Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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!

Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Bars:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 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

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Instructions

Bars:

1. 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).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce.
3. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg mix until just combined. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
4. 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:

1. 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.
2. Store in refrigerator.

• Category: Brownies & Bars

BE SURE AND PIN THIS TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS SO YOU CAN MAKE IT LATER!

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Allrecipes (bars)