Apple Harvest Squares - shortbread crust, cinnamon apples topped with a sweet coconut topping are great for sharing with friends!
Jump to RecipeApple Harvest Squares were one of the first recipes to hit the blog back when I first started it. I found the recipe in a shoebox full of recipes that my Grandma left to me.
The bars are made of a shortbread crust topped with cinnamon spiced sliced apples and then topped with a sweet and delicious coconut topping. They're fantastic and super easy to make.
Other Apple Recipes You'll Love
Reasons To Make This Recipe
- It's a quick and easy dessert to make when you're short on time.
- Delicious shortbread crust.
- A great way to use up a surplus of apples!
- These bars are a great summery dessert!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour
- Salt
- Sugar
- Butter
- Apples
- Lemon
- Cinnamon
- Egg
- Evaporated Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
- Unsweetened coconut
Tips and Tricks
- Use store-brand coconut for this recipe. Organic coconut is too stiff, and you want the coconut to sort of sink into the topping. This is one place where you want the cheap stuff!
- Line the pan with foil or parchment paper with an overhang so that you can easily remove the bars from the pan for cutting.
- Make sure to use unsweetened coconut. Sweetened coconut will make the final dish way too sweet.
FAQ's
How long do the leftovers last? Leftover bars should be placed in an air-tight container and will last in the fridge for 3-5 days.
What can I do with the leftover evaporated milk? There are lots of things to do with it! You can use it in place of regular milk or cream in mashed potatoes. It can be used to make a homemade creamy dressing. You can add it to your morning coffee. Make sure when you store it that you put it into a container with a tight fitting lid. That will keep it from getting a skin on top.
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Apple Harvest Squares
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar divided
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, very cold, cut into small cubes
- 4 cups peeled cored and thinly sliced apples tart apples (Granny Smith or Cortland)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped nuts i used walnuts - it’s what I had in the pantry, but pecans would work well too
- 1 ⅓ flaked unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375
- In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and ⅓ cup of the sugar.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, fork or use your hands until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 13x9 baking dish.
- Spread the apple slices on top of the crumbs, and drizzle with lemon juice. Combine another ⅓ cup of sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle that on top of the apples. Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the dish is baking, combine the last ⅓ cup of sugar with the egg, evaporated milk, vanilla, nuts and coconut in a small bowl. Spread this mixture over the baked apples, and bake for another 20 minutes. Just a note, in the bowl it wont look like there’s enough topping, but it spreads pretty thin.
- Cool on a wire rack and cut into squares.
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