I avoided making this recipe for a long time, because it was one of those ones my Mom made so rarely that I just assumed it was super complicated. Kinda like fettuccine alfredo…
Wow, so wrong. And so delicious. Why did I wait so long? I’ve been missing out on 10 years of not eating this!!
So, before you make the same mistake I did, read on. These are amazing. And I’m not tooting my own horn when I say that, because it’s not my recipe. There are a lot out there like this, and they’re all pretty close, though I can say that I haven’t found one that says to cube the apple. Most call for sliced, but that’s neither here nor there, cause both methods work just fine.
On the topic of apples, I used Granny Smith, because I’m 7 months pregnant, and it’s what I had on hand because that’s pretty much all I’ve been craving. Granny Smith apples + any kind of cheese has become my ritual bedtime snack. Odd, non? In any case, I’m sure any type of apple would work just fine, but when it comes to baking, I tend to stick to Granny Smith because of their tartness.
Also, don’t worry about buying cornflake crumbs, because I’m pretty sure you spend, like, three times as much. Buy a cheap box of cornflakes and crush them with your hands. Or, if you’re like me and the bottom half of the bag always gets crushed on its own, just save those for this recipe. You can thank me later.
The icing is really just a glaze, and yes, 1 tablespoon of water is the right amount. If you really think you need more, only add water a couple drops at a time. You don’t want it super runny or it will cover your entire pan instead of hardening into a cute drizzle. Not that it won’t be edible, but you might have to resort to eating it out of the pan with a spoon instead of cutting into squares.
On second thought…
Finally, I spent way too long trying to figure out the proper way to cut slits, worried that a) it wouldn’t vent properly, and/or b) it would look ugly. Don’t make the same mistake I did! No matter how you cut the slits, it will look and taste just fine, and the glaze will cover over anything that looks weird. But if you’re really concerned. I cut them on the diagonal about 2 inches apart, and then the same going the opposite diagonal. (Is opposite diagonal a thing?)
Apple Danish Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 egg yolk + enough milk to make a 1/2 cup
Filling:
- 1 cup crushed cornflakes
- 4 large apples peeled and cubed small or thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg white
Icing:
- 1 cup icing confectioner's sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in egg yolk/milk mixture. Divide dough into 2 balls, 1 slightly larger than the other.
- Mix apples with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Roll out larger ball of dough and place in bottom and up sides of prepared pan.
- Spread cornflake crumbs evenly over the bottom crust. Top with apples.
- Roll out remaining pastry and place over top. Wet bottom crust and fold over the top. Seal and cut slits in dough.
- Mix egg white with a few drops of water and brush over the crust.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Let cool.
- Mix together icing sugar, water and vanilla and drizzle over.
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