Apple Bars With Cinnamon-Cardamom Glaze

This quick-and-easy bar recipe is a perfect treat for sharing at get-togethers—or keeping on hand for you and your family

Make life a little bit sweeter this weekend with an easy dessert that can be cut larger or smaller, depending on your crowd—or appetite. A hint of cardamom in the glaze adds a slightly exotic taste to the familiar apple, notes cookbook author Judith Fertig, who created this recipe for Real Food. Take these to a football party, a potluck dinner, or bring to work as a treat for coworkers. You can substitute cinnamon for cardamom, if you wish.

Photo by Terry Brennan, Food Styling by Lara Miklasevics

Apple Bars with Cinnamon-Cardamom Glaze

Makes About 48 (3×4-inch) Bar Cookies | Recipe by Judith Fertig

For the Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs, beaten

For the Filling
6 to 8 large Granny Smith apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream

  1. Heat the oven to 350° F.
  2. For the crust, sift the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Pulse in the egg until you have a moist, crumbly mixture. Reserve ¾ cup of the crust mixture.
  3. Transfer the remaining mixture to a 12×17-inch baking sheet and press into the bottom with your hands. There will be gaps in the crust.
  4. Arrange the apple slices in rows over the crust. Mix the remaining 1/3 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples, then sprinkle on clumps of the reserved crust mixture.
  5. Bake for 40 to 43 minutes or until the crust has lightly browned and the apples are tender. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
  6. For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and spices together, then whisk in enough cream to make a thick, somewhat drippy glaze. Using a whisk or the tines of a fork, ribbon the glaze over the bars. After the glaze sets, store the bars in an airtight container.

Cook’s Note: Pears or plums would also be delicious in this recipe.

In her role as Senior Editor on Greenspring’s Custom Publications team, Mary leads Real Food magazine, the nationally syndicated publication distributed through our retail partner grocery stores. She also leads editorial on the nationally syndicated Drinks magazine and writes a weekly blog post focusing on food and drinks for MinnesotaMonthly.com. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.