Kid-friendly Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Country Applesauce+Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Family Meal Plan: Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce + Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

Family Meal Plan: Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Country Applesauce+Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce + Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Dylan Sabuco
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
35 minutes
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce

In autumn, as the air turns crisp and leaves change to red, orange, and gold, orchards across the country open their gates, inviting families to pick apples straight from the trees. Any New Englander will tell you that apple picking is one of the absolute best ways to celebrate early fall. But apples aren't just for fall—they're versatile treats that can be enjoyed all year, whether you got them fresh from the orchard or your local market. 

This recipe combines the buttery crust of a cookie bar with the simple comfort of homemade applesauce. Reminiscent of apple pie, it's the perfect bake for cozy gatherings!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
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Shopping List

  • FRESH
  • 4 apples (your choice of type)
  • 1 to 2 bananas
  • DAIRY
  • 1 C unsalted butter **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 2 C milk **(see allergy subs below)**
  • PANTRY
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 C all-purpose flour **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 2 C quick oats **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • HAVE ON HAND
  • 1 C water
  • 2 C ice

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • bake :

    to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

  • blend :

    to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

  • cut in :

    to mix a cold, solid fat, like butter or shortening, into a dry ingredient, like flour, until there are particles of fat covered with the dry ingredient. The recipe might call for "pea size" particles or a mixture that looks like "coarse meal." You can use a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers to cut in the fat.

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

Equipment Checklist

  • Blender (or pitcher + immersion blender)
  • Measuring cups
  • Skillet
  • Cutting board
  • Kid-safe knife
  • Measuring spoons
  • Wooden spoon
  • Oven
  • Muffin pan
  • Large mixing bowl
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Ingredients

Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce

  • Applesauce:
  • 4 apples (your choice of type)
  • 3/4 C brown sugar
  • 3/4 C water
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Cookie dough:
  • 2 C all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour)**
  • 2 C quick oats **(for CELIAC sub certified gluten-free oats)**
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 C cold unsalted butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free unsalted butter)**
  • 2 T cold water

Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

  • 1 to 2 bananas
  • 2 C milk **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free milk)**
  • 2 C ice

Food Allergen Substitutions

Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce

  • Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour.
  • Celiac: Substitute certified gluten-free oats.
  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free unsalted butter.

Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free milk.

Instructions

Appealing Apple Grain Cookie Bars with Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce

1.
intro

If you close your eyes and try really hard, I bet just about anyone can imagine the smell of warm apples, sugar, and cinnamon filling your home and heart with the best fragrance. This dish is inspired by those smells and feelings invoked by baking a fresh apple pie. Instead of making one big pie, today we will create tiny apple crisp cookies that combine all the best parts of an apple pie with a cookie base. Let’s get cooking!

2.
chop + measure + boil

We'll start with the applesauce! Roughly chop 4 apples and place them in a skillet over medium-high heat. Then, measure and add 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup water, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Bring to a boil.

3.
cook + blend

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for at least 15 minutes. Then, pour the mixture into a blender (or pitcher for use with an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. If you prefer chunky applesauce, just smash the apples with a wooden spoon.

4.
preheat

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

5.
measure + cut in

The cookie dough step is quite easy! Measure and add the following to a large bowl: 2 cups flour, 2 cups quick oats, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup cold butter, and 2 tablespoons cold water. The best part is we can stir with our hands from the beginning by using our fingers to pinch the butter and other ingredients together. This is called 'cutting in'. Typically, cutting-in occurs when two forks or a pastry cutter gently incorporate butter into flour.

6.
build + bake

Once you have a ball of dough formed, divide the dough into 24 equal-sized small pieces. Press a ball of dough into each of the wells of a muffin pan. Then, spoon 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of the applesauce over the dough for each cookie bar. Lastly, flatten the remaining balls of dough and place those over the top of the applesauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. The top will be less baked than the bottom, and that is totally fine!

7.
eat + enjoy

Remove the cookie bars from the oven, allow them to cool, and dig in! Enjoy!

Amazing Apple Orchard Smoothies

1.
measure + blend

Measure the following into a blender (or pitcher for use with an immersion blender): 3/4 cup Wooden Spoon Country Applesauce, 1 to 2 bananas, 2 cups milk, and 2 cups ice. Blend until smooth. Cheers!

