Sour Cream Apple Squares

 It's not exactly apple season right now, but we had a hankering (yes hankering, y'all) for a really good, sweet dessert so this family favorite came to mind.  

Sour Cream Apple Squares have been a favorite pot luck, family gathering go-to recipe for over ten years and the pan has always been emptied wherever I take them.

You can see the evolution of the squares in the photos. The first is the prim apple square with a plop of Blue Bell (the ONLY ice cream eaten in this household) placed strategically to make sure the simple beauty of the bar is seen.

Then there's the close-up of the decadent warmed bar with melting ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce so you can see how it is moist and chock-full of apples it is (my favorite).

Then there's the husband's bowlful with a yummy melted ice cream mess and more caramel sauce on a warm apple square that screams "enough with the pictures, give me dessert!"

These Sour Cream Apple Squares are so easy and quick to throw together - chopping the apples is the hardest part.

There's a chewy, sweet crust on the bottom that's hard to see from the photos, but it pulls the textures together and makes a delicious dessert.

Whipped cream will work on top and because the bar is so sweet you may not need the caramel sauce, but really it's best warmed and topped with a dip of vanilla ice cream.

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Sour Cream Apple Squares

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

A great dessert for pot lucks and picnics.  Sweet and soft and cinnamony with a chewy crust.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (2 med- large) apples, peeled and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl and blend on low speed until crumbly. Stir in nuts.
3. Lightly spray a 13x9" pan with cooking spray and press 2 ¾ cups of crumb mixture into the pan.
4. To the remaining crumb mixture add the cinnamon, baking soda, salt, sour cream, vanilla, and egg and blend well. Stir in the apples. 
5. Spoon the apple mixture over the base. Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into squares. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The first time I made this I accidentally put 1 tsp. of salt instead of ½ tsp. and it came out with that sweet-salty thing going - not too much, just perfect, so I always up the salt to 1 tsp.

About 27 minutes was perfect on the baking time.

I didn't use nuts this time. It's nice with that extra crunch, though.

Update : I usually make this for gatherings, so none is left, but this time I made it for just us two. After three days (enclosed in the pan with a lid), the bottom crust got soggy. Still tasted OK, but I didn't care for the texture of the crust. So....if you're making this, make it for a gathering where it will be eaten within a day or two! Easy and delicious!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Values are Approximate