1¼ C. all purpose flour
½ t. kosher salt (or ¼ t. table salt)
3 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temp.
2 oz. (4 T.) unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
¼ t. pure almond extract
¼ t. pure vanilla extract
¼ C. granulated sugar
¼ C. light brown sugar
⅓ C. almonds, finely chopped
Topping ingredients:
2 T. all purpose flour
2 T. granulated sugar
2 T. light brown sugar
¼ C. almonds, coarsely chopped
Filling ingredients:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temp.
½ C. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
2-3 medium (~ 1 lb) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & cut into thin slices
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with parchment.
- Butter the parchment.
To make the crust:
- Sift flour and salt.
- Set aside dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the almond and vanilla extracts and beat on medium until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- On low speed, mix in the flour-salt mixture and the ⅓ cup of finely chopped almonds just until the dough comes together. It should be crumbly.
- Reserve about ⅔ cup of the crust mixture (for the topping).
- Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until light golden, about 16-18 minutes.
- Remove crust from the oven.
To make the topping:
- While the crust bakes, make the topping by adding the flour, granulated and brown sugars to the reserved dough.
- Mix until well combined. It should be crumbly.
- Set aside topping and ¼ cup coarsely chopped almonds while you make the filling.
To make the filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the egg, lemon juice and salt until well mixed.
To assemble:
- Arrange the apple slices over your baked crust.
- Pour the cream cheese filling over the apples and gently spread the filling to cover.
- Crumble the topping over the filling.
- Sprinkle with the almonds.
- Bake until light golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for about 30 minutes.
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