Surprise Ingredient: Oats!

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Photo by Irina Wilhauk/Shutterstock.com

Hi! I'm Oats!

"Did you know I'm a type of cereal grain, the edible seeds of oat grass?! I make a healthy and filling hot cereal called 'oatmeal' and delicious desserts!"

History

  • Oats were one of the earliest cereals cultivated by man. They were known in ancient China as long ago as 7,000 BCE. The ancient Greeks were the first to make oatmeal or porridge from oats.
  • Wild oats were cultivated for thousands of years before the plant was domesticated. 
  • Canada produces the most oats, followed by Russia. In the United States, oats are grown mainly in the northern Midwest states: North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 
  • Production and acreage of oats have declined steadily since 1945, when a record 1.5 billion bushels were produced utilizing 42 million acres.
  • Oatmeal Month is celebrated each January when we buy more oatmeal than any other month. In January, we stock our pantries with about 35 million pounds of oats, enough to make 346 million bowls of oatmeal. Eighty percent of US households have oatmeal in their cupboard.
  • Only about five percent of the world's oat crop is consumed as food by humans; most of the crop is fed to animals, like cattle, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep. Some birds will also eat oats, including blackbirds, doves, finches, pigeons, and sparrows.
  • The word "oat" comes from the Middle English "ote" (the grain of the oat plant or the plant itself), from the Old English āte, of unknown origin. 

Anatomy

  • Oat grasses come from the Poaceae family, which includes other cereal grains, bamboos, and natural grassland. 
  • The plant can grow to around 5 feet tall. Its long, narrow, pointed leaves grow upward and can be 3 to 16 inches long. Clusters of spikelets branch off from the top of the plant, which contain flowers that mature into oat seeds or grains. 
  • Plant biologists believe oat plants are a secondary crop, meaning they came from a weed that mimicked a primary cereal crop plant, like wheat. 
  • Oats like cooler (but not cold) weather and wetter summer weather to grow. Their growth can outpace weeds, and they are not as affected by crop disease as other cereal grains, such as barley and wheat. 
  • An oat grain kernel is called a "groat" after removing the hull. It is a whole grain, including the germ, bran, and endosperm. Groats can be eaten but are quite chewy and require soaking before cooking.

How to Buy & Eat

  • Oats come in several forms. Most can be made into porridge, and some can be added to baked goods. Cooking times below are for the stovetop method. All types, except whole groats, can be cooked in the microwave; however, rolled, quick, or instant oats would probably be the most successful using this method.
  • Whole groats are the whole oat grain. They have the longest cooking time, taking 45 minutes to 2 hours. Soaking them overnight shortens the cooking time and makes them easier to digest.
  • Steel-cut or Irish oats are whole groats cut into smaller pieces. Their cooking time, at 20 to 30 minutes, is shorter than whole groats but longer than rolled oats.
  • Scottish oats are groats that have been stone-ground into paper-thin pieces. They result in a creamier porridge and take about 10 minutes to cook. 
  • Rolled or Old Fashioned oats are groats that have been steamed and rolled into flakes. Their cooking time is 5 minutes.
  • Quick or instant oats are rolled oats that have been further steamed and flattened and take 1 to 3 minutes to cook. 
  • Oat Bran is the outer part of the whole groat. The groat is ground, and the bran is separated from the flour. Oat bran takes about 1 to 3 minutes to cook.
  • The most popular oatmeal topping is milk. Other possible toppings include a sweetener, like sugar, honey, or maple syrup; fruit, like raisins, bananas, or blueberries; and butter or margarine. Eggnog, peanut butter, cottage cheese, and brewer's yeast are more unusual toppings.
  • Besides oatmeal, some other foods with oats as an ingredient are bread, cookies, crisps or crumbles, pies, cakes, meatloaf, and milk (oat milk). 
  • Non-food uses for oats include refrigerator deodorizer, bath products and lotions for itchy skin, and homemade play dough!

Nutrition

  • Oats are high in fiber and protein! They are also a good source of B vitamins and minerals. 
  • Oats have some cancer-preventing properties and benefit the digestive system.

History of Cookie Bars!

