Cheddar Apple Squares

Hi there!

I’ve decided that I’m just going to start where I left off. And that’s with these autumn apple cheddar squares.

I made them in September when people were driving to the country to pick apples on Sunday afternoons, kids were back in school, and us mom’s were trying to come up with new lunch box or after-school snack ideas.

These squares remind me of something my mom used to make … date squares.  Remember those? But instead of dates, the filling is made with apples, a touch of cinnamon, brown sugar and some old cheddar cheese.Yes that’s right.  Cheddar.  As in orange cheese.

Growing up, I remember seeing apple pie served with slices of cheddar cheese and often wondering just what the cheese doing there because, after-all, pie was dessert and well, cheese just wasn’t.

Well, now that I’ve tried these squares, I know that apples, cinnamon and cheese belong together.

Cheddar Apple Squares

Adapted from one of my favourite cookbooks: The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

Makes 20 squares

Ingredients

4 apples of your choice (Crispin or Golden Delicious are recommended)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cheddar Crust and Crumble

11/2 cups large-flake rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup shredded extra-old Cheddar cheese

Method

1. Grease or line a 9-inch square metal or glass cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Cheddar Crust Crumble

2. In a bowl, whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar and salt.  With a fork, stir in butter until mixture clumps and is crumbly.  Add cheese, tossing to mix.  Press all but 1 cup evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake in centre of a 350 degree oven until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes.  Let cool.

3. Meanwhile, peel, core and cut apples into 1/2-inch  thick slices.  In a skillet or shallow saucepan, bring the apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon to a boil, adding up to 1/4 cup of water if the apples stick to the pan.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

4. Spread apple mixture over the base; sprinkle with remaining oat mixture.  Bake in centre of 350 degree oven until golden, about 30 minutes.  Let cool in pan on rack.

5. Cut into squares.

These squares can be made-ahead wrapped well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

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Rice Krispie Ice Cream Sandwiches

It’s still August, right??

Phew! That’s good!

I’m relentless when it comes to hanging onto summer and if it’s still August, that means it’s still summer, so kids can still enjoy this great summer treat.

During the summer months, my guys likes to snack on ice cream sandwiches.  Two rectangular chocolate cookies with vanilla ice cream in the middle. We go through a lot of them to say the least.

This Rice Krispie Ice Cream Sandwich, is my version of the ice cream sandwich.

Even though we ate ours plain, coloured sprinkles make these a fun treat to serve kids. The vanilla ice cream was delicious with the Rice Krispies but I’m sure any flavour would be good.

Rice Krispie Ice Cream Sandwiches

All you need is a pan of Rice Krispie Marshmallow Treats, you can find the recipe here.

Cut out large squares, cut them in half evenly and fill with your favourite ice cream (I used vanilla). Dip the sides in sprinkles, chopped peanuts, chocolate shavings, Nerds, mini M&M’s, candy or any of your favourite toppings and enjoy!

Serve immediately or store in a container in the freezer until ready to eat.

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Grapefruit Bars

I love squares that sparkle because they look like jewels. Close your eyes and imagine a delicious burst of citrus in every bite of these tangy grapefruit bars.

Sprinkled with a kiss of powdered sugar, they magically dance on your tongue and leave you with a taste of summer.

Grapefruit Bars

Cookie Base:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ (icing) sugar

3/4 cup cold butter

Filling:

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

zest of 1/2 grapefruit

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons flour

pinch of salt

Confectioners’ sugar

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine flour and confectioners’ sugar; cut in the butter until crumbly.  Press into a lightly greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the edges brown slightly. Set aside and let cool.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in the eggs, grapefruit juice, zest, and yogurt until combined.

3. Pour the mixture evenly over the cooled crust and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until just set – the centre should jiggle but not be fluid when you gently shake the pan.

4. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then run the tip of a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it.

5. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Serves 12  Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

With rhubarb  in season, I’m also making Rhubarb Honey Yogurt Scones.

I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

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