A sweet frosting and a white chocolate swirl give these glazed Apple Butter Bars a fun fall flair. This is a great shortbread cookie to enjoy with a cup of hot or cold apple cider.
Apple Butter Shortbread Bars
I have been burning fall candles daily, trying to convince myself that fall is here. The calendar says fall has arrived, but the weather outside does not say the same thing. I'm ready to wear jeans and sweatshirts and drink hot coffee all day because it's almost November.
The weather outside is not cooperating with my desire to be warm and toasty in a sweatshirt. Hot sunshine during the day means shorts, tank tops, and iced coffee are still happening here. At least the cool, crisp air after the sun goes down has me reaching for long-sleeved shirts and pants.
Those cool nights are the perfect time for a campfire. My husband and I have been enjoying sitting around a fire after the kids go to bed, as it's so much more enjoyable that way. The smell of the burning wood is putting me into full-on fall mode. Something about the smoke from a campfire says fall to me.
Another smell that puts me on fall alert is apples and cinnamon. I am happy when I bake with those ingredients because they give our house that spicy apple orchard feeling.
As a child, toast covered in apple butter was one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast.
Who am I kidding? I still can't get enough of that toast!
This week, I decided to give my favorite peppermint shortbread bar cookies a fall twist. Yes, that same Christmas cookie was my starting point for today's cookie.
Adding apple butter to the dough and the glaze was the perfect way to change up that holiday cookie! It's always fun to give a family favorite treat a fun facelift.
How To Make Apple Butter Bars
- Spray a foil-lined tray with nonstick baking spray. Press the dough into an even rectangle.
- Cut the cookies into bars with a pizza cutter as soon as they come out of the oven. Do this while they are warm because they will break if you cut them cold.
- Spread the cooled cookies with the apple butter glaze using a metal spatula.
- Drizzle white chocolate on top of the bars to give them a pretty flair.
These cookies improved the longer they sat since the apple butter taste deepened each day. They were excellent fresh from the oven on the first day, but they were ten times more delicious and smelled amazing after sitting overnight in a closed container.
I may be guilty of snagging a cookie stick multiple times in one day because I couldn't get enough of that sweet apple butter taste!
More Apple Butter Uses
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Recipe
Apple Butter Bars
A sweet frosting and a white chocolate swirl give these Apple Butter Bars a fun fall flair. Great cookie to enjoy with a cup of hot or cold apple cider.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup apple butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the Frosting
- ¼ cup apple butter
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick baking spray.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the apple butter and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the salt, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly add to the butter mixture until dough forms.
- Place the dough on the prepared pan. Press the dough out evenly into a 9x11 rectangle. Bake for 11-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a pizza cutter to cut the warm cookie into 20 even rectangles.
- Let cool for a few minutes on the pan, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk together the apple butter, butter, and powdered sugar. Use a spatula to spread the frosting evenly on the tops of the cooled cookies.
- Place the melted white chocolate in a plastic bag and cut one corner off. Drizzle over the tops of the frosting.
- Let sit until the frosting hardens. Store in a tightly sealed container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Becky Hardin
I love apple butter but have never used it in this way! So creative. A must make!
Matt @RealFoodByDad
Perfect for Fall!
Malinda @Countryside Cravings
These bars look amazing!!! And don't worry, the weather here in Colorado isn't cooperating very well either! We have been near record highs EVERY DAY! 80 degrees is just to warm for this time of year!!
Rachel @ Rachel Cooks
These are so pretty!
shelly (cookies and cups)
As soon as I saw these I knew I had to make them! This looks like the perfect cookie!
Chels+R.
These look amazing! My hubby loves both shortbread and apple butter so this is a big win!
Medha
These shortbread bars look awesome! Their shape looiks perfect for dunking in cider, hot chocolate, or chai 🙂
Linda
These look amazing. Love that mellow apple butter flavor. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Nicole
Yep, these are perfect for a Fall treat with my coffee! I hope you get your chilly weather soon 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
I could see these being very dangerous to keep in the house. I absolutely adore apple butter, and Musselman's is such a high quality brand. LOVE!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
Love the apple butter glaze! A perfect fall dessert!
aimee @shugarysweets
Shortbread bars are a serious weakness of mine! LOVE the fall flavors with these 🙂
Marye
These look so delicious! I love Shortbread and Apple Butter, a perfect combination!
Cakespy
Oh gee whiz, this is like the ultimate taste of fall! Perfect to enjoy while watching the leaves fall (from inside, I hate the cold) 😉
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking
Well, it's definitely fall here. I'm wearing my fluffy socks AND a scarf inside and I'm still freezing! These bars look delicious - I'm sad they don't sell apple butter here in the Netherlands... But I plan on making my own 🙂
Tori//Gringalicious
YUM!!!! These sound absolutely perfect!!!!