Topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, these Applesauce Bars are unbelievably delicious! These will disappear fast!
I know it’s winter and Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting may seem more like a fall treat, but these definitely need to be made year-round.
Oh. My. Heck!
These are so good and I seriously could have eaten the entire pan.
The bars are soft, slightly dense, moist and have THE best flavor. . .but then you go and slather a thick layer of luscious cream cheese frosting on top and holy cow they’re amazing!
Because these have applesauce in them, I could try and pass these off as a “healthy” dessert, but I’d be a big fat liar if I did that.
But since they have applesauce in them, I can at least consider them as one of my fruit servings for the day, right?
Yeah, I know, it’s a stretch, but I’m going with it.
And while I’m at it, I think these could easily count as a dairy serving because of the cream cheese (lol!)
I’ll stop at nothing when it comes to justifying how many treats I can eat.
Have a great weekend!
Ingredients
Bars:
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I always use fresh)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish (I like to use my pyrex dish rather than a metal pan for these).
- In a medium bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg mix until just combined. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla, then slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Spread over cooled bars before cutting into squares.
- Store in refrigerator.
BE SURE AND PIN THIS TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS SO YOU CAN MAKE IT LATER!
Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Allrecipes (bars)
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