Cinnamon Apple Bars

Happy Birthday to Marcus, Happy Birthday to Marcus! I have had a bag of cinnamon chips that I was saving for a special occasion and it turns out that Marcus's 26th Birthday was that occasion! I found these apple cinnamon bars on the blog Culinary in the Desert, and thought they looked delicious so I chose to make those. They were tasty, and it seems that they reminded most people of a carrot cake type taste (which is one of my favorite desserts)- maybe it was the cream cheese frosting! My version of the recipe is posted below, and sorry they were not very photogenic :)



Here are a couple pics of Marcus with his treats :)



Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars (Adapted from Land O Lakes)

For the bars

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cups white wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 tablespoons salted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped apples

For the frosting

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

To make the bars

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in cinnamon chips and chopped apple.

Spread the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan coated with nonstick spray. The batter is pretty thick so you will have to push it into the corners. Bake until golden and a toothpick placed in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 to 30 minutes.

To make the frosting

In a medium bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread over the cooled bars.