Photo by johnlck/Shutterstock.com
  • Cookie or dessert bars have been around since the 1930s. Date bars were the earliest type seen in cookbooks of that era. The "bar" type of cookie was popular in Midwestern states at bake sales and for birthdays and holidays. 
  • Cookie bars are baked in one layer on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. They are then cut into squares or rectangles. In Great Britain, cookie bars are known as "traybakes."
  • The consistency of a cookie bar is softer than a cookie but firmer than cake. Any cookie flavor can be used, including chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and peanut butter.  
  • Examples of cookie and dessert bars are brownies, blondies, seven-layer bars (or magic bars), and date, lemon, and other fruit squares.

Let's Learn About the Midwest!

Photo by Ronald E Grafe/Shutterstock.com
  • The Midwestern United States is in the northern central part of the country. The Midwest is between the Northeastern states and the Western states. To its north is Canada, and to its south is the Southern United States.
  • The twelve US states in the Midwest are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. People from these states tend to be very proud of their Midwestern heritage, friendliness, and traditional values.
  • The term "Midwest" first appeared in the late 1800s to describe the areas of Kansas and Nebraska. It expanded to include the twelve states currently part of the Midwest.
  • The first to settle in the area were Native Americans and French fur traders. In 1863, when the Homestead Act was passed, immigrants from Northern and Western Europe arrived to claim land for farms. They came from the British Isles, Germany, and Scandinavia. When Southern and Eastern European immigrants arrived, they settled in the cities because most of the available land had already been taken. Cities like Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit began to grow with these new residents.
  • Farmers grew wheat and corn, and others raised dairy cattle and pigs. The winters could be cold and harsh, and the summers hot and humid. They often had to deal with drought. 
  • The geography of the Midwest has grasslands (called prairies), lakes (including the Great Lakes), limestone bluffs, rivers (including the Mississippi), valleys, wetlands, and woodlands.
  • Outside the cities, some of the animals you might see in the Midwest include American badgers, American bison, black bears, coyotes, gray wolves, prairie dogs, and white-tailed deer. 
  • Thousands of sandhill cranes migrate from Mexico and the Southern US to breeding grounds in Alaska every spring. On their way, they stop in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska for about a month to fill up on leftover corn kernels, insects, and worms before continuing north.
  • The Midwest is known for having several college and professional baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer teams. These include the Chicago Bears (football), Detroit Red Wings (ice hockey), and St. Louis Cardinals (baseball). Other popular sporting events held in the Midwest include car races, like the Indianapolis 500, and golf tournaments, like the John Deere Classic.
  • Various types of music developed their own styles when people from other countries or regions of the US came to the Midwest. Czechs and Germans brought the polka, and Southerners brought the blues, rock and roll, and jazz. 
  • Similar variations also occurred with Midwestern cuisine. There are influences from indigenous peoples and Europeans. Native Americans introduced bean, corn, potato, and pumpkin crops and taught settlers ways to preserve game. Scandinavians brought lutefisk, butter cookies, and æbleskiver. Germans brought sauerbraten, schnitzel, and pumpernickel bread. 
  • Some of the foods the Midwest is known for are Chicago-style hot dogs and pizza, Cincinnati Chili, Cleveland-style cassata cake, cookie bars, fish fries, fried pork tenderloin sandwich, Indiana sugar cream pie, Iowa loose-meat sandwich, Kansas City-style barbecue, Ohio buckeye candy and sauerkraut balls, Omaha steaks, Springfield horseshoe sandwich, and St. Louis gooey butter cake.

Lettuce Joke Around

What do you get when you use a deer-shaped cookie cutter?

Cookie Doe!

That's Berry Funny

Did you hear about the horse who testified in court?

At first he wasn't going to tell the truth, but the judge reminded him he was under oats (oath).

The Yolk's On You

Why do basketball players love cookies? 

Because they can dunk them!

Lettuce Joke Around

When life gives you lemons, … 

… toss them aside and eat cookies instead!

That's Berry Funny

What kind of apple has a short temper? 

A crab apple!

The Yolk's On You

What did the apple tree say to the hungry caterpillar? 

"Leaf me alone!"

That's Berry Funny

What does a duck like to have for breakfast?

Quacker Oats!

THYME for a Laugh

Why did the apple cry? 

Its peelings were hurt!

Lettuce Joke Around

I think I should work at a Smoothie shop.

I feel like I would blend in.

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