Non-spring forward

“Spring forward,” you say? Hmm, shouldn’t that involve some glimpse of spring?

I’m just saying, there is snow forecasted for tonight. That doesn’t really yell “warming temperatures, blooming flowers and shining sun” to me.

In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would say it’s more like fall…

No leaves on the trees.

Unpredictable temperatures.

Dark skies.

Still, there is one saving grace to all this fall-like weather: Crispy, juicy and flavorful apples, which were begging me to bake into apple crisp bars.

Apple Crisp Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1/4 C almonds
• 2 T sugar
• 1/3 C whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 T buttery spread
• 1 1/2 T applesauce
  

Filling:

• 2 apples, thinly sliced (I peeled one, left the skin on the other)
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 t cinnamon
  

Crisp Topping:

• 1/2 C oats
• 1/3 C whole-wheat flour
• 2 T buttery spread
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• Dash of salt
  

Directions:

• To make the crust, pulse the almonds in a mini-food processor until they are well ground. Add in the sugar and pulse together again.
  
• Pour into a medium-sized bowl, and mix with flour. Rub in the buttery spread and applesauce until everything is well combined.
  
• Grease a loaf pan and press the crust dough so that it evenly covers the pan’s bottom. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, starts on the apples. Combine the sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon.
  
• For the crisp topping, mix together the oats, flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the brown sugar and rub in the butter until everything is combined.
  
• When the crust is done baking, remove it from the oven and evenly arrange apples on top. Crumble the crisp mixture over top and gently press that down.
• Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes in 350 degree oven, until apples are tender.
• Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing into bars. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Note: This makes about four servings, but could easily be doubled for a square cake pan. If you’re feeling really crazy, you can even break out the casserole pan for a quadrupled dose!

I LOVE the layers of deliciousness in this. The crust has a gentle almond taste and good, firm texture. The apples are sweet with a hint of cinnamon. The crisp topping is filled with oats and brown sugar, which makes my heart sing…

Basically, I love this so much that I’m willing to propose a compromise: The cool temperatures can stick around just as long as I get a steady supply of apples.

In other news, this was the first Sunday in our whole engagement that Dan didn’t have to work! That meant we got to go to church, have an easy left-over lasagna lunch, take some time to relax and go on a (cold) run.

I must admit that Sundays have left me feeling a little down lately. While Dan’s been working hard, I haven’t had too much to do — which is a bad thing for my restless mind.

But now, Dan and I get to spend Sundays relaxing, attending to wedding business and — most importantly — getting to savor our relationship. I have a feeling I’m really going to look forward to these days…

Questions: Are you getting spring weather yet? Any “springing forward” snafus?