Caramel Apple collides with Apple Crisp...

Living in a state where you have four seasons, one of my favorite times of the year is Fall.  I don't always enjoy what comes after it but the warm days, cool crisp evenings, you can't pass it by.  There is something about the smells of fall, it is so pleasant on the senses between the changing air outside and the smell of a kitchen on an afternoon where you're baking up your favorite fall treat.  

Since we've moved into our house in the country, my husband and I have a yearly tradition where we go to Rocky Ridge Orchard in Bowdoin, Maine to pick apples.  We have fun walking around the orchard, "tasting" the different varieties of apples and selecting just the right ones.  Then after we pick our apples, I'll usually bake up a few apple treats for us to enjoy.  

This recipe, I would describe as a combination of a caramel apple that collides with a big bowl of apple crisp, it's delicious!

Caramel Apple Bars

Crust:

½ c butter or margarine                                                 ¼ c shortening

1 c packed brown sugar                                                 1 ¾ c flour

1 c old fashioned oats                                                    1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda                                                            ½ c chopped pecans

Filling:

4  ½ c  course chopped apples                                    3 tbsp flour

(Caramel Drizzle)

1-14oz pkg of caramels                                                  3 tbsp butter or margarine

1.       Cream together in a mixing bowl, butter, shortening and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda, mix well.  Stir in pecans.  Set aside 2 cups of mixture. 

2.       Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 baking pan. 

3.       Prepare filling by tossing apples with flour; spoon over crust. 

4.       In a saucepan, prepare caramel drizzle, place unwrapped caramels in saucepan with butter, melt over low heat stirring frequently. 

5.       Drizzle caramel sauce over apples. 

6.       Top with reserved oat mixture. 

Bake @ 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until lightly brown.  Cool before cutting. 

Enjoy!  

I usually only sample what I bake to help keep the waist slim but I have to say I really liked these...so much I ate three pieces! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.