Chef Gigi Gaggero

Enjoy a buttery crust topped with spiced apples — all without the hassle of rolling out pie dough! This simple recipe features an easy dough perfect for the holidays. No one will ever guess that you pressed it into the bottom of your baking dish, serving as both the base and a crumble topping for the apple mixture. It’s a breeze to make! Bake, Cool in the fridge to set, then cut into squares or share hot, right out of the oven with your favorite Vanilla Ice Cream. :-O

For The Dough, You’ll Need :

2 ounces butter, softened for dotting top and greasing the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces of very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Here’s How to Make the Dough:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350’F degrees. Grease a 9x13x2 inch casserole dish with softened butter. Set it aside.

Step 2: Start by making the dough in the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment and by adding the flour, sugar, and salt pulse to mix.

Step 3: Add the cold butter and pulse for a few seconds (do not over-mix) until the mixture resembles beach sand; add the remaining spices and pulse one last time. Remove 1 1/2 cups of this mixture into a large zip lock, add the walnuts, zip closed, and massage and squeeze the outside of the bag with your hands to form a solid mass of dough. Set aside in the fridge for the topping later.

Step 4: Place the remaining dough mixture into the buttered casserole dish. Spread out evenly, covering the bottom of the pan like a suto-sort-of pie crust, and press down to compact. Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Now, increase the oven temperature to 375’F degrees and start making the filling.

For The Filling, You’ll Need:

1 1/2 pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about three large), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8th inch slices.

1 1/2 pounds sweet-tart apples, such as Gala, Fujis, or Pink Ladies, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8th-inch slices

2 tablespoons good quality Brandy to plump currants

1/2 cup dried currants rehydrated in the brandy for about 10 minutes till plump

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more if you’re soaking apples (see tip below)

3-4 ounces unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup

Here’s How to Continue with Filling, Assembling and Baking:

Step 5: Drain and pat dry all the apples if soaked in water. In your largest skillet, add the butter and cook over medium-high heat till brown and nutty. Add the apples and lemon juice. Scatter in all the remaining spices: sugars, maple syrup, and flour. Cook, stirring often, until all liquid releases from the apples and almost evaporates, and the apples are tender but firm. About 6-7 minutes.

Step 6: Remove from heat, add the brandy and the currants, return to the heat, and cook off the alcohol for about 1 minute. Be careful not to catch a flame. Remove from heat. When the filling is cooled, spread evenly over the baked crust and gently press the apples to eliminate air pockets.

Step 8: Grab the cold walnut mixture from the fridge and crumble it into small pea-size pieces while still in the ziplock bag. Scatter it evenly over the top of the apple filling. Dot the top with any remaining butter, and bake until golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Cool in the fridge to set, then cut into squares or share hot, right out of the oven with your favorite Vanilla Ice Cream.

Makes about two dozen bars.

Tip: Soak cut apples in a big bowl with a few teaspoons of lemon juice and cover them with water to keep them from browning. We are cooking the apples, so don’t stress if you pass on this step and they begin to brown.