comes from applesauce, and their here-and-there surprises are chopped apple, raisins, and pecans. They're wonderful as is and even better with their brown-sugar glaze. I'd say the glaze is the icing on the cake, but the real "extra" about these homey, completely irresistible bars is how easy they are to make. Since both the batter and the glaze are mixed in a saucepan, even a first-timer can rustle them up with ease. Serve them to kids with apple juice and to grown-ups with mulled cider or even a little brandy. They're a great way to greet the new season. - Dorie Greenspan"

FOR THE BARS:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

FOR THE GLAZE:
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

GETTING READY:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.

TO MAKE THE BARS:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and applejack, if you are using it, and whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth.

Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear, then mix in the apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool while you make the glaze.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking frequently. Adjust the heat so that the glaze simmers, and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Turn the cake out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the cake onto another rack, so it is right side up. Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher, grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the cake, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let the cake cool to room temperature before you cut it.

Cut the cake into 32 bars, each about 2 1/4 x 1 1/2-inches.

Serving: Serve with coffee, tea, milk or mulled cider. These are also awfully good with a little scoop of ice cream.

Storing: Kept in a covered container, the bars will be fine for about 3 days at room temperature. Because of the glaze, they cannot be frozen.

Makes 32 bars
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan