My Mountain Garden Gleanings: Danish Apple Bars

I have been making these delicious bars every fall for over twenty years. When I lived on the prairies, I would sometimes use large crab apples instead of apples. (We had several crab apple trees as well as a couple of apple trees in the yard.)

The original recipe came from Company's Coming - Desserts by Jean Pare but I adjusted it to fit my large jelly roll pan and to accommodate my two boys with their hollow legs. I use a large 12" by 18" jelly roll pan.

Ingredients
Crust
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine

2 egg yolks in enough milk to make 1 cup

Filling
1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
ice cream pail full of apples
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 egg whites

Glaze
1 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix flour and butter until crumbly.

Beat egg yolks with a small amount of milk in measuring cup. Then add enough milk to make one cup of liquid.

Mix the egg/milk mixture into flour mixture. Shape into two equal balls and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

This dough is very forgiving so don't be afraid of it. If you rip it, you can reroll it or you can patch the hole. First roll one ball a bit larger than the pan.

When the dough is large enough, I gently fold it in half.

Then I fold it in half again.

I then place it in the pan and start to unfold it.

Don't be afraid to handle the dough and move it around so it fits the pan better.

When the dough covers the bottom of your pan, press up the sides.

You need enough on the sides so you can seal the top and bottom together so the filling doesn't spill out into your oven while it is baking.

Now onto the filling: It takes about 3 cups of corn flakes to make 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.

Spread the crumbs evenly over the dough.

Arrange apple slices over the crumbs. The original recipe called for peeled apples but I don't peel mine. Add as many apples as you want - I usually use a heaping ice cream pail full. Again, the original recipe called for only 4 apples to cover a 10 by 15 pan. We like lots of filling so I pile the apples high.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly on top of apples.

Roll the other ball of pastry as you did the last. When it is large enough to cover the pan fold into quarters again. Moisten the bottom crust edge with water. Lift to one end of the pan and unfold as before.